Project Manager, Higher Education Practice Lead

About the role

The Project Manager and Practice Lead for the Higher Education practice serves as both project team leadership and strategic advisor to enhance our higher education projects. This role requires active engagement in understanding and articulating the forces that shape higher education buildings and campuses. This position will work directly with Partnership, Principals, and other Practice Leaders to successfully manage higher education projects, identify target clients and projects and assist with the direction of business development strategy including market research, create new business development opportunities and actively pursue leads. This role requires understanding of the higher education market, development of relevant data, tools, and models to serve these clients, and contributes to design innovation to advance SOM's reputation of design excellence in this practice area. Significant knowledge and expertise in campus master planning, space programming, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach for Higher Education institutions is required. Project Management Responsibilities Leads the Architectural Project Team through close collaboration with SOM Partners project leadership to achieve design, technical and financial success. Prepares, with Leadership input, quality agreements with clients including letters of intent, memoranda of understanding, and professional service agreements. Executes additional service agreements and gains authorization by phase. Collaborates with Partners and senior team to prepare, issue, and manage compliance plans to align project goals including budget, deliverables and schedule. Gains agreement with the senior team for labor allocation. Chairs weekly team meetings to address variances from the project plan. Administers internal control procedures with Project Accountant including billing, collections, percent complete, expense management, and year-end activities. Analyzes project reports and proactively manages the profitability of a project. Participates actively in project design and technical discussions and decision making. Communicates actively through chairing weekly meetings, issuing meeting minutes and accurate project record keeping and sharing project information and correspondence. Manages owner/client relationship and expectations to allow SOM and team to work effectively, efficiently and collaboratively. Initiates, monitors and maintains project schedule and work plan including schedule of meetings and presentations. Schedules and leads internal team weekly project meetings; develops the meeting agenda and project status update. Defines project schedule and work plan with project leadership for early stakeholder engagement for programming and scope definition of educational spaces. Initiates, monitors and maintains project plan and financial performance of project. Initiates and maintains SOM-Client Services Agreement, SOM Sub-Consultant Agreements and requests for additional services. Monitors scope for contract compliance and potential additional services. Actively engages in project risk management through close collaboration with SOM Partners and legal group. Practice Lead Responsibilities Provide guidance to Project Team members in the development, production, promotion, and marketing of SOM's Higher Education functional market focused on the strategic growth of the practice. In collaboration with firm-wide Higher Education Leads, contribute to the creation and implementation of the busine

Benefits

Additional Information

At SOM, we are a collective committed to shaping a better future for our clients, communities and planet. We aspire to create the most sustainable, impactful work through creative, interdisciplinary teams with all the resources and diversity of a global firm. We value those who are passionate about excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Together we can achieve great things. Success at SOM Means Ideas: We believe in a meritocracy of ideas. We look to everyone to actively contribute to the discourse in the firm. Knowledge: We believe that expertise is the result of lifelong learning. We are not expected to know everything, but rather to passionately pursue answers, develop new skills and deepen our knowledge. Product: We strive for excellence in the concept, quality, and delivery of our work. Individual: We value individuals who bring the highest standards of professionalism and personal integrity in the way they work. Each person can develop and contribute their wealth of attributes, skills and knowledge to support the overall health of the firm. Team: We value the power of interdisciplinary integration. A positive team culture in which everyone collaborates openly towards common goals is essential. Firm: We have a history of making transformative contributions to the profession and our communities. We are constantly innovating and attempting to bring new approaches, solutions and processes to our work.

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at som? Share your experience