Underground Construction Manager (Major Subway & Underground Infrastructure Project – New York Metropolitan Area, USA)

About the role

Protecnium is an international firm specializing in engineering and technical services. We are seeking an Underground Construction Manager for a major subway and underground infrastructure project in East Harlem, New York Metropolitan Area (on‑site). The project involves major subway tunnel and underground infrastructure works, with an estimated position duration of 2 years. Upon project completion, we aim to place employees in other projects to ensure continuity.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, and manage conventional underground excavation activities.
• Oversee construction activities involving station caverns, mined tunnels, shafts, and related underground structures.
• Manage drill‑and‑blast and Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) operations.
• Coordinate staged excavation sequences, muck removal, scaling, and shotcrete application.
• Oversee the installation of temporary and permanent ground‑support systems.
• Review excavation sequences, work plans, and construction methodologies.
• Plan manpower, equipment, ventilation, mucking, and underground logistics.
• Monitor production performance and ground behavior, adapting operations when required.
• Coordinate interfaces between conventional excavation, TBM, shaft, and structural activities.
• Supervise subcontractors and unionized workforces, ensuring compliance with safety, quality, schedule, and technical requirements.

Requirements

• Engineering degree or equivalent technical qualification.
• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience.
• Significant management experience in conventionally mined tunnels, large underground caverns, or underground station structures.
• Strong knowledge of drill‑and‑blast excavation and Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) techniques.
• Experience with staged excavation, temporary ground support, shotcrete, rock bolts or anchors, steel ribs, and related underground support systems.
• Ability to interpret geological and geotechnical information and adapt excavation methods to actual ground conditions.
• Experience planning underground construction sequences, manpower, equipment, ventilation, mucking, and logistics.
• Previous experience managing unionized labor, preferably on major construction projects in New York or the northeastern United States.
• Experience on major subway, railway, cavern, or mining projects is strongly preferred.
• Excellent leadership, coordination, planning, and problem‑solving skills.
• English level: C1 (Advanced).

Benefits

• 22 paid vacation days + 5 working days of sick leave (100% salary).
• Round‑trip flight at the beginning and end of the project if necessary.
• Hotel: 15 days of accommodation if necessary.
• Company laptop provided.
• Company phone provided.
• Private medical insurance: 50% covered by the company.

Schedule

Working Hours: Monday to Friday – 10 hours per day, including a 1‑hour lunch break.