Design Manager

Wharton-Smith, Inc., a highly regarded General Contractor throughout the Southeast, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Design Manager or Project Manager. We are currently seeking someone who is willing to work in Central, FL.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Wharton-Smith, Inc. is seeking an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to support municipal water and wastewater projects from early pursuit through GMP development. Based in the Jacksonville, Florida area, this hybrid role supports projects ranging from $4M to $500M and is well suited for an experienced Water/Wastewater Project Manager transitioning from daily project execution into a strategic preconstruction and collaborative delivery role.

The Design Manager leads planning, coordination, budgeting, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement during the pursuit and preconstruction phases. This role focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working closely with estimating and operations teams to support successful project delivery

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses.
• Participate in client interviews and presentations.
• Establish and maintain strong municipal owner and engineer relationships.
• Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
• Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
• Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
• Provide structured and meaningful constructability comments.
• Solicit and coordinate subcontractor and supplier participation.
• Develop and coordinate GMP budgets and bid packages.
• Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
• Lead milestone and stakeholder coordination meetings.
• Track preconstruction financials, including internal and external costs.
• Provide innovation and value engineering solutions to maintain budget and objectives.
• Ensure understanding and compliance with municipal funding requirements.
• Partner with operations to ensure a seamless transition into construction.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Continued professional development in estimating, collaborative delivery methods, and project controls is encouraged.
• 7+ years of experience in municipal Water/Wastewater construction or design.
• Prior experience as a Project Manager on municipal Water/Wastewater projects.
• Experience developing or supporting GMP pricing.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
• Strong understanding of municipal Water/Wastewater construction practices.
• Experience with CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or other collaborative delivery models.
• Ability to identify scope gaps and cost exposures.
• Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Standard work schedule is Monday through Friday (hybrid/remote schedules available), with flexibility required to meet project deadlines and client needs.
• Up to 25% travel is required, including travel outside the geographic region for client meetings, engineer coordination, job site visits, and travel to corporate or regional offices.
• Extended or evening hours may be required periodically based on workload, proposal deadlines, or project milestones.
• Valid Driver License required.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability

Wharton-Smith provides equal opportunity to qualified disabled veterans, Pre-JVA special disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities to online application systems by making reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access for submitting to job openings. (i.e., wheelchair accessibility, website accessibility, etc).

RECRUITER POLICY:

Notice to Staffing Agencies

Wharton-Smith, Inc. will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Wharton-Smith, Inc., including unsolicited resumes sent to a Wharton-Smith, Inc. mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Wharton-Smith, Inc. employees, or to Wharton-Smith, Inc.'s resume database will be considered Wharton-Smith, Inc. property. Wharton-Smith, Inc. will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Wharton-Smith, Inc. will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. Agencies must obtain advance written approval from Wharton-Smith, Inc.'s recruiting function to submit resumes, and then only in conjunction with a valid fully executed contract for service and in response to a specific job opening. Wharton-Smith, Inc. will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have such an agreement in place. Agency agreements will only be valid if in writing and signed by Wharton-Smith, Inc.'s Human Resources Representative or his/ her designee. No other Wharton-Smith, Inc. employee is authorized to bind Wharton-Smith, Inc. to any agreement regarding the placement of candidates by Agencies.