Assistant Project Manager - Construction Division

Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning•Columbus, OH

9d•$72,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning (MOAC) is seeking an Assistant Project Manager (APM) for its Construction Division, a design-build commercial and industrial HVAC contractor serving central Ohio. The APM will be responsible for the operational execution of assigned projects under the direction of a Project Manager. This is a hands-on, field-facing role focused on organizing job starts, coordinating manpower and equipment, managing the schedule, pricing and pushing change orders, overseeing subcontractors, measuring progress, and protecting job costs. This position is designed as a development path to Project Manager, with the expectation of taking on P&L ownership of small projects within 12 months and progressing to Project Manager within 18-36 months. APMs also contribute to MOAC's continuous improvement process.

Requirements

Associate or bachelor’s degree in construction management, mechanical engineering, engineering technology, or a related field — or equivalent field experience in mechanical construction.
Two or more years of experience in commercial construction in a project engineer, assistant project manager, estimator, coordinator, or field leadership role; strong HVAC field technicians or foremen moving into management will be considered.
Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, plans, specifications, and contract documents.
Working understanding of construction cost structure — labor, material, equipment, subcontract, and overhead — and how each affects job margin.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities and drive work to completion without close supervision.
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the confidence to hold general contractors and subcontractors accountable to commitments.
Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and willingness to travel daily to jobsites within the central Ohio market.
Ability to pass pre-employment background screening and drug testing.

Nice To Haves

Oracle NetSuite experience, particularly project management, purchasing, or job costing modules. NetSuite experience is a significant plus.
Direct commercial or industrial HVAC experience — air handling equipment, chillers, boilers, ductwork, hydronic and refrigerant piping, VRF, or building automation.
Experience in a design-build delivery environment.
OSHA 30 certification.
Experience with Procore, Autodesk Build, Bluebeam, or comparable construction platforms.
Familiarity with Ohio prevailing wage requirements and public bid work.
EIT, PE, or CM-Lean / CAPM credentials, or progress toward them.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day operational execution of assigned projects under the direction of the Project Manager, including small projects assigned for independent ownership as skill develops.
Develop and maintain project schedules; coordinate MOAC scope with general contractor milestones, other trades, and owner-driven constraints.
Coordinate manpower requirements with Operations and field leadership — forecast crew size, skill mix, and duration by phase, and communicate changes early.
Visit jobsites regularly to verify installed work against drawings, monitor productivity, identify field issues, and support foremen with the information and materials they need.
Lead or attend jobsite coordination meetings, pre-installation meetings, and owner/GC progress meetings; represent MOAC professionally.
Identify and resolve field conflicts, coordination clashes, and constructability issues before they become schedule or cost impacts.
Support job-specific safety expectations in partnership with Meriton Safety; confirm crews have required equipment, task-specific plans, and site orientations.
Drive punch list completion, system startup, testing and balancing coordination, commissioning support, and owner training scheduling.
Maintain project logs and trackers — submittal log, RFI log, change order log, equipment delivery log — and keep them current without prompting.
Distribute drawing revisions, addenda, and specification updates to the project team and field crews, and confirm the field is working from current documents.
Assist with procurement and project buyout: convert the estimate into committed costs through equipment releases, material purchases, and subcontract agreements.
Review and negotiate vendor and subcontractor pricing as directed; confirm scope alignment against contract documents before commitment.
Define scopes of work for subcontracted trades and manage subcontractor performance, schedule adherence, and quality in the field.
Determine equipment and material requirements, quantities, and delivery sequencing.
Review submittals and shop drawings for technical conformance with plans, specifications, and design intent prior to transmittal.
Manage long-lead equipment risk — identify exposure early, evaluate alternates, and escalate schedule impacts.
Track committed cost, labor hours, and productivity against the estimate.
Prepare monthly cost-to-complete projections and percent-complete inputs in the ERP software for review with the Project Manager and division leadership.
Identify cost variances early, determine root cause, and recommend corrective action rather than reporting the variance after the fact.
Price change orders and time-and-material work; prepare pricing backup, negotiate with the general contractor or owner, and pursue approval to execution.
Identify out-of-scope work in the field and convert it to approved, billable change orders — no scope performed without authorization.
Review labor time entries and job cost coding for accuracy; correct miscoded cost before month-end close.
Report accurate percent complete assessments in work in process (WIP) meetings to promote accurate monthly progress billings.
Read and apply contract documents, plans, specifications, and mechanical drawings; understand MOAC’s scope, exclusions, and contractual obligations on each project.
Prepare and issue RFIs on technical questions and evaluate responses for cost and schedule impact.
Maintain awareness of notice requirements, delay documentation, and contractual deadlines; escalate contract issues to the Project Manager promptly.
Support permitting and inspection coordination with authorities having jurisdiction.
Provide technical directions to the Project Coordinator on project setup, cost coding structure, and closeout requirements.
Serve as an operational point of contact for general contractors, owners, engineers, and subcontractors on assigned projects.
Communicate proactively — deliver bad news early with a recommended solution rather than late with an explanation.
Build relationships with field leadership and earn credibility with crews through preparation, responsiveness, and follow-through.
Support the estimating and sales team with constructability input, budget pricing assistance, and lessons learned from completed work.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of Construction Division goals.