Civil Construction Business Manager

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Business Manager to lead the administrative and project support functions of a growing heavy civil construction company.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for ensuring the business side of our projects and operations run efficiently, consistently, and with accountability. The Business Manager will lead our team of Project Coordinators and administrative staff, support project and operations leadership, improve processes and workflows, and serve as the primary liaison between the company and our centralized Business Services teams.

Accounting, Human Resources, Payroll, Safety, Risk and other corporate functions are centrally managed. The Business Manager will not duplicate those functions. Instead, this position will own the coordination, execution and follow-through at the company level, ensuring project teams and employees provide the information, documentation and approvals necessary to keep work moving.

The right person will be comfortable moving between project details, financial information, people management and process improvement. This position requires someone who sees what needs to happen, establishes ownership and drives it through completion.

What You'll Do

Lead Project & Administrative Support

• Lead and manage Project Coordinators and administrative staff.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, priorities and performance expectations for the team.
• Assign and balance workloads based on project demands and company priorities.
• Develop consistent expectations for how Project Coordinators support Project Managers and field teams.
• Provide coaching, training and performance feedback and address accountability issues when necessary.
• Build cross-training and coverage to ensure continuity during absences and changing project demands.
• Evaluate staffing and resource needs as the company and project portfolio grow.

Own Project Administration

• Oversee project administrative processes from project startup through closeout.
• Ensure contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, change orders, permits and required project documentation are properly coordinated and maintained.
• Establish systems to track outstanding deliverables, deadlines, approvals and action items.
• Support Project Managers with project reporting, cost information, forecasting and WIP preparation.
• Coordinate billing documentation, retention, commitments and other project financial requirements with centralized Accounting.
• Identify missing information or unresolved project issues and drive them to resolution.
• Ensure project teams receive consistent, reliable administrative support.

Manage Entity-Level Business Operations

• Serve as the primary point of coordination for company-level business and administrative matters.
• Maintain visibility into the administrative needs of projects, field operations and company leadership.
• Coordinate with centralized Accounting, HR, Payroll, Safety, Risk, IT and other shared-service teams.
• Ensure required information, documentation and approvals are submitted accurately and on time.
• Coordinate entity-level requirements associated with new hires, employee changes and terminations.
• Oversee administrative processes related to company vehicles, equipment, technology, vendors and other assigned resources.
• Monitor company-specific licenses, registrations, certifications and recurring administrative requirements.
• Establish clear ownership and escalation paths so issues do not stall between departments.

Improve Processes & Workflows

A major responsibility of this position will be identifying better ways to work.

• Evaluate existing project and administrative processes for inefficiencies, duplication and gaps.
• Design and implement standardized workflows across projects and administrative functions.
• Establish clear handoffs between Project Managers, Project Coordinators, field teams and centralized departments.
• Develop practical procedures, checklists, templates and tracking tools.
• Eliminate unnecessary manual processes and duplicate work wherever possible.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes through technology and automation.
• Partner with centralized departments to improve cross-company workflows.
• Establish accountability for recurring processes and monitor compliance.
• Identify bottlenecks before they become operational problems.
• Continually evaluate processes as the company grows and operational needs change.

Support Financial & Project Controls

• Support monthly forecasting and WIP processes by ensuring project information is complete, accurate and timely.
• Monitor purchase orders, commitments, invoices, change orders, retention and related project documentation.
• Work with Project Managers and Accounting to resolve coding discrepancies, missing documentation and outstanding financial items.
• Track administrative items that may affect project billing, cash flow, cost reporting or forecast accuracy.
• Assist leadership in identifying trends, risks and items requiring attention.
• Drive completion of month-end requirements across project teams.

Ideal candidates will have:

• Experience in construction, heavy civil construction or a project-driven environment.
• Experience managing Project Coordinators, Project Administrators or administrative professionals.
• Strong understanding of construction project administration and project lifecycles.
• Working knowledge of project financials, cost tracking, forecasting, purchase orders, change orders and billing processes.
• Demonstrated experience improving processes and developing workflows.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Ability to hold others accountable professionally and consistently.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Confidence working directly with Project Managers, Superintendents, operations leadership and executive leadership.
• Ability to identify problems, determine ownership and drive issues through resolution.
• Strong Excel and general technology skills; experience with construction management and ERP systems preferred.