Job Title: Project Manager Mission Critical / Data Center ConstructionJob DescriptionThis role leads complex, mission critical, and data center construction projects with a strong focus on MEP-intensive work. The Project Manager builds and maintains trusted client relationships, drives financial and operational performance, and ensures high-quality delivery from preconstruction through commissioning and turnover. You will mentor and develop junior team members, collaborate closely with field and design partners, and serve as the final point of accountability for project success while modeling core values of empathy, perseverance, integrity, and curiosity.
Responsibilities
- Model and reinforce core values of empathy, perseverance, integrity, and curiosity in all decisions and actions.
- Manage and grow strong, positive relationships with clients, data center operators, project partners, architects, engineers, commissioning agents, and owners.
- Participate in business development efforts focused on mission critical, data center, and hightech clients, including lead generation and new opportunity pursuits.
- Build confidence in interviewing, presenting, and pitching to prospective clients and mission critical stakeholders.
- Represent the company at kickoff, milestone, commissioning, turnover, and closeout gatherings to strengthen relationships and leave a lasting professional impression.
- Maintain proactive, clear, and professional communication with project partners, prioritizing verbal communication and following up with thorough written documentation.
- Manage project issues by presenting both the problem and well-considered potential solutions to leadership.
- Deliver performance feedback and contribute to formal reviews for direct reports, supporting their growth and accountability.
- Delegate effectively, balance workloads, and provide ongoing support and mentorship to Project Engineers, Project Coordinators, and other junior staff.
- Participate in onboarding and training for new team members and deliver ongoing process improvement and best-practice trainings.
- Serve as the final point of accountability, ensuring all project requirements and deliverables are completed accurately, on time, and to defined standards.
- Observe and manage the prime contract process, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations and project requirements.
- Participate in trade partner selection, interviews, awards, and buyouts with a particular focus on critical systems contractors and key equipment vendors.
- Participate in the creation of Scopes of Work, Exhibit A documents, and Schedules of Values for all Work Orders.
- Lead procurement planning and management for long-lead mission critical equipment, including switchgear, generators, UPS systems, PDUs, cooling systems, and controls packages.
- Monitor project financial performance, oversee budgets, manage contingency, allowances, and general requirements, and ensure alignment with profit goals.
- Ensure timely delivery of accounting questionnaires, pencil draw submissions, and change order or claims approvals.
- Manage claims, financial reconciliation, commissioning closeout costs, and planning for Day 2 work.
- Oversee job cost details and financial forecasting, including cost recovery, contingency management, allowances, and general requirements.
- Independently develop and manage accurate monthly project profit forecasts.
- Identify and proactively mitigate project risks related to procurement, commissioning, schedule impacts, and operational readiness.
- Manage multiple tasks and priorities with support from the Team Lead, maintaining strong organization and follow-through.
- Participate in initial project setup, including permitting, procurement planning, project controls setup, and schedule development in partnership with the Superintendent.
- Participate in project kickoff meetings to align team members on expectations, procurement strategy, commissioning milestones, schedule, profit targets, and responsibilities.
- Maintain comprehensive awareness of project milestones, equipment delivery schedules, commissioning activities, and critical path items.
- Estimate projects with approval from the Team Lead and Preconstruction teams.
- Actively mentor junior staff throughout each phase of the project lifecycle, consistently identifying opportunities to support their growth and development.
- Effectively manage multiple large-scale mission critical projects concurrently, demonstrating strong organizational, leadership, and decision-making capabilities.
- Assume responsibility for projects at any stage, quickly assessing status, identifying priorities, and driving successful outcomes.
- Coordinate closely with field leadership, commissioning agents, design consultants, and client teams to ensure successful startup, testing, turnover, and operational readiness.
- Lead the management of RFIs, submittals, change orders, procurement logs, commissioning documentation, and turnover deliverables.
- Maintain a strong understanding of project financial structure, job cost details, and mission critical project delivery requirements.
- Apply sound construction, operational, and risk-management judgment during estimating, buyout, procurement, and financial oversight activities.
- Serve as a trusted resource for critical systems coordination, procurement strategy, and project execution for mission critical construction.
- Maintain working knowledge of critical electrical infrastructure, including switchgear, generators, UPS systems, PDUs, and power distribution systems.
- Maintain working knowledge of critical mechanical infrastructure, including chilled water systems, CRAH/CRAC units, cooling plants, controls systems, and building automation systems.
- Understand commissioning processes, startup procedures, integrated systems testing, turnover requirements, and operational readiness planning.
- Support quality assurance and quality control processes to ensure compliance with client standards, contract requirements, and commissioning objectives.
Essential Skills
- Minimum of six (6) years of experience successfully managing mission critical, data center, hightech, or other complex MEPintensive construction projects.
- Experience with projects of at least $1M in value.
- MEP experience is required, with demonstrated success managing large-scale MEP systems and critical infrastructure installations.
- Strong background working for a general contractor; owners representative experience alone is not sufficient.
- Hands-on experience with data center and mission critical environments, including complex electrical and mechanical systems.
- Proficiency with Procore for project management and documentation.
- Demonstrated proficiency in project scheduling, procurement, scope development, contract review, financial oversight, risk management, and commissioning coordination.
- Experience managing equipment procurement, startup, and turnover activities for mission critical systems.
- Strong understanding of mission critical project delivery, commissioning processes, operational readiness, and turnover requirements.
- Proven ability to foster client retention and build strong, trust-based relationships with owners, architects, engineers, and other stakeholders.
- Client-facing experience with the ability to present confidently, communicate clearly, and represent the project team professionally.
- Ability to manage fast-paced, high-volume workloads while maintaining quality and attention to detail.
- Exceptional people management skills with a high level of engagement and an empathetic, team-centered leadership approach.
- Demonstrated integrity, including consistent follow-through on commitments and ownership of decisions and outcomes.
- Ability to lead collaborative, high-performing teams and serve as a reliable leader and mentor for junior staff.
- Evidence of career progression within previous organizations, reflecting growth, increased responsibility, and stability in construction project management.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Project Management, or a related field is preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
- Experience with mission critical, data center, hightech, and other complex MEPintensive projects across sectors such as workplace, amenity, retail, hospitality, healthcare, lab and life sciences, and education.
- Experience participating in business development activities, including lead generation, interviews, presentations, and pitches to prospective clients.
- Experience participating in trade partner selection, interviews, awards, and buyouts, particularly for critical systems contractors and key equipment vendors.
- Familiarity with creating Scopes of Work, Exhibit A documents, and Schedules of Values for Work Orders.
- Experience leading procurement planning for long-lead mission critical equipment such as switchgear, generators, UPS systems, PDUs, cooling systems, and controls packages.
- Experience with financial reconciliation, claims management, commissioning closeout costs, and planning for Day 2 work.
- Comfort representing the organization at client meetings, milestone events, commissioning activities, and project closeout gatherings.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with an emphasis on proactive, clear, and professional engagement.
- Interest in continuous improvement, process optimization, and sharing best practices through training and mentoring.
- Ability to quickly assess project status when joining midstream and to realign priorities and resources to achieve successful outcomes.
Work EnvironmentThis role is based on site at a data center in the Kansas City area, working Monday through Friday. The environment is a mission critical, MEP-intensive facility where reliability, safety, and operational readiness are paramount. You will collaborate daily with superintendents, field leadership, commissioning agents, design consultants, and client teams in a fast-paced setting that requires frequent coordination around equipment deliveries, commissioning activities, and critical path milestones. The culture emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and mutual support, with team members at every level bringing empathy, integrity, perseverance, and curiosity to their work. The organization is recognized as a best-in-class general contractor and has been consistently honored as a great place to work, offering a supportive, inclusive, and growth-oriented environment where continuous learning and professional development are encouraged. Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago, IL. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $57.69 - $86.54/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago, IL. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 20, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
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