Project Executive | Healthcare

Columbia•North Reading, MA

About The Position

The Project Executive provides strategic leadership and oversight for successful project delivery, client relationships, business development, and overall project performance across Columbia’s Healthcare division. The role works closely with project teams, healthcare clients, facility and clinical stakeholders, and internal partners to align projects with organizational standards, client expectations, financial objectives, patient and staff safety, and regulatory requirements. Healthcare projects often occur in occupied, operating facilities, where protecting patients, maintaining clinical operations, and meeting code and accreditation requirements are central to success. The Project Executive provides strategic project oversight, supports client partnerships and business development, and leads and develops project teams. The role supervises and supports Project Managers, Project Engineers, and other healthcare project team members. It maintains visibility into project progress, team effectiveness, client concerns, financial performance, operational challenges, and risks, and supports issue resolution and informed decision-making. The position oversees construction in occupied healthcare facilities, including coordination of infection-control, life-safety, pre-construction risk, utility-shutdown, and phasing plans. It supports compliance with applicable codes, standards, and regulatory requirements, and provides oversight of specialty healthcare systems and spaces, commissioning, inspections, licensing, and turnover. The Project Executive also builds healthcare client and industry relationships, represents the organization in industry settings, and contributes to pursuits, proposals, interviews, and other business-development activities. The role is based in office, construction-site, and healthcare-facility environments. Work hours vary with role, project needs, and business demands; extended hours, early mornings, nights, or weekends may be required, particularly during critical project phases or after-hours utility shutdowns and tie-ins. The company describes its culture as respectful of family and work/life balance, with hands-on contributions and open sharing of ideas and opinions encouraged.

Requirements

Strong understanding of construction processes, project-execution workflows, financial-management principles, project controls, risk management, and project-lifecycle coordination.
Working knowledge of healthcare construction requirements, including ICRA, ILSM, phasing and shutdowns in occupied facilities, and applicable codes and standards such as NFPA 101 and FGI Guidelines.
Ability to provide strategic leadership and project oversight while aligning with client expectations, financial objectives, operational standards, clinical needs, and project goals.
Ability to identify project risks, performance concerns, and operational challenges and support effective issue resolution and sound decision-making.
Strong leadership skills and ability to coach, develop, and support project teams and future leaders.
Strong client relationship management, business-development, communication, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage facility, clinical, and executive health-system stakeholders.
Ability to contribute to business development through networking, relationship-building, and opportunity development.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities across projects or complex project environments.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, project technology, or similar software.
Relevant education in construction management, engineering, business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Significant experience leading construction project execution or similar project-based work with responsibility for strategic project leadership, financial performance, client relationships, and team development.
Demonstrated experience delivering healthcare construction projects, preferably including work in occupied hospitals or other active clinical environments.
Experience supervising and developing project teams.
Experience in the AEC industry.

Nice To Haves

Healthcare construction credentials such as ASHE Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) or ICRA training.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership and oversight for healthcare project outcomes, financial performance, operational alignment, and execution.
Monitor project progress, team effectiveness, client concerns, financial performance, operational challenges, and risks; support issue resolution, escalation management, and informed decision-making.
Provide strategic involvement in project planning, preconstruction alignment, scheduling, procurement coordination, contract obligations, risk management, safety oversight, project controls, and project execution.
Engage regularly with project teams and job sites to understand conditions, support alignment, and provide guidance when needed.
Oversee construction planning and execution in occupied healthcare facilities to protect patient care, clinical operations, and life-safety systems.
Ensure teams develop and follow Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRA), Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSM), pre-construction risk assessments, and utility-shutdown and phasing plans in coordination with facility, infection-prevention, and clinical staff.
Support compliance with applicable codes, standards, and authorities having jurisdiction, including NFPA 101, FGI Guidelines, state health department and Joint Commission requirements, and CMS conditions of participation.
Oversee specialty healthcare systems and spaces, including medical gas, pressurization and air-exchange requirements, imaging and radiation shielding, and sterile or procedural environments; support commissioning, inspections, licensing, and turnover.
Build and maintain relationships with healthcare clients, health-system facilities and planning leaders, trade partners, design teams, and industry peers.
Align project execution with client priorities, expectations, clinical needs, and success measures; support communication and resolution of challenges.
Facilitate alignment meetings, feedback discussions, and other structured client-engagement efforts.
Represent the organization in healthcare and industry settings; support networking, relationship-building, and business-development activities, including pursuits, proposals, and interviews.
Coach, mentor, provide feedback to, and support the performance and development of project team members.
Reinforce accountability, role clarity, effective communication, and alignment across project teams.
Support performance management, address development needs and performance concerns, and foster team learning, problem-solving, and growth.
Develop future healthcare project leaders by reinforcing sound decision-making, project leadership practices, healthcare-specific knowledge and certifications, and organizational expectations.