Senior Project Manager, Capital Projects

Article Student Living•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Article Student Living is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the planning, budgeting, procurement, execution, and closeout of capital improvement projects across our national student housing portfolio. As Article's owner representative, you'll develop project scopes and contracts, manage project teams and financial performance, and deliver high-quality work with minimal disruption to property operations and the resident experience. You'll manage multiple concurrent projects — including large-scale special projects, building system replacements, major renovations, portfolio-wide programs, and asset preservation initiatives — bringing strong construction judgment, disciplined cost and schedule management, proactive communication, and a consistent focus on quality assurance and quality control to everything you do. You should be a self-starter and have an ability to work autonomously.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, real estate development, business, or a related field.
8-12 years of progressive experience in the construction management field, including capital projects, project management, general contracting, or owner representation.
Experience delivering capital improvement projects in student housing, multifamily, hospitality, senior housing, commercial real estate across the United States
Proven experience developing scopes of work, bid documents, project budgets, procurement recommendations, and construction or consultant contracts.
Demonstrated experience leading large-scale building system projects and managing formal QA/QC processes.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and initiatives with varying levels of complexity.
Strong knowledge of construction methods, major building systems, drawings and specifications, estimating, scheduling, cost control, contract administration, change management, and closeout.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and project management platforms.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree or relevant professional certification is preferred.
Specific experience with building envelopes, HVAC, elevators and roofing is considered an asset.
Experience managing projects with budgets from approximately $250,000 to $15 million or more is preferred.
Experience with Procore, Bluebeam, Yardi CM, and Microsoft Project is preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the execution of assigned projects according to approved business plan.
Lead capital projects from initial needs assessment and scope development through contracting, construction, turnover, warranty, and closeout.
Protect Article quality standards, resident experience, operating continuity, and long-term asset value.
Build alignment among Asset Management, Operations, Facilities, Accounting, property teams, consultants, contractors, and vendors.
Anticipate project risks, resolve issues decisively, and maintain clear accountability for budget, schedule, quality, and contractual outcomes.
Serve as a People Leader to a small team of Capital Project Managers.
Lead the daily management, coordination, and successful completion of capital projects — from initial scope and budgeting through contracting, construction, closeout, and warranty — across Article communities.
Develop project execution plans, milestone schedules, cost forecasts, procurement strategies, and risk mitigation plans, and manage architects, engineers, contractors, and vendors to deliver them.
Manage multiple projects of varying size, complexity, and geography while meeting approved budget and schedule commitments, and issue regular status reports on budget, schedule, risk, and key decisions.
Create clear, comprehensive scopes of work, bid packages, and requests for proposal, and develop procurement strategies and bidder lists suited to each project's complexity and risk.
Lead contractor and consultant solicitation, bid leveling, negotiations, and selection recommendations.
Prepare, execute, and administer construction contracts, consultant agreements, and purchase orders; enforce contract terms and negotiate change orders.
Partner with Asset Management, Operations, Facilities, and Accounting to identify, validate, and prioritize capital needs, and develop annual and multi-year CAPEX budgets.
Prepare project budgets, funding requests, and cash flow forecasts, using historical results and current market pricing to improve accuracy.
Monitor commitments, invoices, and forecasts against budget; investigate variances and recommend corrective action.
Review pay applications, lien waivers, and retainage, and coordinate contractor payments with Accounting.
Establish project-specific QA/QC requirements and lead design, constructability, and field reviews to ensure contractor work meets Article standards.
Manage punch lists, commissioning, closeout documentation, and warranty obligations, and capture lessons learned for future projects.
Plan and execute work in occupied communities with a focus on resident safety and minimal disruption, coordinating around leasing, turns, and academic calendars.
Serve as the primary point of contact for project stakeholders, communicating scope, status, risk, and decisions clearly, and coordinate project turnover with Operations and Facilities.