LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is seeking a Project Manager to oversee the development of the Cohen Career Collective, a new vocational education facility that requires the renovation of approximately 160,000 square feet of vacant industrial space in Long Island City, Queens.
The Cohen Career Collective will be a state-of-the-art workforce training center at LaGuardia Community College. Made possible by a historic gift of $116.2 million from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, the facility will include specialized shops, labs, and classrooms for hands-on instruction and training. It will also have quiet study areas, student meeting rooms, a Career Services Center, computer labs, a lecture hall, storage areas for equipment and materials, restrooms, locker rooms, mechanical rooms, electrical/data closets, and a Student Welcome Center.
Education and training programs at the Cohen Career Collective will lead to associate degrees, industry certifications, and other credentials required for jobs in high-demand sectors, including Healthcare, Construction, Technology, Culinary & Hospitality, Green Jobs, and Film and Television. Comprehensive student support services will be available. In addition to career and technical training, the Cohen Career Collective will provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes for students who need to improve their English before taking vocational training. High-school equivalency classes will be offered to ensure that trainees obtain their GEDs. Construction of the facility is anticipated to be completed by January 2029.
Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the College President and Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance, the Project Manager will oversee the development of the Cohen Career Collective. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
Serve as liaison between college leadership and key project stakeholders. Manage project governance/decision-making process and procedures.
Ensure proactive engagement of faculty in project planning and development.
Identify and engage employer partners in project planning and development.
Develop and issue RFPs, manage solicitation of bids, and lead procurement of and contracting for project consultants and contractors.
Coordinate with government agencies, including CUNY, DASNY, and NYC DOB, architects, engineers, expeditors, construction managers, contractors, subcontractors, owner’s reps, and others to ensure project objectives are met on time and within budget.
Provide proactive oversight to minimize change orders and ensure that construction is undertaken properly and within agreed-upon budget and timelines.
Establish insurance and indemnification policies and procedures.
Work closely with LaGuardia administrators to minimize disruption to academic and administrative operations of the college.
Oversee project budget, expense management, and financial reporting.
Provide regular progress reports to college leadership and stakeholders, including, as needed, budget updates, construction schedules, and other milestones of project delivery.
Review, verify, and approve contractor progress billings.
Provide cash flow forecasting and processing of payment requests.
Review commissioning, quality assurance, and quality control in collaboration with the college’s Facilities Management team.
Coordinate site tours as needed for project constituents, end users, and others.
Manage project-related documents, including contracts, insurance, budgets, construction documents, change order logs, weekly status reports, project meeting minutes, etc.
Facilitate field visits and construction document reviews in anticipation of substantial completion and start- up operation.
Other Duties
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree in construction management or architecture or engineering preferred.
10+ years relevant work experience in construction/project management.
Experience with construction contract administration.
Experience with Prevailing Wage and/or PLA requirements of public work projects.
Knowledge of relevant construction practices.
Experience in managing projects with multiple stakeholders.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong proficiency in Excel, MSWord, MS Project, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other relevant information platforms and systems.
About LaGuardia Community College
LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York/CUNY. LaGuardia offers more than 60 associate degree and certificate programs. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce.
In 2022, LaGuardia served over 23,000 students in pre-college, associate degree, and continuing education programs. More than one-third of LaGuardia students are foreign-born. They come from 130 countries and speak 54 heritage languages. More than half (54 percent) are first-generation college students. Virtually all students are ethnic minorities (88 percent), 57 percent are women, 29 percent are over the age of 25. Forty- eight percent of LaGuardia students are Hispanic, almost double the threshold of 25 percent required by the US Department of Education for designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Seventy-three percent of LaGuardia students receive some form of government financial aid.
