Project Executive - High-Rise Construction
Position Summary
Pavarini McGovern, part of the STO Building Group is seeking a Project Executive responsible for the successful delivery, profitability, and client satisfaction of large-scale high-rise construction projects. Acting as the principal representative of the company, the Project Executive provides strategic oversight from preconstruction through project closeout, ensuring projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
This role serves as the primary point of contact for owners, developers, consultants, lenders, tenants, and project stakeholders while leading all project personnel and operational activities. The Project Executive drives client relationships, business development opportunities, financial performance, risk management, and operational excellence across complex high-rise residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, and institutional developments.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Leadership & Project Oversight
- Provide executive leadership for multiple high-rise construction projects or a major flagship development.
- Maintain continuous awareness of project status, schedule milestones, construction progress, cost performance, quality standards, and risk exposure.
- Lead project teams, including Project Managers, Superintendents, Engineers, Estimators, and support staff.
- Communicate significant project developments, risks, delays, budget impacts, or quality concerns to executive leadership.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, contractual obligations, and operational standards.
Client & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the primary executive liaison with project owners, developers, asset managers, tenants, architects, engineers, and consultants.
- Develop and maintain long-term relationships that result in repeat business opportunities.
- Understand each client''s strategic goals and identify opportunities for additional construction, preconstruction, design-build, and consulting services.
- Lead executive-level client meetings and presentations throughout all project phases.
- Resolve complex project issues while maintaining strong client satisfaction and trust.
Preconstruction & Procurement Leadership
- Oversee contract review, RFP evaluation, scope development, budgeting, and project planning activities.
- Review bid strategies, subcontractor qualifications, procurement plans, labor forecasts, and material acquisition schedules.
- Evaluate value engineering opportunities to maximize project value while maintaining design intent and performance objectives.
- Lead early procurement efforts for long-lead materials, equipment, and specialty subcontractors critical to high-rise construction.
- Ensure comprehensive due diligence regarding contracts, insurance requirements, and project risks.
Financial & Commercial Management
- Maintain accountability for project profitability, cash flow, forecasting, and overall financial performance.
- Review and approve project financial reports, budgets, projections, and monthly cost analyses.
- Monitor general conditions, labor productivity, subcontractor performance, and project expenditures.
- Review and approve subcontractor and vendor invoices.
- Oversee billing, payment applications, collections, retainage management, and client receivables.
- Identify and capitalize on opportunities to improve project margins through strategic procurement, scheduling, and execution.
Change Order & Risk Management
- Direct the identification, pricing, negotiation, and execution of change orders.
- Ensure scope changes are properly documented, estimated, and communicated to ownership.
- Lead risk mitigation efforts related to schedule, labor, procurement, constructability, and contractual obligations.
- Coordinate with legal, insurance, and executive leadership regarding project-specific risk management strategies.
- Maintain proactive oversight of insurance compliance for subcontractors and project teams.
Construction Operations Leadership
- Lead regular project reviews and executive progress meetings.
- Ensure project safety programs are implemented and consistently enforced.
- Verify documentation of safety meetings, compliance initiatives, and project records.
- Provide strategic guidance on construction sequencing, logistics planning, quality assurance, and field operations.
- Drive collaboration between field and office teams to achieve project goals.
Project Closeout & Continuous Improvement
- Oversee project closeout activities including warranties, record documents, affidavits, final accounting, lien releases, and retainage recovery.
- Lead project turnover and occupancy coordination with owners and tenants.
- Conduct post-project evaluations and lessons-learned sessions with project stakeholders.
- Implement best practices and continuous improvement initiatives across future projects.
Business Development & Market Leadership
- Actively expand relationships with developers, owners, architects, engineers, brokers, consultants, and subcontractors.
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities within the high-rise construction market.
- Support proposal efforts, interviews, and project pursuits.
- Build industry relationships that create future project opportunities and strengthen market presence.
- Assist in recruiting, developing, and mentoring construction management professionals.
Primary Accountabilities
- Contract review and risk assessment.
- Client satisfaction and relationship management.
- Project profitability and financial performance.
- Preconstruction and scope development leadership.
- Value engineering and constructability review.
- Schedule management and milestone achievement.
- Change order administration and recovery.
- Billing, collections, and cash flow management.
- General conditions and cost-control oversight.
- Insurance and compliance management.
- Operational coordination across project teams.
- Business development and repeat client generation.
- Executive reporting and strategic decision-making.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor''s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field.
- Advanced degree or professional certifications preferred.
Experience
- Minimum 15 years of commercial construction experience with a general contractor.
- Minimum 7-10 years leading large-scale high-rise projects valued at $100M+.
- Demonstrated success managing residential, mixed-use, hospitality, office, or institutional high-rise developments.
- Experience overseeing multiple project teams and large project portfolios.
- Strong understanding of high-rise construction systems, sequencing, logistics, and urban construction challenges.
Technical Skills
- Advanced knowledge of construction contracts, procurement, scheduling, budgeting, and project controls.
- Strong financial management and forecasting capabilities.
- Experience with CMIC, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Thorough understanding of construction safety, quality assurance, and risk management practices.
Leadership Competencies
- Exceptional executive presence and relationship-building skills.
- Proven ability to lead high-performing teams in complex environments.
- Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution abilities.
- Strategic thinker with a focus on profitability and operational excellence.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify and develop new business opportunities.
Preferred Experience
- Experience managing high-rise projects in major metropolitan markets such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, Miami, or similar urban environments.
- Existing relationships with developers, owners, architects, and consultants within the high-rise construction sector.
- Design-build and preconstruction leadership experience.
- OSHA 30-Hour Certification and relevant industry certifications preferred.
Salary: 250 - 350k+ given experience level.
Compensation: In addition to base pay, eligible for discretionary bonus based on company and individual performance.
Pavarini McGovern has been a proud member of STOBG since 2001, providing construction management services for new buildings and major expansion and renewal projects in the New York metropolitan area.
The STO Building Group family of companies-Structure Tone, Structure Tone Southwest, Pavarini Construction Co., Pavarini McGovern, LF Driscoll, Govan Brown, Ajax Building Company, BCCI Construction, Layton Construction, Abbott Construction, and RC Andersen-includes over 4,000 employees located in offices throughout the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. We provide a complete range of construction services, from site selection analysis, design constructability review and aesthetic enhancements to interior fit-outs, new building construction, and building infrastructure upgrades and modernization. Learn more about how we partner with our clients to imagine, execute, and realize their vision at stobuildinggroup.com.
EEO statement: We are an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and other legally protected characteristics.