Director of Project Management

The Director of Project Management (DPM) provides strategic direction and general oversight of client projects across their full lifecycle. The DPM owns the project management function for Principle Services (PS), establishing best in class methodologies and standards, developing the project management (PM) team, and delivering consistent, high quality outcomes.

Principle Services is a people first power infrastructure firm providing construction inspection, project management, and environmental compliance services to electric utilities, renewable energy developers, and large load facility owners across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. We are a Veteran Owned Small Business operating on the EOS/Traction framework, currently at 104 employees and growing headcount at a 50% year over year pace.

Our mission is to faithfully serve our team and clients through people first power solutions. We are building a company where exceptional people thrive, and every power project is delivered with excellence, integrity, and care.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Leadership & Team Development

• Coach and lead the PM team; build PM independence so projects execute without the DPM’s constant involvement.
• Hire and assign the PM team to meet project staffing requirements, aligned to project needs, objectives, and company budget. Schedule, organize, and assign projects across the PM team in the Company’s resource planning tool; balancing workload and targeted utilization metrics.
• Conduct timely, constructive performance evaluations on the company’s Mid Year and Annual Review cadence to help the PM consistently improve individual performance.
• Handle discipline and corrective action in accordance with company policy.
• Develop and/or orchestrate PM focused training content for the LMS, covering project management methodology, tools, and skill development for PM staff.
• Uphold and promote the core values, culture, and safety standards of Principle Services.

Project & Client Delivery

• Oversee PMs to deliver projects/programs that meet each project’s KPIs and contractual obligations.
• Ensure deliverable expectations from clients are coordinated across PMs, Accounting Analysts, Business Development Managers, Safety, and other Leaders, driving consistency in how PS sells its services and the people placed in front of the client.
• Own proactive internal communication and scope management; surface and resolve issues internally before they become client facing. Bring solutions to client issues when they arise rather than just taking the client a problem.
• Stay in tune with clients’ needs to ensure that the PM team is meeting expectations; promote additional services; and quickly resolve issues involving staffing, quality, service delivery, and team financial performance.

Business Development & Proposal Support

• Serve as the Project Management liaison in the BD/proposals process, ensuring the PM function and project scope are represented before commitments are made.
• Review PM proposals for scope accuracy, staffing and delivery feasibility, and ensure the proposal clearly articulates the PS PM team’s distinct value advantage to the client.
• Provide timely, substantive input on proposal requests; turnaround is a priority, not an afterthought, so BD is never held up waiting on Ops.
• Pressure test scope and assumptions to protect PS from unnecessary risk through unpriced work, unrealistic commitments, and downstream delivery challenges.
• Partner with BD Managers to align what is sold with what the PM team can deliver. Train the Business Development team to understand the PM team’s value proposition and capabilities so they can articulate it to potential clients.
• Attends industry conferences and BD events on behalf of Principle Services, builds relationships with current and prospective clients, shares insights with the BD team and brings forward opportunities for BD.

Standards, Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and maintain a concise, repeatable PM process and consistent, audit ready deliverables across all clients (a focused standard, not a thousand page book).
• Continuously assess PM methodologies; identify improvements and implement best practices. This includes the use of technology to constantly improve how we’re delivering PM excellence to our clients.
• Monitor compliance with project policies, standards, and reporting requirements.
• Validate the resource planning of the PM team monthly to support team allocations and revenue forecasting.
• Seek implementation efficiencies to meet or exceed the financial expectations set at project start and for the program each budget cycle.
• Routinely host lessons learned sessions within the PM team and with cross functional groups to improve quality of services.

Operating Rhythm

• Weekly: All active project status reports current; issues flagged with resolution plans; no surprises at the weekly operations leadership meeting.
• Monthly: Project portfolio health review on a standardized template; budget variances explained and corrected; client feedback loop closed.
• Quarterly: Lessons learned documented; PM team performance assessed major internal initiatives identified and resourced to improve quality of services (quarterly Rocks).
• Annually: Strategic department level planning including organizational chart review, career progression path development, department role expectations review and assessment, and training plan development.