Lead Program Manager

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

Arcadis is seeking an experienced Lead Program Manager to join our Chicago team. This individual will lead the planning and delivery of complex capital programs for public- and private-sector clients. Programs may include multiple concurrent projects across buildings, transportation, municipal infrastructure, and other capital asset types.

The Lead Program Manager will serve as a trusted client advisor and provide leadership across program planning, governance, project controls, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout. The successful candidate will be a proven program management professional who can organize complex work, lead multidisciplinary teams, develop staff, and build lasting client relationships.

This position will play an important role in establishing and growing Arcadis’ Chicago program management team. Building program experience is preferred, but the primary requirement is demonstrated success leading capital programs and delivering consistent results for clients.

Position Responsibilities

• Serve as program lead and primary day-to-day advisor for assigned clients.
• Lead multi-project capital programs from planning through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout.
• Establish program governance, delivery procedures, roles, decision-making processes, and reporting requirements.
• Develop and oversee program budgets, integrated master schedules, forecasts, risks, changes, and performance reporting.
• Lead program planning, project prioritization, delivery-method selection, procurement strategy, and resource planning.
• Coordinate project managers, designers, contractors, construction managers, consultants, vendors, and client stakeholders.
• Identify program-wide risks, dependencies, and emerging issues and lead the development of practical solutions.
• Provide executive-level reporting and recommendations related to cost, schedule, risk, quality, safety, and overall performance.
• Establish and maintain effective project controls, document management, change management, quality, and reporting processes.
• Maintain accountability for client satisfaction, team performance, and successful program delivery.
• Lead, mentor, and develop project managers, assistant project managers, project controls professionals, and other team members.
• Support staffing decisions and bring the right technical and program management resources to each assignment.
• Lead or support proposals, interviews, contract negotiations, and strategic pursuits.
• Build trusted client relationships and identify opportunities to expand Arcadis’ program and project management services.
• Collaborate across Arcadis’ buildings, transportation, water, and infrastructure teams to provide integrated client solutions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible program management, project management, design management, construction management, or owner’s representative experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex capital programs or portfolios consisting of multiple concurrent projects.
• Experience serving as a primary client contact and trusted advisor to senior client leadership.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing project or program managers.
• Strong knowledge of program governance, procurement, contracts, project controls, risk management, change management, and executive reporting.
• Experience managing program budgets, integrated schedules, forecasts, and performance metrics.
• Strong leadership, communication, presentation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with program management information systems and web-based project management platforms.
• Ability to travel to client and project locations as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Licensed Professional Engineer, preferably in Illinois, or the ability to obtain Illinois licensure through comity.
• Experience leading building capital programs involving new construction, renovation, modernization, or occupied facilities.
• Experience leading transportation, municipal, institutional, or other public-sector capital programs.
• Experience establishing or improving a program management office, including governance, standards, controls, and reporting.
• Experience with design-bid-build, design-build, construction manager at risk, progressive design-build, or other alternative delivery methods.
• Experience with Oracle Primavera P6, Oracle Primavera Unifier, e-Builder, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Kahua, Power BI, or similar systems.
• Project Management Professional, Certified Construction Manager, or Registered Architect credential.
• Chicago-area client relationships and knowledge of the local consulting and construction market.
• Demonstrated success supporting client development, proposals, interviews, and account growth.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement.  We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $136,000 - $185,000. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.

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