Assistant Project Manager- Commercial Development
Harwood International is seeking an experienced and highly organized Assistant Project Manager to support the development and execution of commercial real estate projects from pre-development and design through construction, delivery, and closeout.
The Assistant Project Manager will work as part of Harwood International’s development and construction team and will assist in managing project schedules, budgets, consultants, contractors, design teams, and project documentation. This role is an owner-side position and requires strong coordination skills, attention to detail, financial awareness, and the ability to effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will have experience in commercial real estate development, construction, architecture, engineering, or project management and will be comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-quality development environment.
Responsibilities
- Assist the Project Manager with the planning, coordination, and execution of commercial development projects.
- Support projects from initial planning and due diligence through design, permitting, construction, turnover, and closeout.
- Maintain project schedules and track key milestones, deadlines, approvals, and deliverables.
- Coordinate with architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, attorneys, vendors, municipalities, and other project stakeholders.
- Assist with coordinating internal Harwood teams, including Development, Construction, Leasing, Property Management, Finance, Legal, and Operations.
- Prepare for and participate in project meetings, design meetings, construction meetings, and consultant coordination meetings.
- Maintain meeting agendas, notes, action-item logs, and project correspondence.
- Monitor outstanding items and proactively follow up with responsible parties to ensure timely completion.
- Identify potential schedule, budget, design, or construction issues and escalate concerns to the Project Manager.
Design & Consultant Coordination
- Assist in coordinating architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, and other consultants.
- Track design deliverables and review submissions for completeness and coordination.
- Assist with the review and distribution of drawings, specifications, reports, and other construction documents.
- Coordinate consultant responses to RFIs, design questions, and project issues.
- Assist with managing design revisions and documenting project decisions.
- Support coordination between design intent and construction execution.
Construction Management Support
- Assist the Project Manager in overseeing general contractors and construction teams on behalf of Harwood International.
- Attend construction meetings and conduct regular site visits to monitor progress.
- Track construction progress against the approved project schedule.
- Assist with reviewing construction quality, coordination, and compliance with approved plans and specifications.
- Track RFIs, submittals, change orders, punch lists, inspections, and other construction activities.
- Assist with project turnover and closeout, including warranties, operating manuals, as-built drawings, and outstanding punch-list items.
- Maintain organized project files and construction records.
Budget & Financial Management
- Assist with preparing and maintaining project budgets and cost reports.
- Track project commitments, expenditures, allowances, contingencies, and remaining budget.
- Review contractor pay applications, invoices, purchase orders, and change orders.
- Assist with evaluating the financial impact of proposed changes to the project.
- Coordinate with Finance and Accounting to ensure accurate project cost tracking and timely processing of invoices.
- Assist with monthly project reporting and budget updates.
- Monitor project costs and proactively communicate potential budget concerns to the Project Manager.
Pre-Development & Due Diligence
- Assist with due diligence activities for new commercial development opportunities.
- Coordinate information and documentation from architects, engineers, consultants, municipalities, and other third parties.
- Assist with site evaluations, feasibility studies, entitlement activities, permitting, and project planning.
- Support preliminary project budgeting, scheduling, and development analysis.
- Assist with preparation of materials for internal project reviews and development meetings.
Project Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain comprehensive and organized project files.
- Track contracts, proposals, drawings, specifications, permits, reports, correspondence, and other project documentation.
- Prepare project status reports, schedules, cost summaries, and presentations.
- Maintain project action-item, decision, RFI, submittal, and change-order logs.
- Ensure project documentation is current and readily accessible to the development team.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Real Estate, Architecture, Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred.
- 2–5 years of experience in commercial real estate development, construction, architecture, engineering, or project management.
- Experience working with commercial development projects, general contractors, architects, engineers, and consultants.
- Understanding of commercial construction processes, schedules, budgets, and construction documents.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Experience with project management, construction management, or document management software preferred.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously.
- Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
- Ability to work effectively with senior leadership, consultants, contractors, and internal departments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Class A office, mixed-use, retail, hospitality, or luxury commercial development.
- Experience working for a real estate developer, owner, or owner’s representative.
- Experience with large-scale commercial construction projects.
- Understanding of development budgets, construction contracts, change orders, and pay applications.
- Familiarity with permitting, entitlement, and municipal approval processes.
- Experience working with high-end architectural and design teams.
- Knowledge of commercial real estate development practices in the Dallas market.