Construction Program Manager (Field Based)

Real Estate & Construction
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or related field.
  • Minimum 12+ years managing complex capital construction projects.
  • Proven track record in delivering projects safely, on time, and within budget.
  • Strong schedule management and cost control skills.
  • Experience in procurement and contract administration.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
  • Proficient in construction management tools like Primavera P6 and MS Project.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the owner's representative and liaison among key stakeholders.
  • Lead governance processes for program oversight and issue resolution.
  • Develop integrated master schedules and site logistics plans.
  • Coordinate design development for constructability and operational alignment.
  • Own cost and schedule performance, including variance tracking.
  • Manage change control processes and negotiations with contractors.
  • Maintain daily field presence to validate progress and adherence to plans.

Benefits

  • Full-time, limited-term role with a 12-month duration, renewable.
  • Opportunity to work in a pharmaceutical or life sciences environment.
  • High level of autonomy with a primary focus on project safety and quality.
  • Exposure to senior-level leadership and multi-workstream capital programs.
Full Job Description
ERM is hiring a Construction Program Manager in Kenosha, WI. The Construction Program Manager (Owner's Representative) will provide senior-level leadership across a multi-workstream capital program within a pharmaceutical or life-sciences manufacturing environment. This role oversees planning, design coordination, procurement, construction execution, and turnover activities - ensuring alignment between the owner, designers, contractors, commissioning/startup teams, and site operations.

The CPM translates complex field and technical information into clear, actionable insights for program leadership. They maintain a strong daily presence on site, proactively remove obstacles, and ensure the project is delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with quality and regulatory expectations.

While this role integrates strongly with Safety, Quality, and CQV stakeholders, it does not serve as a safety technical expert; rather, it champions safe work planning, engages the appropriate SMEs, and ensures issues are surfaced, tracked, and resolved.

This is a full-time (40 hours per week) limited-term role, with a duration of 12 months, renewable.

Responsibilities
  • Serve as the owner's representative and primary liaison between program leadership, design partners, GC/CMs, and specialty contractors.
  • Lead governance processes (decision logs, risk/issue registers, action trackers, meeting cadences).
  • Ensure scope clarity, workstream alignment, and timely resolution of cross-functional issues.
  • Lead creation and management of integrated master schedules, phasing strategies, and site logistics plans.
  • Coordinate design development to ensure constructability, operational alignment, and alignment with CQV readiness.
  • Develop contracting strategies, bid packages, and procurement timelines to support cost and schedule objectives.
  • Own cost and schedule performance across the program, including forecasting, variance tracking, and contingency management.
  • Perform critical path analysis and schedule risk reviews; drive recovery actions as needed.
  • Manage change control processes and negotiate scope, cost, and time adjustments with contractors and vendors.
  • Lead bid solicitations, evaluations, award recommendations, and contract onboarding.
  • Administer contracts with support from commercial/legal teams; validate progress, pay applications, and deliverables.
  • Identify risks of claims early, drive dispute avoidance strategies, and support resolution activities.
  • Maintain a daily field presence to validate progress, sequencing, manpower, and adherence to plans/specifications.
  • Coordinate closely with GC/CM on workface planning, logistics, and constraint removal.
  • Oversee quality assurance processes, including submittals, inspections, non-conformance management, and punchlist execution.
  • Champion safety expectations and hold teams accountable for proper planning and execution.
  • Interface with the Client/GC/EHS teams to track safety concerns, corrective actions, and systemic improvement opportunities.
  • Manage the program risk register, ensuring risk mitigation and contingency strategies are defined and executed.
  • Convert field details, contractor inputs, and technical data into concise executive-ready updates and dashboards.
  • Lead coordination meetings across design, construction, operations, permitting, quality, and CQV teams.
  • Communicate proactively with key stakeholders to prevent gaps, misalignment, or schedule impacts.


Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field (or equivalent experience).
  • Minimum 12+ years managing complex capital construction projects, preferably as an owner's representative or in a CM/GC organization.
  • Demonstrated success delivering projects safely, on schedule, and within budget.
  • Strong command of schedule management (CPM, critical path analysis) and cost control (forecasting, contingency management).
  • Experience with procurement, bid processes, contract administration, and change management.
  • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills; able to influence without direct authority.
  • Proficiency with construction management tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, Procore/ACC, Excel/Power BI).
  • Comfortable working 100% on site in an active construction program environment.


Preferred
  • Experience delivering capital projects in pharmaceutical or life sciences environments.
  • Experience coordinating with CQV teams and integrating construction with startup/qualification needs.
  • Familiarity with safety management frameworks and working alongside EHS teams.
  • Experience with BIM/VDC workflows and model-based coordination.
  • Professional certifications: PMP, CCM, CM-Lean, or similar.


Please submit your resume and brief cover letter. Based on review of these responses, shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews.

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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