Associate Project Leader Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

PDS 8 / Power Delivery Substation

This position is not eligible for recruiting or sourcing by outside parties.

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Mesa is hiring a Project Manager to lead small to medium-scale power delivery design projects out of our Knoxville, TN office. You’ll guide multidisciplinary engineering teams from project initiation through closeout, owning safety, quality, schedule, and budget while keeping the client experience front and center. You won’t be doing it alone – our Project Support Office backs you with the scheduling, controls, and analyst support to keep your projects running clean.

What We’re Looking For

• 6+ years of relevant project experience, including at least 3 years managing engineering or design projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing power utility substation design projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• Strong working knowledge of PMI standards, practices, and processes – PMP is preferred but not required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the presence to lead client meetings and represent Mesa in technical conversations.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects – or a small program – in parallel, including emergent or fast-track work.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel, project scheduling software, and a working understanding of corporate accounting and forecasting practices.
• Experience with Primavera P6 is a plus.
• Knoxville-based or within roughly two hours of our Knoxville, TN office – this role works closely with the team and clients in person.
• Travel availability – Willing to travel to client sites for periodic site visits, typically 1–2 single-night trips per month.
  

What You’ll Lead

• Small to medium-scale power delivery design projects from initiation through closeout – owning quality, schedule, and budget outcomes.
• A multidisciplinary project team drawing from internal groups (Substation Physical, P&C, Relay Settings, Scoping) over the life of each project.
• The day-to-day client relationship for your projects – design reviews, status meetings, and the technical conversations that keep work moving.
• Project planning and reporting documents – Project Execution Plans, Project Initiation Documentation, Communication Plans, and RFI logs – and the discipline to keep them current.
• KPI tracking and reporting across your projects – the schedule, budget, and quality metrics that tell leadership and the client whether work is healthy, and where to act after issues spread.
• Risk management for your projects – surface risks early, drive mitigation, and keep status reporting honest so leadership and the client see the same picture.
  

What You’ll Do

• Drive accountability to scope, schedule, budget, and quality on every project, and follow Mesa’s business processes end to end.
• Monitor and control project schedules and budgets; identify and document scope changes that affect cost or timeline after they spread.
• Get up to speed on Mesa’s work breakdown structure (WBS) and apply it consistently across your projects – it’s how we tie scope, schedule, and cost together.
• Review estimates and proposals the engineering teams develop after they go out – pressure-test scope, assumptions, and pricing so the commitments we make hold up under execution.
• Partner with associate project managers, project coordinators, schedulers, analysts, and controllers – with full support from our Project Support Office (PSO) – to forecast spending, accruals, and financial performance.
• Coordinate design and construction activities so information flows cleanly between engineering disciplines, the client, and the field.
• Support design teams in resolving technical challenges and removing blockers without taking the work off their plate.
• Participate in client meetings and substation site visits, modeling Mesa and client safety expectations every time.
• Help Program Managers and Directors maintain strong cost and schedule performance across the broader portfolio.
  

What You’ll Earn

• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Pay – 10 Days Annually
• Group Medical/Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance (Company Paid)
• Disability Insurance (Company Paid)
• 401(K) Retirement Savings plan
• 401(K) Matching Contribution
• Section 125/Cafeteria Plan
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Fitness Center Reimbursement
• Annual Performance Bonus
• 9/80 Work Schedule Option
• HSA and FSA Options

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel to client sites as needed to support project alignment and execution
• U.S. Citizenship is required (per 10 C.F.R. Part 810)
• Mesa Associates is unable to sponsor or transfer work visas for this position

Notice to External Search Firms: Mesa Associates, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited resumes and will not be obligated to pay a placement fee for unsolicited resumes. Mesa Associates, Inc. Talent Acquisition engages with approved search firms directly for specific hiring needs.