Job Description: Project Engineer

Position Overview: The Project Engineer is tasked with securing proposals for the construction of residential developments, crafting precise scopes of work for each construction trade, negotiating contract terms and pricing, implementing value engineering, and developing project budgets. This role also includes supporting the development team with entitlement and permitting processes.

Key Qualifications: The ideal candidate will possess strong interpersonal, writing, and communication skills, along with a robust technical and engineering background. Hands-on experience and proficiency with Architectural, Structural, Civil, and MEP plans, as well as Public Utilities, Fire Systems, and Geotechnical reports, are essential. Familiarity with permit acquisition, consultant interaction, and coordination with various city departments is required.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Source and qualify new vendors and subcontractors for inclusion in the company’s Qualified Vendors list.
• Coordinate with subcontractors, vendors, and internal personnel to schedule site inspections pre- and post-development in preparation for proposal requests.
• Prepare sites for pre-construction by coordinating trades and securing permits for all temporary utilities.
• Conduct detailed take-offs from the Permit Submittal Set for accurate bidding during the Plan Development Budget Phase.
• Develop comprehensive scopes of work for each construction trade.
• Create detailed construction budgets for each project, leveraging extensive knowledge of construction divisions.
• Oversee the Request for Proposal (RFP) process in collaboration with Project Managers, ensuring thorough review, coordination, and negotiation of bids for budgeting purposes.
• Ensure complete bids are received during the RFP process to minimize change orders post-contract issuance.
• Prepare necessary documentation for the Purchasing Department.
• Assist with document control and permit processing with various city and jurisdictional offices (LADBS, Bureau of Engineering, Urban Forestry, etc.).
• Support the Construction Project Manager in procuring additional bids during construction.
• Manage and update cloud-based services (BuilderTrend/OneDrive) to provide contractors with accurate plans.
• Experience with high-end hillside residential projects, capable of verifying scope with all vendors.
• At the plan development stage, prepare contractor bid packages and procure estimates.
• Compute cost factors for management purposes, including planning, organizing, scheduling work, vendor selection, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
• Collaborate with Construction Project Managers to assess and detail field changes affecting project budgets.
• Prepare preliminary funding budgets for approval and manage changes until the final budget is approved by management.
• Negotiate contractor pricing and issue contracts.
• Analyze completed projects to compare estimated costs with actual costs, identifying discrepancies and recommending improvements to cost estimating procedures.

Educational and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university is required, with a focus on Architectural or Structural Engineering.
• Extensive, documented experience in real estate development is required.

Skills:

• Minimum of 4 years of verifiable experience in the field.
• Proficient understanding of Architectural, Structural, Civil, and MEP drawings, and of Public Utilities, Fire Systems, and Geotechnical reports.
• Ability to produce accurate cost analyses using various software tools.
• Skilled in auditing plans and proposals to ensure accurate pricing and details.
• Highly motivated with excellent communication and writing skills.
• Proficiency in collaborating with executives, staff, consultants, and vendors.
• Knowledge of all residential construction trade requirements and pricing.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office/Teams applications, Bluebeam Revu, Acrobat, AutoCAD, 3D Modeling/BIM preferred; experience with Plan Swift, Builder Trend, and Sage Contractor is a plus (training provided if necessary).
• Highly organized with the ability to work accurately and independently.
• Self-starter with the ability to multitask and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

This is a salaried position requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week, with the actual number of hours determined by workload. The role includes on-site job setup responsibilities.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Competencies:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Initiative - Volunteers readily; Undertakes self-development activities; Seeks increased responsibilities; Takes independent actions and calculated risks; Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; Asks for and offers help when needed.
• Cost Consciousness - Works within approved budget; Develops and implements cost saving measures; Contributes to profits and revenue; Conserves organizational resources.
• Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.