Senior Development Manager, Project & Development Services

Cushman & Wakefield•Washington, DC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Cushman & Wakefield seeks a Development Manager to manage and/or be part of the project team for ground up build-to-suit projects and/or large tenant interiors projects. The Senior Development Manager is responsible for assisting the Development Director in the delivery of the project and the management of a team of development associates provided by C&W (and its subcontractors) to the client. The Senior Development Manager will provide daily oversight of all project activities from team organization, planning, public approvals, design, construction, commissioning and occupancy. Specific areas of responsibility will include project documentation and reporting, project budget/schedule development and tracking, project team assembly and management, project issues/conflict resolution, risk management and interaction and relationship maintenance with client staff. As a member of the Project Team dedicated to this Project, the Senior Development Manager will have specifically assigned responsibilities with together with shared responsibility which will be updated over the course of the Project. The ideal candidate will be a subject matter expert in build-to-suit development, organized, attentive to detail and have demonstrated a high level of performance in managing project budgets, schedules, multiple team members and project stakeholders. Excellent communication (oral and written), negotiation and computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Project) are essential for success in this position. The qualified individual must be able to operate in a deadline-sensitive environment and must also possess excellent financial skills and knowledge of the development process and ground up construction.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in architecture, engineering, business administration or a real estate-related degree.
Practicing construction/development manager with 10+ years of experience, preferably in ground up office building design and construction
Design proficiency with knowledge about the entitlements processes
Excellent project documentation skills
Experienced in creating and updating budgets and schedules
Able to lead a project meeting and has great communication skills
Extensive knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Project
Strong organizational and communication skills
Able to operate in a deadline-sensitive environment
Possess financial skills and knowledge regarding commercial real estate.
Excellent customer service skills
Very high level of understanding of Construction Contract clauses, Architectural plans and specifications and large-scale base building construction techniques.
Skilled in communicating effectively with clients, peers and management on complex business issues
High business and financial acumen
Excellent understanding of product, legal and technical information
Excellent oral, written and presentation skills
Excellent ability to collaboratively work as part of a team
Ability to proactively identify client requirements and exploit opportunities to increase both client KPI scores, project success and team excellence.

Nice To Haves

Masters preferred.

Responsibilities

Secure necessary approvals and permits (e.g., environmental, excavation, base building construction, interior construction, occupancy) from the various municipal authorities, as required.
Negotiate purchase agreements, tenant leases, construction contracts, loan commitments, and equity relationships on behalf of the client.
Update and refine the preliminary construction budget at appropriate design milestones, during the design process.
Manage any redesign and value engineering necessary for the client’s layout, using the services of appropriate architects, engineers, contractors and specialty consultants.
Organize interactive interface between the client’s needs and the design team’s production.
Oversee revisions to the existing design and plans by the architectural team to ensure compliance with current code requirements and applicable regulations.
Review all plans and specifications developed by the design team and make practical recommendations to save time and/or money.
Identify opportunities for “fast-tracking” the project schedule and then evaluate the costs and benefits of such strategies.
Obtain pre-construction costing services from a qualified contractor, and then, upon completion of the drawings and specifications, coordinate the competitive bid process among Contractor’s sub-contractors.
Oversee the permitting process to ensure that the building permit, and other interim and post-construction approvals are obtained in a timely fashion.
Work with the contractor and project team to produce a tenant work schedule including all ancillary activities (i.e. telephone systems, wiring, security, furniture, etc.) and establish a firm, realistic move-in date.
Re-review the drawings prior to the beginning of the bid process for value engineering savings and review the cost impact of all design elements.
Monitor the budget management process prior to bidding, using continual construction cost updating with actual subcontractor input, thereby providing a “no surprise” final budget.
Oversee the preparation and integration of all construction bid documents by the architectural team, so that they clearly outline all scope and contractual items required in the contract such as; maximum fees to be charged, value engineering issues, fixed allowances, detailed unit price costs, project schedules and rigid requirements imposed for coordination issues between the tenant general contractor and the base building contractor.
Organize and participate in the process of selecting qualified sub-contractors that should be invited to submit bids/schedules; pre-screen all qualified bidders for their experience with similar work, ability to adhere to schedules, approach to cooperation under time pressure and willingness to agree to budgeting restraints.
Oversee the construction process on a day-to-day basis, focusing on expediting both schedule and time, due to their vital relationship to dollars and quality.
Control the budget and costs generated by change orders.
Develop and coordinate the milestone and CPM schedules to ensure optimal project procurement, construction and delivery; advise client on any modifications.
Guide all design and construction documents through the permitting process.
Manage the consultants through all aspects of the base building construction and/or tenant build-out so that the project is delivered on schedule and at the agreed upon budget.
Review and verify contractor construction costs and assist in the development of unit prices for tenant fit-up work.
Review contractor change orders, applications for progress payment and payment breakdowns to ensure that the charges are appropriate.
Advise the client with respect to construction cost deviations from baseline budgets.
Monitor the adequacy of the contractor personnel and on-site equipment as well as the availability of necessary materials and supplies; advise the client of any action necessary to maintain the established progress schedule.
Notify the client and quality control consultants of any work not in compliance with the plans and other contract documents.
Attend job meetings with the contractor, client, architects and others as necessary to coordinate work and resolve conflicts and provide reports as appropriate.
Represent the client in resolving conflicts or disputes with contractor, subcontractors, and/or suppliers.
Set up and run weekly progress meetings during the construction build out phase to discuss any changes in cost, schedule or design as well as any other outstanding issues.
Control the budget schedule and quality through the evaluation and negotiation of all approved change orders (and other cost issues).
Require frequent job site visits by the entire construction management team to ensure quality control and adherence to the schedule.
Review, coordinate, approve and process the monthly general contractor requisitions.
Assist the general contractor, as may be required, to obtain Certificates of Occupancy.
Work with the architect to establish a comprehensive punch list prior to move-in and ensure that this list is completed in an accurate and timely manner by the contractor.
Close out all costs associated with the project and obtain all final releases of liens.
Ensure that the client’s management personnel and key advisors are kept fully informed of the project’s status and progress at all times.
Customize reports to meet the client’s needs, which typically include at minimum: Monthly written project reports; Monthly project review meetings with client; Quarterly, or more frequent, face-to-face approval meetings with all involved managers on all issues comparing the remaining work with the remaining budget; Regularly scheduled Project Meetings where a full review of the project can be presented to all client representatives.
Ensure that all important project-related issues are carefully explained before critical project decisions are made.
Provide a breakdown of the costs to-date, sensitivity analyses, updated projected cash flows and copies of all outside consultant reports.