Manager, Capital Buildings Project Development

Reporting to the Director, Facilities and Project Development, the Manager, Capital Buildings Project Development (CBPD) is responsible for leading a team of professional staff members in the planning and delivery of award winning buildings and major maintenance or tenant improvements for existing buildings within the City.  The CBPD team works to ensure a high standard of customer service in the delivery of safe, efficient, high performing City buildings, to foster and enrich an inviting, functional environment that welcomes and supports employees and the community. 

 

This position leads project stakeholders (staff, public, associations and others) through the capital planning process, providing guidance and support to planning within the framework of the City’s 5-year capital plan, sustainability policy, space guidelines and the departmental service plan. The Manager utilizes their extensive knowledge of capital project management, planning, design, construction and project administration to deliver on their responsibilities in a manner appropriate for the project conditions. The ideal candidate is a team player and culture builder who ensures a consistent focus on clients and end users. This individual will inspire a high commitment culture in the team and inspire confidence at the senior management and stakeholder tables.
 

Key responsibilities:

  • Manage, lead and develop a diverse project management and planning team supporting the City’s vision to be the most appealing, livable and well managed community in Canada.
  • Maintain up-to-date best practices of relevant legislation, regulations, bylaws, policies, guidelines to ensure procurement and contracting procedures and documents align with industry and city standard practices and procedures.
  • Ensure implementation of standard project management work flow procedures, forms and templates for managing major maintenance and new-build construction projects including the development of project scopes, schedules and budgets, from feasibility/concept level studies to project close out. Manage consultant, contractor and stakeholder teams to ensure delivery of full scope of services, and evaluate performance.
  • Ensure and set expectations for implementation of short, medium and long term capital planning and development of funding requests.  Oversee development of the annual work plan and tracking of project milestones, financial performance and day-to-day budget account status.
  • Oversee space planning and management of inventory.
  • Liaise with other city departments for managing developer driven amenity contributions to the City. Ensuring the City receives facilities that meet City of Richmond standards and guidelines.
  • Liaise with the Purchasing Department as may be required for consultant and contractor procurement during the development of procurement strategy, contract documents, tender phase, award recommendation, and administer the project during the construction phase.
  • Provide direction, decision-making, feedback, while reviewing and removing obstacles encountered with projects and tasks.
  • Develop and manage operating and capital budgets, including review and approval of expenditures and payment for services.
  • Liaise with all City departments, primarily Finance, Purchasing, Law, Community Services, Facility Services, internal client user groups, external/internal regulatory agencies, and industry related consultants / organizations.
  • Recruit and mentor personnel and resolve staff issues and concerns.
  • Develop and implement departmental policies, project standards, procedures and processes for work performed in the City. 
  • Take initiative to explore new industry related techniques/strategies/tools.
  • Negotiate and administer contracts and resolve conflicts and complex problems related to completion of construction to resolve contractual disputes.
  • Support Council and Administration for all civic building responsibilities, including creating and delivering reports and presentations, as well as acting as a liaison with internal and external agencies, including provincial, federal, and municipal inspectors, various committees, community associations, Richmond Fire Rescue, RCMP, Councillors, the Mayor, and City administrators.
  • Responsibilities include the understanding and use of the City’s standard form of consulting and construction contracts, Construction Manager Master Agreement, supplementary conditions, RFP, EOI, RFQ templates, and related template forms and letters.
  • Implement Council policies that impact the built environment and civic properties, such as the City’s High Performance Building Policy, by ensuring high performance and green building standards are incorporated into project documents, processes and procedures for implementation of capital projects, facility renewals and improvements.
  • Guide the capital planning process, and lead project-specific planning committees in the development of site design, environmental matters, building design, and consultant and client requirements.
  • Oversee the development of detailed Program of Requirements for building projects based on accepted City standards and departmental needs, and in collaboration with internal and external user groups to ensure the programs reflect needs and priorities.

 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Extensive knowledge of capital project management for construction projects of varying type, size and complexity.
  • Ability to demonstrate excellent communication skills in both oral and written forms, including preparing and delivering effective presentations. Ability to provide effective briefings, seminars, presentations, to Council and both small and large audiences.
  • Strong leadership ability with the skill to manage and motivate a diverse workforce in a unionized environment.
  • Positive attitude and ability to interact positively with stakeholders while excelling in customer service.
  • Familiarity with the legislative, legal, strategic and technical framework associated with civil and facilities engineering and construction services.
  • Ability to satisfy a wide array of customer, environmental, code, and technical requirements and issues, including the ability to develop and implement creative solutions.
  • Knowledge and expertise in the operations, construction and maintenance of buildings, and specifically, buildings within a municipal operations environment.
  • Ability to write and present clear, orderly and informative reports to senior management and Council.
  • Ability to lead public sector procurement processes adhering to bylaws, policy and provincial standards, with understanding of private sector project delivery processes.
  • Ability to analyze and interpret financial statements and statistical data.
  • Ability to establish/maintain working relationships, as well as work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, with demonstrated interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy in situations of conflict and disagreement.
  • Ability to effectively respond to complex customer complaints and problems, including addressing jurisdictional and politically-driven issues.
  • Ability to manage a diverse workload while working under the pressure of deadlines.
  • Demonstrated ability and knowledge of project management, contracts and negotiations, from needs analysis and development of scope and schedule to project completion on time and within budget.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of contract law and other regulatory and contract management risks and issues.
  • Knowledge of high performance building systems and design, LEED-Gold requirements and processes, and other sustainable and green building practices.
  • Demonstrated ability to practice good risk management, conflict resolution and facilitation skills.
  • Skill in the use of MS Office Software including Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Outlook.
  • Ability to successfully pass a Police Information Check.

 

Qualifications and Experience:

A University Degree in Architecture or Engineering or directly related Diploma, supported by registration in the relevant professional association in British Columbia, supplemented by a minimum of 10 years experience. The experience should include a combination of large building design and construction, project management, project administration and contracts.    An equivalent combination of education, training and experience could also be considered.  Preference may be given to applicants with experience gained in large, complex and/or unionized environments.

 

Valid British Columbia Class 5 Driver’s License with a clean driver’s abstract.

 

LICENCES & REGISTRATIONS

Member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (MAIBC) is an asset

Registration with the Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia (APEGBC) is an asset.

 

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS

Project Management Professional (PMP) credential recommended.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification is an asset.

Training and certification from an accredited leadership program is an asset.

 

WORKING CONDITIONS AND EFFORT

Duties are mostly performed in an office environment and requires flexibility to work weekends or after hours in accordance with project schedules.  Some field work including construction site visits and inspections where there may be exposure to height conditions, noise, untidy and potentially hazardous site conditions during construction and/or including exposure to weather conditions.