Senior Manager, Project Administration & Contracts

VEC•San Francisco, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a hands-on senior role for someone who has carried out this work before: built the process, knew the system, and trained the team. You will improve and build upon our existing system, not just maintain it. You will inherit a lean, well-documented process library and a functional team. Your job is not to invent from scratch. It is to take what works, make it better, and rebuild it for a more complex ERP environment we are currently implementing. You will initially manage a team of seven Project Administrators (PA), including three PA Leads, and your team and role will continue to grow based on business needs. You will own billing integrity review, serve as the functional voice from business operations to the integrations engineer, and ensure the new system is built to support our administration and operational workflows. This is not a hands-off oversight role. If you have been the person who actually knew the system, trained the team, caught the billing gap, and fixed the workflow, and you are looking for the next environment to do it in, we want to talk!

Requirements

Demonstrated ownership, not participation, of the operations side of an ERP or major system migration, carried end to end
Direct functional experience with a complex, project-based AEC/professional-services ERP (Kantata/Mavenlink, Deltek Vantagepoint/Vision, Unanet, Ajera, BST, or equivalent), including project accounting, billing configuration, and revenue recognition
Personally owned billing reconciliation in a T&M and/or Fixed Fee environment: found the gap, traced the cause, and changed the process, not just flagged it
Managed staff with real performance accountability: reviews, performance conversations, and holding people to standards, not task coordination
Built system-specific SOPs and workflows from scratch, tied to actual system screens, fields, and steps, not conceptual process maps
Track record of driving compliance without positional authority, influence through documentation and escalation, with a clean paper trail
Strong written communication; a significant portion of this role's output is documentation that must stand on its own without the author present
Builder disposition: plans ahead, takes initiative, methodical, has own views and challenges ideas constructively, high integrity

Nice To Haves

Deeper fluency in AEC Industry project-financial logic: how a professional-services firm bills, recognizes revenue, and structures projects
Experience in a lean administrative structure where you were simultaneously doing, building, and enforcing, not just delegating all execution to a large team
Background in a firm that operates both T&M and Fixed Fee/Lump Sum project types with distinct billing and revenue recognition treatment
Exposure to AI/automation tools (Claude, Cowork, or similar) used to build real workflow efficiencies, a signal of curiosity and workflow instinct

Responsibilities

Absorb and master our existing process library (ClickUp-based SOPs and work instructions) within your first 30 days
Partner with the integrations engineer to communicate how our workflows must be reflected in the new system: project setup, billing terms, change orders, COI compliance, rate tables, labor categories, revenue recognition logic
Validate that configuration decisions match operational reality before they are built; flag gaps or misalignments early
Ensure the new ERP preserves and improves the operational sophistication currently built into Kantata, including multi-phase project structures, billing term configuration at the project level, rate table management, custom field logic, and revenue recognition rules
Design and build ERP-native SOPs and work instructions tied to actual system screens, fields, and sequences, not conceptual process descriptions
Own end-user training for PA leads on all new system processes
Conduct monthly review of billable fees versus invoiced amounts across the project portfolio
Identify and root-cause billing gaps: PA execution issues, missing or incorrect data entry, workflow breakdown, or Project Manager (PM) non-compliance
Distinguish between what requires training, what requires a process or SOP change, and what requires PM escalation
Report findings to VP with clear pattern analysis and recommended corrective action
Directly manage three PA leads and hold performance management for all seven team members (3 PA leads + 4 Project Administrators); the leads coordinate daily work and quality but do not hold performance authority
Hold PA leads accountable for data accuracy, workflow compliance, and team output quality
Ensure leads understand not just how to enter data but why it matters, the downstream billing and revenue consequences of errors or omissions
Serve as the escalation point for issues leads cannot resolve independently
Train leads on new ERP processes and ensure they can effectively train their team
Maintain, organize, and improve the existing SOP library: audit for gaps, outdated content, and process inconsistencies
Update all current processes for the new ERP environment as configuration progresses
Own workflow documentation standards across the PA function; all work instructions must be system-specific and actionable
Communicate with Project Managers regarding documentation, compliance, and billing requirements
Document non-compliance and escalate through appropriate channels (PX leadership) with a clear paper trail
Coordinate with Accounting on billing and AR-related operational issues
Own intake, organization, and tracking of contracts, POs, and change orders across the project portfolio
Ensure alignment between contract terms and project setup: billing structure, rates, and scope
Establish and maintain processes to track approvals, pending change orders, and contract modifications
Own administration of insurance requirements, COIs, and client compliance documents; coordinate with brokers and internal stakeholders
Ensure all commercial and compliance documentation is complete and properly stored before and during project execution