Senior Construction Manager & Space Planner

Job Purpose:

Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President of Plant Operations, Planning & Construction Services, the Senior Construction Manager & Space Planner is the University's senior professional responsible for the planning, design, and construction of campus space and buildings and for the stewardship, analysis, and long-range planning of the University's space inventory. The position serves as Gonzaga's in-house owner's representative across the full project lifecycle and as the principal analyst and process owner for campus space management. It manages capital and construction budgets, leads project cost estimating and financial control, procures and manages design consultants and construction firms, negotiates related agreements within delegated authority, prioritizes and conducts facility condition assessments, and develops the systems, standards, and methods through which the department executes standard architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) practice. The role is a strategic partner to the AVP in long-range and near-term planning and in the coordination of major capital projects and fundraising-linked campaigns, and it serves as the technical lead supporting the University's space-governance committee.

Essential Functions:

• Construction Management & Space Planning
  • Capital project delivery
    • Serve as the University's in-house owner's representative on assigned capital and renovation projects from initiation through closeout, leading planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and occupancy while protecting institutional interests in scope, cost, schedule, quality, and risk.
  • Design and construction oversight
    • Recommend appropriate project delivery methods; manage design teams and constructability and value-engineering reviews; monitor construction progress, quality, and safety; act on submittals and change requests; and ensure building-code, accessibility, and sustainability compliance.
  • Space inventory, analytics, and standards
    • Own and maintain the campus space inventory, aligned to federal facilities classification (FICM), as the single source of truth; measure and report space and classroom utilization; develop space-needs analyses, programming studies, and block and stacking diagrams; and establish and apply space standards so allocation is driven by function rather than precedent.
  • Space governance
    • Serve as principal staff to the Space Planning Review Committee, conducting technical reviews and space audits, operating the weighted scoring methodology, preparing decision materials, and administering relinquishment, reversion, change-of-use, and lease-review policies.
  • Capital and construction budgeting
    • Develop and control total project budgets; prepare and validate cost estimates at each project stage; and monitor commitments, change orders, contingency, and cash flow against budget.
  • Long-range planning and condition assessment
    • Help develop and maintain the multi-year capital plan, renewal and replacement plans, and the space components of campus master planning; prioritize the capital project pipeline against strategic criteria; and prioritize, conduct, and maintain facility condition assessments.
  • Procurement and contractor management
    • Procure and manage architects, engineers, specialty consultants, general contractors, construction managers, and subcontractors, including pre-qualification, solicitation, evaluation, and performance management.
  • Contracts and negotiation
    • Negotiate and administer design and construction agreements within delegated authority, coordinating with the Office of General Counsel, Procurement, and Risk Management on terms, insurance, and compliance.
  • Systems and standards
    • Develop the systems, standards, and methods for the department's AEC practice, including a stage-gated project-delivery framework, design and procurement templates, owner's project requirements, and the supporting space-management and project-management technology.
  • Strategic partnership
    • Partner with the AVP on near- and long-term planning and on the coordination of major capital projects and fundraising-linked campaigns; perform related duties as assigned.

Learn More and apply here: Employment Opportunities