DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS MANAGEMENT

U.S. Space & Rocket Center•Huntsville, AL

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of the Project Management Office provides leadership and oversight for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s portfolio of organizational projects. This position leads a team of Project Managers responsible for coordinating capital improvements, construction and renovation projects, facility initiatives, exhibit installations, technology implementations, and other cross-functional projects. The Director establishes consistent project management practices and ensures projects are appropriately planned, communicated, documented, and completed within their approved scope, schedule, and budget. The role requires strong construction management experience and the ability to collaborate effectively with executives, department leaders, architects, engineers, contractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, project management, business administration, facilities management, or related field required.
An equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible project management experience required.
Minimum of five years of construction management or capital project experience is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading Project Managers or project management functions.
Experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.
Experience overseeing construction, renovation, infrastructure, or facility improvement projects from initial planning through closeout.
Experience working with architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, vendors, and internal operational teams.
Experience managing project budgets, schedules, contracts, procurement activities, change orders, and risks.
Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to develop productive working relationships across departments and organizational levels.
Strong knowledge of construction management processes, terminology, documentation, scheduling, budgeting, and contract administration.
Ability to communicate technical and construction-related information clearly to nontechnical audiences.
Strong facilitation, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and consensus-building skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Ability to identify risks early and develop practical mitigation strategies.
Sound judgment and the ability to handle sensitive or confidential information appropriately.
Proficiency with project management, scheduling, document management, and Microsoft Office applications.
Ability to maintain composure, professionalism, and flexibility when project conditions or organizational priorities change.
Ability to work primarily in an office environment while regularly visiting construction sites, mechanical spaces, exhibit areas, and other campus locations.
Ability to walk on active project sites, climb stairs, and navigate uneven or unfinished surfaces.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment while visiting construction areas.
May occasionally be exposed to noise, dust, weather conditions, and other conditions typical of active construction sites.
Must be available to respond to urgent project matters and attend occasional meetings or project activities outside normal business hours.
Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Project Management Professional certification preferred.
Construction-related certification, such as Certified Construction Manager, is preferred.
Experience within a museum, attraction, educational institution, government entity, nonprofit organization, or complex public-facing campus environment preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the organization’s team of Project Managers.
Establish consistent project management standards, processes, templates, and reporting practices.
Assign projects based on organizational priorities, project complexity, workload, and team capabilities.
Provide guidance and support to Project Managers in resolving obstacles, managing risks, and coordinating stakeholders.
Promote a collaborative, accountable, and service-oriented culture within the Project Management Office.
Evaluate project performance and identify opportunities to improve project delivery across the organization.
Maintain an organization-wide view of active, planned, and proposed projects.
Partner with executive leadership to prioritize projects based on strategic importance, available resources, operational impact, risk, and funding.
Monitor project scope, schedules, budgets, dependencies, risks, and resource requirements.
Develop and present portfolio-level reports, dashboards, project updates, and recommendations to leadership.
Identify conflicts between projects and coordinate solutions related to scheduling, funding, staffing, or operational requirements.
Establish appropriate project governance, approval processes, and escalation procedures.
Provide leadership and oversight for construction, renovation, infrastructure, and capital improvement projects.
Coordinate with Facilities and Campus Infrastructure leadership to ensure projects support operational requirements and long-term campus priorities.
Work with architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, inspectors, vendors, and regulatory authorities throughout the project lifecycle.
Review project plans, specifications, estimates, schedules, contracts, change orders, requests for information, and other construction-related documentation.
Coordinate procurement, bidding, contractor selection, permitting, inspections, commissioning, project closeout, and warranty activities.
Monitor construction progress, quality, budget, schedule, safety expectations, and compliance with approved plans.
Facilitate owner-architect-contractor meetings and ensure decisions, responsibilities, and action items are clearly documented.
Coordinate construction activities to minimize disruptions to museum operations, Space Camp programs, guests, employees, and special events.
Serve as a central point of coordination among executives, department leaders, Project Managers, contractors, vendors, and other project stakeholders.
Develop clear project communication plans and ensure stakeholders receive timely and accurate information.
Facilitate project kickoff meetings, planning sessions, progress reviews, and post-project evaluations.
Translate complex project information into clear, concise updates appropriate for executive, operational, and technical audiences.
Build productive relationships across departments and encourage early stakeholder involvement.
Manage differing priorities and perspectives while maintaining focus on organizational objectives.
Communicate emerging risks, delays, cost concerns, and decisions requiring executive attention.
Ensure each project has a clearly defined scope, schedule, budget, responsible parties, milestones, deliverables, and measures of success.
Guide the development of project charters, work plans, risk assessments, communication plans, and closeout documentation.
Monitor project performance and initiate corrective action when projects deviate from approved plans.
Manage project scope and ensure changes are evaluated, documented, approved, and communicated.
Coordinate project transitions from planning and construction to operational ownership.
Conduct post-project reviews and apply lessons learned to future initiatives.
Direct and oversee multi-million-dollar project portfolios, ensuring effective budget planning, forecasting, cost control, and financial accountability across all initiatives.
Establish financial governance processes to monitor project expenditures, optimize resource allocation, and maximize return on investment.
Lead annual capital and operating budget development for strategic projects, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and funding constraints.
Analyze financial performance metrics and project variances, implementing corrective actions to maintain budget adherence and achieve business objectives.
Partner with executive leadership to evaluate project investments, prioritize funding decisions, and balance competing organizational needs.
Develop and implement enterprise project risk management frameworks to proactively identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor strategic and operational risks.
Lead cross-functional risk reviews and establish escalation protocols to ensure timely resolution of issues impacting scope, schedule, budget, or quality.
Drive risk-informed decision-making by providing executive leadership with clear analysis of project risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies.
Ensure business continuity and project resiliency through comprehensive contingency planning, scenario analysis, and risk response planning.
Foster a culture of proactive risk management and accountability by integrating risk assessment and mitigation practices into project governance processes.
Directly supervise Project Managers and other assigned project personnel.
Establish performance expectations and provide regular coaching, feedback, and development.
Support succession planning and the continued development of organizational project management capabilities.
Model professionalism, accountability, collaboration, transparency, and sound decision-making.