Traveling Senior Project Manager (Automotive)

Barton Malow Company | Req 12553 | Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee

Position Summary

Barton Malow is hiring a Traveling Senior Project Manager to lead automotive manufacturing projects across Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. You will own the project, including the contract, budget, schedule, team, and owner relationship, and you will be accountable for delivering it safely, on time, and on budget. As a senior leader, you will also set the standard for the project managers around you, step in where a project needs experienced leadership, and be a trusted voice with the owner’s leadership team.

Barton Malow has built for the automotive industry for a century, and that history shows up in the precision, speed, and cleanroom expertise these projects demand. Our teams build some of the largest manufacturing investments in the country, including the $5.8 billion Ford BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky. In automotive, schedules do not move. This role exists to protect them.

This position travels. You will be considered for active project sites in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee, and you should expect to move between sites as projects start and wrap up.

Our application system lists Southfield, Michigan, because that is our headquarters. This is not a Southfield-based role. Your assignment will be at one of our active automotive project sites.

What You Will Do

Lead the project + the people around you

• Lead the project team and serve as the single point of accountability for delivery.
• Partner with the superintendent to align the office and field on safety, schedule, and execution.
• Mentor and develop project managers, assistant project managers, and project engineers, and help them grow into larger roles.
• Lead large, complex projects and, when needed, support other project teams with your experience.
• Set the standard for how projects are run, and share lessons learned across teams.

Manage the money + the contract

• Own the budget, cost forecasting, and monthly reporting, including variance analysis and corrective plans.
• Manage the prime contract, subcontracts, and purchase orders from scope development through buyout.
• Negotiate and resolve change orders, and manage billings, cash flow, and collections with project accounting.
• Spot commercial and contractual risk early and resolve it before it becomes a claim.
• Lead contract negotiations and major commercial decisions with the owner, and escalate with a clear recommendation when needed.

Protect the schedule

• Build, maintain, and communicate the project schedule, and hold the team and trade partners to it.
• Lead procurement and long-lead planning, including owner-furnished equipment.
• Apply Lean planning practices to remove constraints, reduce rework, and protect the critical path.

Build relationships that hold up under pressure

• Serve as the owner’s primary contact, with communication that is current, candid, and documented.
• Build relationships with owner leadership that earn repeat work and trust beyond a single project.
• Support pursuit and preconstruction efforts for new automotive and manufacturing opportunities.
• Keep design decisions moving by coordinating RFIs, submittals, and changes with the design team.
• Build trade partner relationships that hold up under schedule pressure.

Close strong

• Enforce the project quality plan with the field team.
• Manage commissioning, punch list, warranties, and closeout documentation.
• Support equipment installation and turnover to meet the owner’s production start date.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of construction project management experience, including leading large, complex projects with full accountability for cost and schedule
• Industrial or manufacturing project experience; automotive experience is a strong plus
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing project teams
• Willingness to travel and move between project sites in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee
• Working knowledge of construction contracts, buyout, change management, and cost forecasting
• Ability to read drawings, specifications, and equipment installation documents
• Proficiency in construction management and scheduling software and Microsoft Office
• OSHA 30 and other relevant certifications preferred

Why Barton Malow

We have been in business since 1924, which puts us among fewer than half a percent of companies to reach 100 years. We are privately held, with roughly $5 billion in annual revenue and 3,000+ team members across North America, and we consistently rank among the ENR Top 40 contractors. Our EMR runs at roughly half the national average of 1.0.

For a project manager, that means the backing of a century of stability, repeat owners who come back because the work gets delivered, and a company that treats owners as partners, not transactions. We have been named a top place to work in construction for over 20 years, and our WeCare Total Rewards covers health, financial planning, family, and wellness.

Barton Malow is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.