Assistant Project Manager

Luster National•Columbia, WA

13d

About The Position

Luster is building a talent pool for future Assistant Project Manager roles supporting large, complex heavy-civil infrastructure programs. Projects may include highways, roads, bridges, bus and rail transit, international airports, and water/wastewater, delivered through traditional and alternative methods. The Assistant Project Manager may lead assigned task orders on transit and transportation capital programs through the full project lifecycle, coordinating contractors and design consultants and working alongside the Project Manager accountable for the overall program. The role focuses on ensuring assigned work meets cost, schedule, quality, and contractual commitments. This is a future-opportunity posting, not for a currently available specific position; applications and interviews are conducted ahead of anticipated hiring needs, and selected candidates may be activated in Luster’s talent pool for notification about project needs. The position requires experience managing components of transit or transportation programs and supporting positions on changes or delays with project records. Work may include task order scoping and budgeting, design and construction coordination, cost and schedule controls, change and submittal review, risk management, stakeholder coordination, progress reporting, and maintaining records that support program decisions, audits, and claim reviews.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, construction management, construction engineering, project management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 5 years of transit and transportation project management or construction management experience on large (over $500 million), complex heavy-civil infrastructure projects.
Experience delivering work under a multiple task order contract, including task order scoping, budgeting, and status reporting.
Capital program project-controls experience, including cost and schedule performance tracking, budget forecasting, and review of contractor or consultant invoices.
Working knowledge of construction contract documents and submittal, request for information, and change order processes.
Experience coordinating project meetings and maintaining action-item, decision, and correspondence records on a public agency capital program.
Experience with industry-standard project or construction management software, such as Primavera P6, MS Project, Unifier, or Kahua.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite/Office 365, including tools such as Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.
Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
Excellent multitasking and organizational skills.
Collaborative mindset that fosters teamwork, trust, and positive relationships.
Curiosity, problem-solving ability, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in civil engineering, construction management, construction engineering, or project management.
OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety certification.
Active professional certifications such as CCM (CMAA) and/or PMP (PMI).
Experience serving as an owner’s assistant or deputy project manager on a package exceeding $100 million in construction value.
Experience managing scope, cost, schedule, quality, and risk on a capital program valued at $1 billion or more.
Experience mentoring project coordinators or junior program office staff.
Experience with asset management, content management, or fare collection systems, such as Maximo, Documentum, Captiva, or EMV/PCI fare payment platforms.
Proficiency with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle Cloud Analytics, or other dashboard KPI reporting software.

Responsibilities

May lead assigned owner-side task orders through scoping, budgeting, design, construction, and closeout, coordinating contractors and design consultants.
Track cost performance against approved budgets, review contractor and consultant invoices and payment applications, and prepare forecasts.
Monitor schedule updates against milestones and contract commitments, analyze critical-path movement, and pursue recovery when assigned work is slipping.
Evaluate change requests, requests for information, and submittals for technical merit and cost and schedule impacts, and recommend positions to program leadership.
Monitor contractor and consultant performance against quality, safety, and contract requirements, and document nonconformance for correction.
Maintain the assigned scope’s risk register, assess mitigation options, and escalate program-level risks to the Project Manager.
Coordinate multidisciplinary design and construction submittal reviews, including roadway, structures, and water and wastewater elements, and track comments to documented closure.
Coordinate construction phasing and access at active facilities, including traffic staging, service windows, and operational constraints.
Coordinate interfaces with adjacent contracts, utility owners, railroads, and other third parties.
May lead client and stakeholder meetings and report progress on scope, cost, schedule, and risk with supporting documentation.
Administer contract documents and program controls procedures, maintaining correspondence, decision, and action-item records to support positions during audits and claim reviews.