Senior Project Manager

MATRIX is seeking a Senior Project Manager to support with a major data center construction project. This role will be based on-site in Northeast, Louisiana once the field work begins in early 2026 and will serve as the key manager for our clients scope of work on this project related to industrial rigging, heavy lifting, and logistics. The ideal candidate will have a background in running large commercial / industrial construction projects through large General Construction (GC) firms, familiarity with rigging operations, and experience in managing large-scale projects.

The PM will play a critical role in managing day-to-day field operations, coordinating with multiple trades and stakeholders, and ensuring safe, efficient, and on-schedule execution of our clients scope of work. This role is ideal for a technically proficient, client-oriented professional who brings confidence and communication skills and is capable of engaging with General Contractor stakeholders, articulating project strategies, and fostering long-term relationships built on trust and performance.

Key Responsibilities:

·        Site Leadership & Field Coordination: Own day-to-day execution across multiple crews/shifts. Set priorities, issue daily work authorizations, remove blockers, and drive alignment to project milestones and safety goals.

·        Project Planning & Scheduling: Lead development of the integrated lift/install schedule and three-week look-ahead plans. Interface with the GC’s master CPM, manage constraints/permits, protect critical path, and implement recovery plans when slippage occurs.

·        Complex Lift Engineering & Execution: Direct and approve engineered lift plans for critical/tandem lifts and heavy-rigging activities. Verify crane selection, rigging gear, ground bearing pressures, and load paths. Chair pre-lift meetings and hold go/no-go authority.

·        Scope, Contract & Change Management: Own scope adherence and commercial outcomes. Maintain a live change log, develop pricing & narratives, negotiate change orders with the client/GC, and protect margin while complying with contract terms and flow-downs.

·        Executive-Level Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary interface to client and GC leadership. Lead weekly status and risk reviews; communicate progress, variances, and recovery plans with data-driven clarity.

·        Logistics & Equipment Optimization: Architect site logistics for crane placement, laydown, heavy haul/route surveys, and load-outs. Optimize crane utilization and sequencing to minimize standby and idle time.

·        Risk, Quality & Safety Leadership: Champion a proactive safety culture with stop-work authority. Oversee risk register and lift hazard analyses; ensure rigging compliance and procedure adherence. Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and lessons learned. Enforce QA/ITP checkpoints and documentation.

·        Project Controls, Reporting & Forecasting: Establish KPIs (productivity, utilization, earned value). Produce daily reports, dashboards, and three-week look-aheads. Validate manhours/equipment usage, track cost-to-complete, and forecast schedule and budget outcomes.

·        People Leadership & Development: Build and mentor foremen, riggers, signalpersons, and apprentices. Set performance expectations, coach for competency growth, and coordinate staffing plans to meet peak demands.

·        Interface with Engineering & Fabrication: Coordinate with engineering for rigging calculations, lift studies, and method statements. Validate drawings, fit-up assumptions, and field changes; ensure as-built documentation is captured.

·        Claims Prevention & Closeout: Proactively document decisions, delays, and impacts to protect commercial position. Lead punchlist/burn-down, turnover packages, and closeout documentation with high completeness and traceability.

 Required Qualifications:

• 10–15+ years in heavy industrial construction, including 5+ years in a field leadership role.
• Commercial acumen
• Proven ability in stakeholder leadership
• Logistics mastery
• Safety & quality champion to drive a proactive safety culture 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with datacenter site construction
• Previous employment with large GC firms
• PMP or CAPM certification (or working toward certification) a plus
• OSHA 30 certification preferred
• Familiarity with Rigging & Lifting operational standards, lift plans, and rigging methodologies is advantageous
• Experience with VDC, BIM360, Textura, Clearstory, P6, Smartsheet, and AIA billing practices (American Institute of Architects)
• Data center commissioning experience and BuildingConnected/ACC

Physical Requirements

• Must be capable of working in outdoor environments and industrial construction settings
• Ability to walk a remote work site, climb scaffolding or ladders as needed, and oversee rigging operations in real-time