Level 03 · Entry Leadership
Assistant Project Manager
Primary Focus: Execution support, data integrity, and field coordination
The APM is a developing project leader responsible for maintaining accurate project data, supporting daily execution, and coordinating defined scopes under PM guidance. This role builds foundational project management discipline through strong field presence and structured reporting.
Key Responsibilities
- Tracks cost, productivity, quantities, and schedule updates
- Owns RFIs, submittals, daily reports, and logs
- Maintains documentation for change events and potential claims
- Coordinates subcontractors and suppliers on assigned scopes
- Participates in safety observations, audits, and compliance tracking
- Executes project documentation, reporting, and recordkeeping in compliance with standardized electronic file management and retention requirements
- Participates in required KPI, production, and cost reporting cycles; ensures data accuracy before submission
- Supports monthly financial close activities by validating quantities, production, and backup documentation
- Establishes strong operational discipline through accurate, compliant project data
- Prevents downstream claims, rework, and audit findings through early documentation control
Core Capability Expectations
Safety Leadership
- Supports IIF culture through field presence and compliance
- Participates in safety observations, reporting, and documentation
- Flags unsafe conditions and escalates unresolved risks
Project Controls & Financial Management
- Tracks cost, quantities, productivity, and schedule updates
- Maintains backup documentation supporting forecasts and change events
- Flags variances early to prevent downstream exposure
Scheduling & Delivery
- Updates schedules and lookahead plans (P6/MS Project)
- Flags schedule slippage affecting critical activities
Contract Administration & Change Management
- Understands scope boundaries and change mechanisms
- Prepares change documentation and estimates under guidance
- Ensures work does not proceed without written authorization
Escalation Judgment & Risk Awareness
- Identifies risks and escalates per defined thresholds
- Understands why escalation thresholds exist and what risks they prevent
Document Control as Risk Mitigation
- Maintains files, correspondence, logs, and reports accurately
- Treats documentation as contractual, financial, and safety protection
Client & Stakeholder Interaction
- Supports client communication and meeting preparation
- Maintains professional field-level interactions
Closeout & Continuous Improvement
- Finalizes documentation and scope records
- Contributes to lessons learned and staff feedback
Decision Authority & Escalation
Decision Authority
- Task- and scope-level decisions
- Confirms required documentation and approvals are in place before work proceeds
- Validates alignment with approval workflows for change events, procurement, and field-directed work
- Does not transmit direction to the field that exceeds documented authorization
Escalation — Identifies & Flags (Does Not Own Decisions)
Escalation Triggers
- Flags out-of-scope work, field changes, or client direction to PM immediately
- Identifies WWOA risk (work proceeding without written authorization)
- Escalates cost impacts >$25K–$50K within their scope to PM
- Alerts PM to schedule slippage affecting critical activities (>2–3 days)
- Flags subcontractor underperformance or safety/quality concerns
- Ensures documentation exists (RFIs, T&M tags, emails) before work proceeds
- Raises procurement risks (sole source, urgency, missing approvals)
- Flags safety, quality, or compliance issues that cannot be resolved in the field
Training & Certification
Project controls fundamentals
Documentation standards
Change management and WWOA awareness
Demonstrates working knowledge of approval workflows and escalation thresholds
Maintains compliance with required safety, quality, and systems training
Impact & Outcomes
Scope
Discrete Work Packages
Owns scopes within a project; supports cross-functional coordination
Autonomy
PM-Directed
Develops daily/weekly work plans; suggests prioritization for approval
Problem Solving
Structured ID
Identifies root causes; performs structured risk identification; recommends solutions
Behavior & Leadership Expectations
Collaboration
- Actively seeks feedback and incorporates input
- Provides clear, actionable feedback to peers
- Integrates stakeholder inputs into deliverables
Team Leadership
- Leads small scopes or meetings
- Acts as bridge between field and office
- Supports team alignment
Executive Communication
- Prepares structured updates and reports
- Communicates issues clearly to stakeholders
- Presents in small group settings
Core Values
- Demonstrates company values in daily work
- Reinforces expected behaviors in peers
Level 04 · Full Project Ownership
Project Manager
Primary Focus: Full project ownership — execution, financials, and client delivery
The PM is fully accountable for delivering assigned projects safely, on time, and profitably. This role owns execution decisions, manages financial performance, and leads client and subcontractor relationships. The PM leads the transition from estimate to execution, ensuring scope, risk, budget, and controls are fully transferred and understood at project start.
Key Responsibilities
- Owns budget, forecast, revenue recognition, and cash flow
- Leads client communications and progress reviews
- Manages contracts, change orders, and claim strategy
- Drives subcontractor performance and accountability
- Sets execution plans aligned with scope, schedule, and risk
- Leads full project controls execution: budget baseline, forecasting, earned value tracking, schedule development, and risk register ownership
- Ensures compliance with all change management, WWOA, and escalation policies prior to execution
- Leads monthly project financial review cycles and reporting
Core Capability Expectations
Safety Leadership
- Owns project-level safety performance
- Stops work when safety or compliance is compromised
- Integrates safety into execution planning and subcontractor oversight
Project Controls & Financial Management
- Owns project budget, forecast (EAC), revenue recognition, and cash flow
- Uses controls as a decision-making system, not just reporting
- Directs corrective actions for cost, schedule, and productivity variances
Scheduling & Delivery
- Owns baseline schedule and critical path
- Implements recovery strategies
- Escalates impacts to milestones or baseline commitments
Contract Administration & Change Management
- Owns contract compliance and change strategy
- Leads change order and claim negotiations
- Prevents field-driven execution outside contractual alignment
Escalation Judgment & Risk Management
- Owns escalation trigger, framing, and initial execution
- Escalates early when risk warrants — even below thresholds
- Frames escalations as decision requests with recommendations
Client Relationship Management
- Serves as primary client contact
- Manages expectations, communication, and satisfaction
- Resolves project-level conflicts
Leadership & Talent Development
- Leads full project team (field + salaried staff)
- Coaches and develops APMs
- Manages performance and accountability
Closeout & Continuous Improvement
- Owns full project closeout: lessons learned, staff feedback, subcontractor review, final risk disposition
Decision Authority & Escalation
Decision Authority
- Owns day-to-day execution decisions and project P&L
- Prioritizes work consistent with approved scope, funding, and risk posture
- Halts or escalates work when authorization or funding is unclear
Escalation — Owns Trigger & Initial Execution
Escalation Triggers
- Escalates all out-of-scope work, cost/schedule/quantity changes before execution
- Escalates ANY WWOA ≥ $50K immediately per thresholds (RVP → SVP → COO → President)
- Stops or escalates work if no written authorization exists or client pressures early execution
- Escalates change orders requiring DAAP approval or procurement >$50K
- Subcontractor COs >$250K or performance failures
- Schedule impacts affecting critical path or baseline changes (VP approval required)
- Provides complete package: cost impact, schedule impact, risk exposure, recommended action
Training & Certification
Delegated authority and escalation responsibility
Project financial controls
Change management, claims awareness, and WWOA execution
Ensures project team members complete required role-based training
Impact & Outcomes
Project Size
$10M–$150M
Full ownership of project outcomes and financial performance
Team Size
10–50
Direct and indirect management of project staff and field leadership
Autonomy
Independent
Sets project priorities; balances cost, schedule, and execution demands
Behavior & Leadership Expectations
Collaboration
- Builds strong cross-functional relationships
- Provides timely, constructive feedback
- Resolves conflicts across teams
Team Leadership
- Leads full project team
- Drives accountability and performance
- Mentors junior staff
Executive Communication
- Delivers project updates to leadership
- Communicates issues with clarity and recommendations
- Represents project in client discussions
Core Values
- Models company values consistently
- Reinforces accountability and safety culture
Level 05 · Complex Delivery & Portfolio Leadership
Senior Project Manager
Primary Focus: Complex delivery, mentorship, and portfolio leadership
The SPM leads the company's most complex projects or multiple concurrent projects, while developing future leaders and influencing performance unit deliverables. Serves as operational integrity checkpoint for complex or high-risk projects within their portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
- Leads complex projects or portfolios across regions
- Oversees forecasting, risk, and executive reporting
- Mentors PMs and APMs; builds bench strength
- Supports business development and pursuits ($50M+ pipeline)
- Conducts periodic project health reviews and operational audits (cost, schedule, documentation, risk)
- Reviews and validates escalation packages before executive engagement
- Mentors PMs and APMs specifically in: policy application, escalation judgment, risk framing, and executive communication
Core Capability Expectations
Safety Leadership
- Drives safety leadership across multiple projects
- Identifies safety trends and systemic gaps
- Coaches PMs and superintendents on proactive safety leadership
Project Controls & Financial Management
- Challenges PM forecasts, assumptions, and recovery plans
- Oversees multi-project financial performance
- Identifies systemic control breakdowns
Scheduling & Delivery
- Reviews and challenges schedule logic and risk exposure
- Leads schedule recovery for complex projects
- Oversees TIA and delay analysis inputs
Contract Administration & Change Management
- Leads high-value and complex claims positioning
- Validates entitlement and risk posture before escalation
- Coaches PMs on strategic change decisions
Escalation Judgment & Enterprise Risk Framing
- Anticipates executive concerns before escalation occurs
- Aligns escalation messaging across Operations, Contracts, and Legal
- Differentiates project, program, and enterprise risk
Document Control as Risk Mitigation
- Audits documentation quality across projects
- Uses documentation discipline as a project health indicator
- Intervenes when gaps create systemic or enterprise exposure
Leadership & Talent Development
- Develops PM talent and bench strength
- Mentors leaders in judgment, escalation, and execution discipline
Closeout & Continuous Improvement
- Reviews PM closeouts for quality and consistency
- Identifies repeat failure modes across projects
- Elevates systemic issues to Directors
Decision Authority & Escalation
Decision Authority
- Owns escalation strategy, framing, and risk positioning
- Reviews and validates all PM escalations before leadership engagement
- Recommends go/no-go decisions on high-risk execution scenarios
Escalation — Owns Strategy & Risk Positioning
Escalation Triggers
- Multi-project or high-value WWOA exposure (>$100K–$500K)
- Major subcontractor disputes or performance failures
- CO strategy on large or contentious changes
- Claims positioning and entitlement strategy
- Complex schedule impacts (TIA, recovery strategy, liquidated damages exposure)
- Anticipates escalation needs before thresholds are hit
- Aligns messaging across Operations, Contracts, and Legal
- Ensures leadership is informed of emerging risk trends across projects
Impact & Outcomes
Portfolio Size
$500M
Leads large or multiple complex projects; drives regional performance
Team Size
30–150
Multi-disciplinary environments; develops future PM leaders
BD Impact
$50M+
Pipeline support; influences regional strategy and client outcomes
Behavior & Leadership Expectations
Collaboration
- Builds alignment across teams and clients
- Provides high-impact feedback
- Resolves complex conflicts
Team Leadership
- Leads PMs and project teams
- Develops future leaders
- Drives accountability culture
Executive Communication
- Influences leadership decisions
- Leads discussions on complex issues
- Represents in high-visibility settings
Core Values
- Champions company values
- Holds teams accountable to expectations
Level 06 · Program Delivery & Business Growth
Project Director
Primary Focus: Program delivery, talent development, and business growth
The Project Director owns the performance of a program or portfolio, aligning execution strategy, talent, and resources to drive sustainable growth. Owns program-level operational controls and consistency across projects.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversees multiple projects and senior PMs
- Drives $100M–$500M backlog growth
- Establishes execution standards and best practices
- Develops senior leadership talent
- Establishes and enforces program-wide standards for budget baselines, forecast accuracy, risk aggregation, and schedule governance
- Ensures appropriate staffing and role assignment based on qualification and project needs
- Leads program-level closeout reviews and performance retrospectives
Core Capability Expectations
Safety Leadership
- Sets and enforces safety expectations across programs
- Holds leaders accountable for safety performance
Project Controls & Financial Management
- Owns program-level profitability
- Establishes forecast accuracy and margin expectations
- Uses controls to evaluate leadership effectiveness and resource allocation
Scheduling & Delivery
- Aligns schedules across projects and regions
- Balances delivery commitments against portfolio risk
- Approves resource shifts driven by schedule exposure
Contract Administration & Change Management
- Defines program-level contract risk posture and claims strategy
- Oversees major disputes and precedent-setting decisions
Escalation Judgment & Risk Governance
- Determines when issues become enterprise-level exposure
- Prevents escalation noise while ensuring material risks surface early
- Aggregates and communicates program-level risk
Client Relationship Management
- Owns executive-level client relationships
- Expands client trust, footprint, and repeat work
Leadership & Talent Development
- Develops PMs and SPMs
- Builds succession plans and organizational bench strength
- Allocates projects intentionally for development
Closeout & Continuous Improvement
- Ensures closeout insights influence estimating assumptions, staffing decisions, and execution standards
Decision Authority & Escalation
Decision Authority
- Owns program profitability
- Allocates resources across projects and regions
- Approves or escalates: baseline schedule changes (VP+ level) and resource reallocation due to risk
- Determines when escalation becomes enterprise risk vs project issue
Escalation — Owns Decisions Across Programs
Escalation Triggers
- Program-level WWOA exposure or aging >60 days (President notification)
- High-value procurement (>$500K–$1M+) and strategic vendor risks
- Major contractual disputes or litigation risk
- Engages SVP Ops/COO on high-risk change orders and major claims
- Leads escalation for systemic safety, quality, or compliance issues
- Owns communication of program-level risk exposure (financial, schedule, contractual)
Impact & Outcomes
Portfolio Size
$1B+
Oversees multiple large projects; influences company strategy
Team Size
100–300+
Leads leaders; integrates execution across projects
Backlog Growth
$500M
Drives backlog growth; identifies systemic issues across projects
Behavior & Leadership Expectations
Collaboration
- Builds relationships across organization and externally
- Drives alignment across teams and leadership
- Resolves complex conflicts
Team Leadership
- Leads leaders (PMs and SPMs)
- Builds organizational capability
- Drives succession planning
Executive Communication
- Communicates with senior leadership and clients
- Influences organizational decisions
- Leads strategic discussions
Core Values
- Embeds values into culture
- Holds leaders accountable
Level 07 · Business Unit Leadership & Enterprise Growth
Project Executive
Primary Focus: Business unit leadership and enterprise growth
The Project Executive provides strategic direction for a business unit, owning full project portfolio P&L, market positioning, and long-term growth. Serves as enterprise steward of execution risk, escalation standards, and financial integrity.
Key Responsibilities
- Owns revenue growth, margin performance, and market expansion
- Defines business strategy, positioning, and investment priorities
- Represents the company at executive and client levels
- Sets organizational risk tolerance related to WWOA, change strategy, and claims posture
- Ensures project closeout learning is converted into policy updates, training improvements, and future pursuit strategy
Core Capability Expectations
Safety Leadership
- Establishes enterprise safety culture and risk tolerance
- Aligns safety posture with brand, regulatory, and reputational considerations
Project Controls & Financial Management
- Owns portfolio or business-line P&L
- Uses analytics to guide growth, capital allocation, and risk decisions
Contract Administration & Change Management
- Sets enterprise contract and claims posture
- Approves strategic risk acceptance, settlement, or litigation decisions
- Protects enterprise reputation and precedent
Escalation Judgment & Enterprise Risk Ownership
- Sets expectations for escalation quality, timing, and tone
- Final authority on enterprise risk acceptance
Client & Market Leadership
- Builds strategic partnerships and executive-level client relationships
- Positions the company for sustained market growth
Leadership & Organizational Design
- Shapes leadership pipeline and organizational structure
- Builds enterprise leadership capability and culture
Document Control as Risk Mitigation
- Establishes documentation integrity as non-negotiable
- Intervenes when control failures create financial or reputational exposure
Closeout & Strategic Learning
- Ensures closeout trends influence policy, governance, training priorities, and strategic market decisions
- Uses lessons learned to recalibrate enterprise risk tolerance
Decision Authority & Escalation
Decision Authority
- Full project portfolio P&L and strategic authority
- Makes decisions on: proceed/pause work under risk conditions
- Strategic acceptance of WWOA exposure
- Settlement vs litigation strategy
- Sets risk tolerance and escalation expectations across organization
Escalation — Final Enterprise Decision Authority
Escalation Triggers
- WWOA >$500K–$1M+ (COO/President level)
- Enterprise-level financial exposure, disputes, or claims
- Engages directly with COO/President/Executive Leadership
- Key clients on high-risk or high-value issues
- Reputation risk, regulatory exposure, or major safety incidents
- Aligns escalation outcomes with business strategy, backlog protection, and client relationships
Impact & Outcomes
Business Line
$2B+
Drives company growth, profitability, and shapes strategic direction
Scope
Enterprise
Protects margin, reputation, and long-term client relationships
Operating Model
Continuous
Drives continuous improvement of the operating model across the enterprise
Behavior & Leadership Expectations
Collaboration
- Builds relationships with executives and partners
- Drives alignment across organization
- Influences outcomes through credibility
Team Leadership
- Leads through multiple layers of leadership
- Builds senior leadership capability
- Shapes organizational structure
Executive Communication
- Represents company in high-stakes settings
- Communicates vision and strategy clearly
- Influences executive and industry decisions
Core Values
- Role model for company values
- Drives culture across organization
- Holds leaders accountable