Design Manager - Water

General Description

Wharton‑Smith, Inc. is seeking an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to support municipal water and wastewater projects from early pursuit through GMP development. Based in the Jacksonville, Florida area, this hybrid role supports projects ranging from $4 M to $500 M and is well suited for an experienced Water/Wastewater Project Manager transitioning from daily project execution into a strategic preconstruction and collaborative delivery role. The Design Manager leads planning, coordination, budgeting, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement during the pursuit and preconstruction phases. This role focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working closely with estimating and operations teams to support successful project delivery.

Essential Functions

• Support proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses.
• Participate in client interviews and presentations.
• Establish and maintain strong municipal owner and engineer relationships.
• Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
• Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
• Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
• Provide structured and meaningful constructability comments.
• Solicit and coordinate subcontractor and supplier participation.
• Develop and coordinate GMP budgets and bid packages.
• Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
• Lead milestone and stakeholder coordination meetings.
• Track preconstruction financials, including internal and external costs.
• Provide innovation and value‑engineering solutions to maintain budget and objectives.
• Ensure understanding and compliance with municipal funding requirements.
• Partner with operations to ensure a seamless transition into construction.

Key Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Experience: 7+ years in municipal water/wastewater construction or design; prior experience as a Project Manager on municipal water/wastewater projects; experience developing or supporting GMP pricing; demonstrated ability to collaborate with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
• Knowledge: Strong understanding of municipal water/wastewater construction practices; familiarity with CMAR, Progressive Design‑Build, or other collaborative delivery models; ability to identify scope gaps and cost exposures.
• Skills: Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems; strong written and verbal communication.
• Continued professional development in estimating, collaborative delivery methods, and project controls is encouraged.

Employment Details

• Full‑time, exempt position.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Standard work schedule: Monday‑Friday (hybrid/remote schedules available); flexibility required to meet project deadlines and client needs.
• Up to 25 % travel, including trips outside the geographic region for client meetings, engineer coordination, job‑site visits, and travel to corporate or regional offices.
• Extended or evening hours may be required periodically based on workload, proposal deadlines, or project milestones.

Other Duties

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties.