Vice President Automotive Project Management Jobs

Location: Houston, TX or Phoenix, AZ

Travel: Frequent travel between Houston and Phoenix required

Our client, a leading transmission and distribution contractor, is seeking a Vice President of Project Management (PMO) to provide executive-level leadership across its project delivery organization.

This is an urgent, high-visibility replacement hire for a proven PMO leader who can build structure, accountability, and consistency across complex projects and multiple operating markets. The VP of PMO will partner directly with executive leadership, operations, project teams, finance, estimating, safety, and field leadership to strengthen project execution and drive profitable growth.

The ideal candidate brings a strong combination of strategic PMO leadership and practical operational experience. While the preferred background is within utilities, electrical contracting, energy, infrastructure, or industrial construction, our client is open to candidates from other industries with highly transferable PMO leadership experience. Candidates from oil and gas will be considered where they demonstrate a strong, long-term commitment to the industry and a track record of leading complex capital, construction, or field-based project organizations.

• Lead the Project Management Office across operations in Houston and Phoenix, creating consistency in how projects are planned, staffed, monitored, reported, and delivered.
• Establish and continuously improve PMO standards, processes, systems, reporting structures, governance, and best practices.
• Partner with executive leadership to provide visibility into project health, operational performance, financial results, resource needs, risks, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and lead a high-performing team of project managers, senior project managers, project controls professionals, and project support personnel.
• Drive project financial accountability, including budgeting, forecasting, cost-to-complete analysis, earned value, cash flow, billing, change management, and margin performance.
• Ensure project teams maintain strong discipline around schedules, documentation, procurement, subcontractor coordination, client communication, project controls, and closeout.
• Identify operational, commercial, and schedule risks early; develop mitigation and recovery plans alongside project and field leadership.
• Work closely with operations and field teams to improve project handoffs from estimating through execution and final closeout.
• Support scalable growth by developing repeatable systems and processes that can be applied across multiple offices, project types, and markets.
• Champion a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and profitable project execution.
• Serve as a senior point of escalation for complex project, client, financial, and operational issues.
  

• Significant leadership experience within a PMO, project management, operations, project controls, or construction leadership function.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-project portfolios in utilities, electrical contracting, energy, infrastructure, industrial construction, engineering, or a similarly project-intensive environment.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience with project budgeting, forecasting, cost controls, change orders, claims avoidance, billing, and profitability management.
• Proven ability to build, lead, mentor, and hold accountable teams of project managers and operational leaders.
• Experience implementing or improving PMO frameworks, project delivery processes, dashboards, reporting tools, governance structures, and performance metrics.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to work effectively with field teams, operations leaders, clients, and senior stakeholders.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently between Houston and Phoenix.
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field is preferred; equivalent relevant industry experience will also be considered.
  

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical leadership function within a growing union contracting organization. The VP of PMO will have meaningful influence over the company’s project delivery model, operational performance, leadership development, and ability to scale across markets.

Our client offers a comprehensive benefits package and the opportunity to make an immediate impact at the executive level.

• If you are an experienced PMO or project operations leader who thrives in complex, field-driven project environments and is ready to build stronger systems, teams, and outcomes across a growing organization, we encourage you to apply.