Project Development Jobs in Louisiana (NOW HIRING)

Job Title

Development Director, Project & Development Services

Job Description Summary

Cushman & Wakefield seeks a Development Manager/Owners Representative to provide onsite management spearheading a Development Agreement and coordinating the project team for a multi-use commercial adaptive reuse project for a major university. The Development Manager is responsible for the delivery and management of services provided by C&W (and its subcontractors) to the client The Development Manager will provide daily oversight of all project activities from public approvals, design, construction, commissioning, and occupancy. Specific areas of responsibility will include project documentation and reporting, project budget/schedule development and tracking, project team assembly and management, project issues/conflict resolution, risk management and interaction and relationship maintenance with client staff. As a member of the Project Team dedicated to this Project, the Development Manager will have specifically assigned responsibilities with together with shared responsibility which will be updated over the course of the Project.
The ideal candidate will be highly experienced, organized, attentive to detail and have demonstrated a high level of performance in managing project budgets, schedules, multiple team members and project stakeholders. Excellent communication (oral and written), negotiation and computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Project) are essential for success in this position. The qualified individual must be able to operate in a deadline-sensitive environment and must also possess excellent financial skills and knowledge of the development process and ground up construction.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (The Development Manager’s day-to-day responsibilities will include an assigned subset of the following Project tasks.)

Development Agreement

• The project will require high level coordination and integration of tenant uses into the developer work letter to support the tenant fit out.
• The Director will coordinate subject matter experts and remote team members (the C&W Team) to support the on site effort
• Liaise with client stakeholders and design professionals to establish a clear basis of design to inform turnover conditions.

Zoning and Permitting

• The project will utilize Historic Tax Credits to fund the program and will need to incorporate the uses and requirements to obtain funds
• Secure necessary approvals and permits (e.g., environmental, excavation, base building construction, interior construction, occupancy) from the various municipal authorities, as required.

Financing and Deal Structuring Support

• As required, negotiate purchase agreements, tenant leases, construction contracts, loan commitments, and equity relationships on behalf of the client.

Development Management

• Oversee the developers work to ensure that the quality and accuracy of the turnover work is compliant to support the tenant construction work

Architectural Design

• Create, update and refine the preliminary construction budget at appropriate design milestones, during the design process.
• Manage any redesign and value engineering necessary for the client’s layout, using the services of appropriate architects, engineers, contractors and specialty consultants.
• Organize interactive interface between the client’s needs and the design team’s production.
• Oversee revisions to the existing design and plans by the architectural team to ensure compliance with current code requirements and applicable regulations.

Pre-Construction

• Review all plans and specifications developed by the design team and make practical recommendations to save time and/or money.
• Identify opportunities for “fast-tracking” the project schedule and then evaluate the costs and benefits of such strategies.
• Obtain pre-construction costing services from a qualified contractor, and then, upon completion of the drawings and specifications, coordinate the competitive bid process among Contractor’s sub-contractors.
• Oversee the permitting process to ensure that the building permit, and other interim and post-construction approvals are obtained in a timely fashion.
• Work with the contractor and project team to produce a tenant work schedule including all ancillary activities (i.e. telephone systems, wiring, security, furniture, etc.) and establish a firm, realistic move-in date.

Construction Contract Bidding

• Re-review the drawings prior to the beginning of the bid process for value engineering savings and review the cost impact of all design elements.
• Monitor the budget management process prior to bidding, using continual construction cost updating with actual subcontractor input, thereby providing a “no surprise” final budget.
• Oversee the preparation and integration of all construction bid documents by the architectural team, so that they clearly outline all scope and contractual items required in the contract such as; maximum fees to be charged, value engineering issues, fixed allowances, detailed unit price costs, project schedules and rigid requirements imposed for coordination issues between the tenant general contractor and the base building contractor.
• Organize and participate in the process of selecting qualified sub-contractors that should be invited to submit bids/schedules; pre-screen all qualified bidders for their experience with similar work, ability to adhere to schedules, approach to cooperation under time pressure and willingness to agree to budgeting restraints.

Construction Management

• Oversee the construction process on a day-to-day basis, focusing on expediting both schedule and time, due to their vital relationship to dollars and quality.
• Control the budget and costs generated by change orders.
• Develop and coordinate the milestone and CPM schedules to ensure optimal project procurement, construction and delivery; advise client on any modifications.
• Guide all design and construction documents through the permitting process.
• Manage the consultants through all aspects of the base building construction and/or tenant build-out so that the project is delivered on schedule and at the agreed upon budget.
• Review and verify contractor construction costs and assist in the development of unit prices for tenant fit-up work.
• Review contractor change orders, applications for progress payment and payment breakdowns to ensure that the charges are appropriate.
• Advise the client with respect to construction cost deviations from baseline budgets.
• Monitor the adequacy of the contractor personnel and on-site equipment as well as the availability of necessary materials and supplies; advise the client of any action necessary to maintain the established progress schedule.
• Notify the client and quality control consultants of any work not in compliance with the plans and other contract documents.
• Attend job meetings with the contractor, client, architects and others as necessary to coordinate work and resolve conflicts and provide reports as appropriate.
• Represent the client in resolving conflicts or disputes with contractor, subcontractors, and/or suppliers.
• Set up and run weekly progress meetings during the construction build out phase to discuss any changes in cost, schedule or design as well as any other outstanding issues.
• Control the budget schedule and quality through the evaluation and negotiation of all approved change orders (and other cost issues).
• Require frequent job site visits by the entire construction management team to ensure quality control and adherence to the schedule.
• Review, coordinate, approve and process the monthly general contractor requisitions.
• Assist the general contractor, as may be required, to obtain Certificates of Occupancy.
• Work with the architect to establish a comprehensive punch list prior to move-in and ensure that this list is completed in an accurate and timely manner by the contractor.
• Close out all costs associated with the project and obtain all final releases of liens.

Project Reporting

• Ensure that the client’s management personnel and key advisors are kept fully informed of the project’s status and progress at all times.
• Work with the project control team to establish protocols, reporting structures, and other requirements of the client

• Customize reports to meet the client’s needs, which typically include at minimum:
  • monthly written project reports;
  • monthly project review meetings with client;
  • quarterly, or more frequent, face-to-face approval meetings with all involved managers on all issues comparing the remaining work with the remaining budget;
  • regularly scheduled Project Meetings where a full review of the project can be presented to all client representatives. 

• Ensure that all important project-related issues are carefully explained before critical project decisions are made. 
• Provide a breakdown of the costs to-date, sensitivity analyses, updated projected cash flows and copies of all outside consultant reports.

BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in architecture, engineering, business administration or a real estate-related degree. 
• Practicing construction/development manager with 15+ years of experience, preferably in ground up building design and construction as well as adaptive reuse
• Design proficiency with knowledge about the entitlements processes
• Excellent project documentation skills
• Experienced in creating and updating budgets and schedules
• Able to lead a project meeting and has great communication skills

• Extensive knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Project

CompetenciesThe qualified individual must have strong organizational and communication skills and be able to operate in a deadline-sensitive environment.  The qualified individual must also possess financial skills and knowledge regarding commercial real estate.

• Excellent customer service skills
• This position requires a very high level of understanding of Construction Contract clauses, Architectural plans and specifications and large-scale base building construction techniques.
• Skilled in communicating effectively with clients, peers and management on complex business issues
• High business and financial acumen
• Excellent understanding of product, legal and technical information
• Excellent oral, written and presentation skills
• Excellent ability to collaboratively work as part of a team
• Ability to proactively identify client requirements and exploit opportunities to increase both client KPI scores, project success and team excellence.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.
The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.
The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.
The compensation for the position is: $140,250.00 - $165,000.00Cushman & Wakefield provides equal employment opportunity. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative​ Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without  regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email HRServices@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”