Job Description

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Texas Charter School Development, or TCSD (www.txcharter.org) is a non-profit public benefit corporation founded to address the single greatest challenge faced by high-quality charter schools in Texas – securing adequate and permanent facilities for learning. Working solely with non-profit operators of charter schools, we are helping to transform public education across the country, making college readiness and achievement more tangible for all by allowing school leaders to invest their time and resources where they belong – educating students.

The work at TCSD is based on decades of experience building school facilities by Pacific Charter School Development. Since 2004, Pacific Charter School Development has completed over $1.09B in total projects, leveraging philanthropy, private financing, and state funding to create 120+ campuses serving over 49,000 students across multiple districts and municipalities in our four core regions – Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Texas, and Washington State. In 2022, Pacific Charter School Development launched TCSD to partner with local operators and expand high-quality educational options throughout the state of Texas.

TCSD is looking for a Senior Project Manager to support the development of new charter school facilities in our Texas region. The Senior Project Manager should be based in or around San Antonio, TX or Austin, TX. The Senior Project Manager will be responsible for managing and/or overseeing projects at various stages of development, including site selection, due diligence, design development, entitlements, financing support and construction through project closeout. The Senior Project Manager will need to be able to operate independently as well as work as a team member, as they will be responsible for directing and managing the activities of architects, engineers, contractors, attorneys and environmental and other consultants as necessary to complete development projects. The Senior Project Manager will report to the Chief Executive Officer and will work closely with charter school clients, as well as TCSD’s Finance and Project Management Teams to execute on the day-to-day project management activities.

TCSD is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff. We exist to bring high-quality education to underserved communities, and we strive to reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve. We advance diversity and inclusion in our own hiring, retention and promotion practices for staff and leadership, and we seek to engage and collaborate with other organizations that are making efforts to increase racial and social equity within their own practices (Our Commitment to Racial Equity).

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The Senior Project Manager’s role will include day-to-day management of project(s) and interfacing with charter school clients. Previous experience in project management, real estate transactions, and construction management is required. Direct responsibilities may include but are not limited to the following:

Site Selection:

Work with school clients and real estate brokers to identify and evaluate potential sites with the assistance of contractors, architects, and others.
Perform preliminary feasibility site assessments (floodplain, ROW access, utilities, etc.).
Create preliminary project budgets and schedules, evaluate potential sites and provide recommendation for site feasibility to clients and internal decision-making.
Draft purchase or acquisition offers, negotiate site acquisition and review contracts for site acquisition.

Due Diligence:

Identify necessary environmental and technical due diligence studies required for the project.
Solicit proposals/bids from consultants, evaluate and make recommendations about consultant selection; negotiate and manage consultant contracts and deliverables.
Review and finalize all reports; coordinate agency reviews as needed.
Coordinate and manage all legal, lender, and/or title company activities involved through closing.

Design:

Understand school client’s short and long term programmatic needs to ensure effective implementation into final design.
Oversee the project scoping and design to ensure affordable final product based on school client’s facilities needs and financial objectives.
Negotiate contract with architect, manage project design and interaction between architect and school client.
Work with design team to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of project, particularly tied to key design and permitting milestones.

Permits/Entitlements:

Identify and select appropriate consultants to help determine permitting/entitlement requirements for proposed sites and assess any schedule, materials, or other risks to the project.
Coordinate community outreach process with school support for key stakeholder buy-in.
Oversee permitting/entitlements process; as necessary, attend public hearings and other key meetings w/ building or other officials needed to obtain project permits.
With assistance from consultants, determine permitting requirements for proposed project scope and sites and assess any schedule, materials, or other risks to the project.

Budget, Schedule, Financing:

Manage project budgets and schedules.
Review, code, and enter project invoices in the budget template, linking invoices to appropriate contracts and/or change orders
Compile monthly invoice packages and/or loan draws in collaboration with Finance teams.
Monitor progress billing against contracts to ensure vendors remain within contract budget; track expense-to-date vs. remaining work and note variances
Support TCSD’s finance team and school client by providing project-related data necessary to obtain financing.

Construction:

Manage construction bid and award process, including issuing RFP, reviewing bids, and recommending contractor selection.
Manage budget and schedule during construction.
Attend regular construction meetings, visit construction site to assess and ensure construction progress on-site.
Review and approve contractor payment applications and loan draws.
Manage project invoices and track expenses.
Review, negotiate and approve all change orders.
Serve as primary lead for resolution of issues during construction.

Closeout & Occupancy:

Ensure completion of punch list walk with contractor and school, as well as final inspections and receipt of Certificate of Occupancy.
Support school in coordinating move-in.
Ensure warranty and other close out documentation is provided to school or end user.

QUALIFICATIONS

6+ years of real estate development experience, including at least 4 years’ experience in project management, real estate transactions, and/or construction management. Experience in facilities planning and construction and full-scale real estate development preferred.
Interest in improving public education and commitment to YCSD’s mission.
A self-starter who demonstrates ownership of projects from start to finish and is able to achieve independently while leading a project team and coordinating as needed with school clients, colleagues and external consultants, contractors, and stakeholders.
Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated success in managing an interdisciplinary team of professionals to deliver projects on schedule and within budget.
Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to communicate clearly to diverse stakeholders and across a cross-functional project team.
Organized and detail-oriented.
Bachelor's degree required; relevant work experience or graduate degree in real estate, business, construction, engineering, urban planning or architecture a plus.
Experience developing educational facilities a plus.
Willingness to travel; will require regular travel between San Antonio, TX and Austin, TX.

HYBRID WORKING ENVIRONMENT
TCSD utilizes a hybrid workforce model. Employees work remotely and convene at least once a week or more as necessary. Project site visits will also be done as necessary but no less than twice a week during active construction phases. Please only submit an application if you are able to commute to San Antonio and Austin on a regular basis and to client and/or job sites as needed.

Any applicants should ensure they meet the basic technical skills and have the proper equipment to be effective in a temporary telecommuting environment. TCSD will provide employee with a laptop, including a built-in speaker and webcam for videoconferencing capability, as well as a computer mouse and keyboard. Applicants will need to verify that they have reliable access to the following: