Pre-Construction Manager, IKE

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Orange Barrel Media (OBM) creates and operates iconic urban media displays that advertisers ask for by name in top U.S. markets. Since our founding in 2004, OBM has pioneered a community-oriented model of outdoor media development and is nationally recognized by cities and real estate owners alike seeking to implement premier media programs that add to the character of urban places. In the advertising community, OBM is widely recognized as the owner of the highest impact and most memorable advertising locations in the cities where it operates.

The OBM team is also a leader in smart city infrastructure, launching the Interactive Kiosk Experience (IKE) platform in concert with cities across the U.S. through the company IKE Smart City. IKE is a best-in-class public engagement platform that helps cities communicate with the public, enliven the pedestrian experience, and tell the story of their city. The core pillars of the IKE platform are public benefit and social equity, values that we seek to maximize in every IKE market to achieve city objectives and exceed community expectations.

We are a place where people are inspired to achieve success, genuinely like each other, and have endless opportunities to grow.

Learn more at www.obm.com and www.ikesmartcity.com.

About the role

The Pre-Construction Manager owns site selection, design coordination, and permitting for IKE deployments in an assigned region. This person identifies the locations we pursue, determines whether they can be built, and advances each site through design to an approved permit ready for construction.

Civil engineering partners produce the SCIPs, prepare designs, and submit permits. The Pre-Construction Manager directs that work and remains accountable for the result. They select sites, review drawings and other deliverables, resolve issues before submittal, manage the permitting schedule, and work directly with city agencies when needed.

The right person combines engineering and permitting knowledge with strong project management judgment. They can assess a location’s buildability, direct an A&E firm, spot issues in a drawing set, and navigate discussions with a city agency.

The Project Manager owns the overall site budget, forecast, and go-live date. The Pre-Construction Manager owns the work required to make the site permit-ready and keeps the Project Manager informed of progress and schedule risks.

What you'll do

• Own siting for assigned markets: identify candidate locations, evaluate them for constructability, and select the sites we pursue
• Assess power source, right-of-way ownership, corridor and historic district conflicts, sidewalk and ADA clearance, spacing, and active moratoriums before a site is committed
• Work with property owners, agencies, and community stakeholders to secure the approvals a site requires
• Direct Civil Engineering partners to complete SCIPs, batching field work by market and reviewing the returned package for quality and accuracy
• Direct Civil Engineering partners through construction documents, managing scope, standards, and dates, and reviewing drawings before anything leaves IKE
• Own permitting from submittal through approval. Civil Engineering partners file on our behalf; the Pre-Construction Manager controls the queue, sequencing, agency comments, resubmittals, and escalation
• Build and maintain relationships with plan reviewers, DOT staff, and right-of-way administrators in assigned markets
• Maintain jurisdiction playbooks covering requirements, contacts, review timelines, fees, and common rejection reasons
• Establish and maintain a market- and jurisdiction-specific siting and permitting checklist that defines all required feasibility criteria, documentation, approvals, design requirements, and pre-submittal conditions. Ensure every applicable item is verified and complete before a permit package is submitted to the jurisdiction
• Track Civil Engineering partner performance on cycle time, first-pass approval, and quality, and escalate when a partner is not delivering
• Report status into the Project Manager's schedule, commit to dates, and flag jeopardy early
• Partner with the Utility Specialist so power is identified and moving in parallel with design and permitting
• Hand each site off at permit-ready, with documentation complete and data accurate in SiteTracker
• Contribute to the build-out of this function, including process, templates, standards, and tooling
• Support the development, refinement, and continuous improvement of the overall siting and permitting process, with a focus on reducing cycle times, eliminating unnecessary handoffs, and identifying the most efficient paths to permit approval in each market
• Develop and implement market-specific strategies, process shortcuts, and best practices that accelerate permitting while maintaining quality, compliance, and required approvals
• Travel to assigned markets according to business needs for site evaluation, jurisdiction meetings, and agency relationships

Qualifications

• 5+ years across engineering, permitting, and project management in construction, infrastructure, telecom, utility, or similar deployment work
• Direct experience permitting in the public right-of-way, including encroachment permits and DOT coordination
• Experience evaluating sites for constructability and making site selection decisions
• Ability to read civil construction drawings well enough to identify deficiencies before submittal.
• Demonstrated experience managing A&E or Civil Engineering firms as vendors, including scope, schedule, and quality
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience working directly with municipal agencies and property owners
• Experience with SiteTracker, Salesforce, or a similar project tracking system
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to travel according to business needs

Preferred

• Experience with small cell, fiber, digital signage, transit, or streetscape infrastructure in the public right-of-way
• Working knowledge of utility make-ready and service coordination
• Experience with GIS or desktop feasibility tooling
• Experience building a process rather than inheriting one
• PMP certification or equivalent
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Construction Management, or a related field