Project Manager

The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) provides quality water supply, water pollution control, mapping, and household hazardous waste collection to eight member municipalities: Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor. Additionally, the MDC provides drinking water to portions of Farmington, Glastonbury, East Granby and South Windsor, known as the MDC's non-member towns.

JOB SUMMARY

The purpose of this classification is to supervise development and implementation of the District's Capital Improvement Program; oversees engineering project work for major capital projects and facility upgrades; and applies project management skills and principles to execute all phases of multi-faceted construction, maintenance, or rehabilitation projects for District infrastructure and facilities. Employees in this classification function as owner agents/ representatives who attend to all aspects and components of their assigned projects, representing the needs of a specific infrastructure(s) or intended user while protecting the overall interests of the District in project implementation. Project Managers are expected to exercise judgment relative to safety, cost, specifications, and project progression. Project Managers either perform the essential tasks of this position or coordinate the work of others (in-house or contractual), depending on the needs of the specific project. This work requires that the employee have considerable knowledge, skill and ability in public works engineering as applied to utility construction and maintenance projects; thorough knowledge of civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering principles and practices as applied to utility systems; and thorough knowledge of design standards and regulatory codes established by the District Board of Commissioners ("Board") and/or state and federal agencies. This classification also requires knowledge of computer aided design (CAD) drafting, modeling, and related computer applications.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Oversees preparation of short and mid-term Capital Improvement Program plan including environmental impact reports as well as other project-specific environmental documentation, permit and easement requirements; and presents project report summaries to the Board and other public and regulatory officials.
• Supervises engineering review of engineering project requests and proposals during proposal and design stage, and thereafter, assigns projects to engineering staff; and sets priorities and adjusts workload accordingly.
• Develops schedules project plans and tasks; identifies and pro-actively manages critical path tasks; sets and meets interim project goals; sets and manages project contingency; and performs change control and all other associated project management efforts needed to ensure that project schedule and budget are met.
• Provides technical advice, information, and assistance in field of assignment to consultants, contractors, engineers, other District officials, and the public regarding applicable procedures, regulations, and standards.
• Supervises and provides direction and assistance to consultants, contractors, and work crews: organizes, prioritizes, and coordinates work activities; monitors status of work in progress and inspects completed work to ensure compliance with contracts (costs, schedule, specifications, & quality of work); and provides technical expertise and assistance with complex/problem situations.
• Serves as the project liaison to the public, property owners, other government agencies, and other District departments/officials regarding project planning, design and/or construction progress; solicits input and feedback; responds to inquiries; and makes presentations to, neighborhoods, city and town councils and civic groups.
• Represents the project internally for all District concerns: consults with division manager or other officials to review status of projects, review/resolve problems, receive advice/direction, and provide recommendations; facilitates the coordination of project meetings, communications, and work activities between contractors, project teams, government agencies, and other participants; assists in resolving problems or conflicts between project participants; recommends solutions to problems and facilitates implementation; and prepares executive summaries and reports for presentation to District management, or other officials as requested.
• Manages the administrative aspects of the project: negotiates and monitors budget and expenditures; updates project schedules and monitors progress of project in meeting established schedule; processes purchase order requisitions, work orders, and invoices; reviews project progress reports submitted by contractors; coordinates acquisition and/or maintenance of required permitting; schedules inspections to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements; facilitates adherence to all reporting and documentation requirements; and evaluates and monitors progress against performance and quality measurements.
• Coordinates and participates in the programming phase of the project (planning & preliminary design/concepts): identifies user needs and requirements; confers with all appropriate parties to solicit input and feedback; develops cost projections, engineering specifications, project budgets, and schedules; and facilitates approval of project and final design.
• Manages projects during design and/or construction phases; attends regular project progress meetings; works with consultants, contractors, and work crews to resolve problems and initiate the appropriate solutions; assists with field decisions and approves change orders as appropriate; prepares, reviews, and processes change orders for changes to contracted scope of work; monitors adherence to project schedules; inspects quality of construction work and materials; coordinates final inspections with contractors and engineers; and facilitates project acceptance with other District departments or government agencies.
• Prepares, coordinates, and/or reviews construction and engineering plans, designs, and specifications pertaining to projects: develops engineering specifications for project construction based on programming assessment, design concepts, fundamental engineering principles, and approved preliminary plan; calculates cost estimates and identifies resources needed for projects; and reviews the project designs and plans of subordinate engineers, developers and contractors, and assures needed corrections.
• Performs or oversees modeling, testing, planning, and engineering studies in support of project analysis and design; reviews and verifies engineering calculations and analysis submitted by subordinate engineers meet specifications and professional standards; verifies compliance of recommendations to District policy; and makes recommendations concerning improvements, modifications, design strategies, structural systems, or other aspects of project development.
• Advises District personnel on engineering and other technical matters. Reviews specifications, prospectuses and proposals for sound engineering standards and technical feasibility. Provides technical assistance to division managers and contracts officer during the bid phase of project design to help evaluate proposals and make recommendations for awarding the contract.
• Operates a personal computer, and general office equipment as necessary to complete essential functions, to include the use of computer-aided-design, modeling, word processing, spreadsheet, database, or other system software.
• Performs other related duties as required.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Works under the general direction of a Manager.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor's degree in civil, environmental, or electrical engineering, or closely related field; supplemented by six (6) years of progressively responsible engineering design and/or project management experience for municipal utilities or public works; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this classification.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Must possess and maintain a valid Connecticut Professional Engineering license, or the ability to acquire such a license by reciprocity within ninety (90) days of hire.

Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

PERFORMANCE APTITUDES

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to coordinate, manage, strategize, and/or correlate data and/or information. Includes exercise of judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations. Includes referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components.

Human Interaction: Requires the ability to act as a first-line supervisor to a group of employees typically involving assigning and reviewing work and evaluating employee job performance.

Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, advisory and/or design data and information.

Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; and may include ability to perform mathematical operations involving basic algebraic principles and formulas, and basic geometric principles and calculation.

Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership. Ability to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to problem resolution.

Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

ADA COMPLIANCE

Physical Ability: Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation.

Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate visual and/or auditory cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.

Environmental Factors: Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions such as dirt, dust, wetness, humidity, rain, temperature and noise extremes, machinery or traffic hazards.

The Metropolitan District seeks to ensure the diversity of its workforce through non-discriminatory employment practices. People of all backgrounds, including people of color, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.