Construction Project Manager

Construction Project Manager

Federal Design-Build / Central Plant Modernization - Atlanta, Georgia

Apex Facility Services Group is a government-focused facility services and general contracting organization specializing in complex building systems, large MEP infrastructure, and mission-critical facilities. Through Apex FSE JV LLC, the team supports Federal clients including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), and other agencies. Apex delivers construction, facility operations, maintenance, commissioning, and infrastructure modernization with an emphasis on safety, quality, accountability, and continuity of operations.

Apex is seeking an experienced Construction Project Manager to serve as a senior, full-time, on-site prime-contractor representative for a major Federal design-build central plant modernization project in Atlanta. The successful candidate will manage Apex's day-to-day project leadership and coordinate a large mechanical/design-build subcontractor, controls contractor, specialty trades, engineers, commissioning personnel, facility operations staff, and Government stakeholders.

This is not a conventional tenant-improvement PM role. The project involves large chillers, cooling towers, pumps, hydronic piping, medium- and low-voltage electrical systems, BAS/controls, structural and roofing work, planned utility interruptions, heavy rigging, startup/TAB/commissioning, and phased execution within an active mission-critical Federal campus. The Construction Project Manager must be comfortable managing risk, documentation, schedule, subcontractors, client communication, and field execution while protecting ongoing facility operations.

Salary: TBD, Please submit salary requirements in cover letter.

Prime Contractor Leadership & Client Interface

• Serve as Apex FSE JV's day-to-day on-site prime-contractor representative and maintain a professional, responsive presence whenever construction work is being performed.
• Act as a primary operational interface with CDC project personnel while maintaining disciplined contractual communication through Apex leadership and the Contracting Officer structure.
• Lead project meetings, drive action-item closure, coordinate daily priorities, and escalate scope, schedule, safety, quality, or commercial issues before they become project impacts.
• Maintain clear lines of authority between Apex, subcontractors, designers, operations personnel, commissioning, and Government stakeholders.

  Design-Build & Subcontractor Management

• Manage and integrate the work of the major mechanical/design-build subcontractor, BAS/controls contractor, electrical and specialty trades, design professionals, commissioning resources, and lower-tier vendors.
• Coordinate 30%, 60%, 90%, and final design activities with constructability, procurement, phasing, safety, access, maintainability, and operational requirements.
• Review scopes, drawings, specifications, submittals, RFIs, coordination drawings, vendor data, and field conditions to identify gaps, conflicts, or out-of-scope exposure early.
• Hold subcontractors accountable to approved scope, schedule, quality, documentation, manpower, safety, and closeout obligations.

  Schedule, Project Controls & Recovery

• Own execution of the overall project plan and work closely with the Lead Scheduler on the Primavera P6 baseline schedule, monthly updates, critical path, procurement milestones, outage sequencing, two-week look-aheads, and recovery plans.
• Coordinate field work to meet the Prime Contract completion period and ensure that design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, training, and closeout are logically integrated.
• Identify schedule slippage early and require corrective manpower, resequencing, acceleration, or recovery planning when the responsible party is behind.
• Work closely with the Project Controls / Contract Administrator to maintain accurate logs, commitments, notices, meeting records, submittal status, change status, and Government deliverables.

  Cost, Procurement & Commercial Management

• Manage project budget performance, commitments, subcontractor pay applications, Schedule of Values, stored-material documentation, forecast-to-complete, contingency use, and change exposure.
• Review subcontractor and vendor change proposals for scope entitlement, labor/material support, markups, schedule impact, and consistency with the Prime Contract before recommending approval.
• Maintain disciplined change control: no unauthorized scope growth, acceleration, premium time, substitutions, or field directives without documented review and approval.
• Track long-lead equipment from submittal through release, fabrication, testing, storage, delivery, installation, startup, and commissioning; aggressively manage at-risk items.

  Outages, Phasing & Continuity of Operations

• Plan and coordinate service interruptions, plant transitions, electrical cutovers, controls cutovers, fire-protection impacts, and major equipment work in advance with Apex, CDC operations, subcontractors, and commissioning personnel.
• Support preparation and execution of Service Interruption Request / Project Activity Review packages, including sequence, duration, isolations, LOTO, manpower, communications, fallback plans, and return-to-service criteria.
• Confirm materials, personnel, tools, safety controls, temporary arrangements, testing steps, contingency plans, and approvals are in place before any critical outage begins.
• Protect mission continuity by ensuring existing systems remain available as required until replacement systems are tested, verified, and ready for service.

  Safety, Quality & Federal Compliance

• Lead by example on safety and actively support the Safety Manager, Site Superintendent, subcontractor competent persons, and CDC safety/security requirements.
• Ensure planning for LOTO, energized electrical work restrictions, rigging/crane operations, roof/fall protection, hot work, refrigerants, confined spaces, traffic control, fire-watch coordination, and other high-risk activities.
• Support the Quality Control Manager through preparatory meetings, initial/follow-up inspections, receiving inspections, testing, deficiency tracking, punch-list closure, and verification of corrective work.
• Ensure compliance with Federal construction requirements including applicable wage determinations, certified payroll, Buy American requirements, security/badging, NDAs, records management, and required contract flow-downs.

  Startup, Commissioning & Closeout

• Coordinate equipment startup, TAB, BAS checkout, point-to-point verification, functional testing, integrated systems testing, commissioning, training, and turnover activities.
• Drive deficiency resolution and confirm systems are complete, documented, and operational before turnover to the Government.
• Start closeout early and maintain accountability for as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, test reports, commissioning records, training materials, spare parts, punch lists, and final turnover documentation.

  On-Site Expectations & Work Environment

• Full-time, on-site position at the CDC Roybal Campus in Atlanta, Georgia during active project execution.
• Must be available for planned shutdowns, utility interruptions, major equipment setting, startup, testing, and commissioning activities that may occur outside normal business hours, including selected nights or weekends.
• Work is performed in and around an active central utility plant and occupied Federal campus; the role requires regular field walks, stairs/ladders, roof access, mechanical/electrical spaces, and construction environments.
• Must qualify for required Federal/CDC background, badging, security, NDA, and access requirements.

  Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressively responsible construction project management experience, with demonstrated responsibility for subcontractors, schedule, cost, client communication, field execution, and project closeout.
• Proven experience managing large MEP, central utility plant, HVAC, industrial, healthcare, data center, laboratory, higher-education, or other mission-critical construction projects.
• Experience managing projects with significant mechanical and electrical scope; candidates should be comfortable discussing chillers, pumps, piping, VFDs, switchgear/MCCs, controls interfaces, testing, and commissioning at the project-management level.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret contracts, scopes, drawings, specifications, schedules, submittals, RFIs, and change documentation.
• Strong financial and commercial skills, including budgeting, forecasting, subcontract administration, change-order review, pay applications, and cost-to-complete management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, meeting leadership, negotiation, organization, judgment, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to lead multiple subcontractors and technical teams without losing control of documentation, commitments, schedule, or client expectations.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Building Construction, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and highly relevant experience.

  Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Federal construction experience, particularly with CDC/HHS, DoD, DoS, GSA, VA, USACE, NAVFAC, or other Federal agencies.
• Experience with design-build delivery and active-facility renovations where outages and continuity of operations are critical.
• Direct experience with large chiller plants, cooling towers, central utility plants, medium-voltage electrical systems, BAS/controls integration, or major MEP infrastructure replacement.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction certification; USACE/NAVFAC Construction Quality Management for Contractors (CQM-C) preferred.
• PMP, CCM, DBIA, PE, or similar construction/project-management credentials are beneficial but not required.
• Experience supporting claims avoidance, time-impact analysis, differing site conditions, Government changes, suspension/acceleration issues, and formal notice requirements.

  Technology & Systems

  The strongest candidates will be comfortable operating in a disciplined, technology-enabled project environment. Experience with the following is preferred:

• Primavera P6 or equivalent CPM scheduling software; ability to interpret logic, float, critical path, milestones, and recovery schedules.
• Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, e-Builder, CMiC, or comparable construction PM/document-control platform.
• Bluebeam Revu or similar drawing/PDF review tools.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams; ability to produce concise management reports and professional Government correspondence.

  What Success Looks Like

• Apex maintains visible, accountable prime-contractor leadership on site every day work is performed.
• Critical outages and plant transitions occur only after the team is fully prepared and do not create avoidable disruption to CDC operations.
• Subcontractors are coordinated, documented, and held accountable before issues become claims or schedule impacts.
• Long-lead equipment, submittals, RFIs, procurement, changes, testing, and closeout remain current and transparent to management.
• The project stays safe, professionally managed, commercially controlled, and aligned with the approved schedule and Prime Contract requirements.
• CDC experiences Apex as an organized, responsive, technically credible prime contractor capable of solving problems without losing control of risk.

  Why Work for Apex

• High-visibility leadership role on a major Federal infrastructure modernization project.
• Opportunity to work with experienced mechanical, electrical, controls, commissioning, and Federal facility professionals.
• Exposure to domestic and international U.S. Government work, including CDC, DoD, DoS, embassies, consulates, and other mission-critical facilities.
• Direct influence on project execution, client satisfaction, subcontractor performance, and company growth.
• Opportunity to help build repeatable project-management systems and long-term Federal construction programs.
• Clear growth path toward Senior Project Manager / Program Manager leadership as Apex expands its Federal construction portfolio.

  Compensation & Growth Opportunities

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and demonstrated ability to manage large, complex construction projects.
• Performance-based bonus opportunities tied to company and individual/project performance.
• Long-term advancement opportunities as Apex expands its Federal construction and facility-management programs.

Ideal Candidate Profile: A senior construction PM who is equally comfortable in the field, in front of a Federal client, reviewing a P6 schedule, challenging a subcontractor change order, coordinating an outage, and driving a complex MEP project to documented completion.