Project Manager

Project Manager, Geotechnical Construction

Location: San Diego, CA

Compensation: $110,000 to $140,000 base, commensurate with experience, plus performance bonus

About the Firm

An employee owned specialty geotechnical construction contractor with 40+ years of West Coast leadership in deep foundations, earth retention, and ground improvement. The firm self performs a broad scope of work including drilled shafts, secant and tangent pile walls, soldier pile and tieback shoring, soil nail walls, micropiles, jet grouting, and ground anchors. Projects span transportation, marine and waterfront, water and wastewater, energy, public works, and complex urban building sites across California and the broader Western US.

The San Diego operation supports a strong and diverse SoCal pipeline, from Caltrans and port work to urban shoring and private development. Employee ownership means every PM has real long term skin in the game.

About the Role

This is a true owner-operator PM seat on the contractor side of the geotechnical world. You will run projects from preconstruction through closeout, owning estimating support, means and methods, subcontracts, scheduling, field execution, safety, and client and owner relationships. You will work side by side with superintendents, field crews, and ownership, with the autonomy to drive scope, schedule, budget, and quality on your portfolio.

This role is built for someone who wants to be in the dirt, not behind a desk: a strong technical foundation, a contractor's instinct for execution, and the leadership to bring projects in safely, on time, and on budget.

What You Will Do

• Lead project delivery for deep foundation, shoring, earth retention, and ground improvement projects across the SoCal market.
• Own project financials including budgets, forecasts, change management, billings, and monthly cost reporting.
• Partner with estimating on preconstruction, takeoffs, means and methods, and bid strategy for negotiated and hard bid pursuits.
• Develop and manage project schedules; coordinate equipment, materials, subcontractors, and self perform crews.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for owners, GCs, designers of record, and agency partners.
• Drive site safety culture in partnership with field leadership and EHS; ensure full compliance with company and Cal/OSHA standards.
• Review submittals, RFIs, shop drawings, and design build deliverables; coordinate with in house engineering on means and methods design.
• Mentor project engineers and field engineers and contribute to the continued growth of the San Diego team.

Project Types

Drilled shafts and CIDH piles, secant and tangent pile walls, soldier pile and lagging with tiebacks, soil nail walls, micropiles, ground anchors, jet grouting, and related specialty ground improvement work across transportation, marine, water/wastewater, energy, and urban building markets.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of project management experience in geotechnical construction, heavy civil, or specialty foundations; contractor side experience strongly preferred.
• Direct experience with drilled shafts, shoring systems, tiebacks, micropiles, and/or ground improvement.
• Strong financial acumen: estimating support, cost control, forecasting, and change order management.
• Working knowledge of Caltrans, Port, and municipal specifications and submittal processes in California.
• Proven ability to lead field teams, manage subcontractors, and build trust with owners, GCs, and designers.
• California PE is a plus but not required; OSHA 30 preferred.
• Existing SoCal owner, GC, or agency relationships are a meaningful plus.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Employee ownership: long term upside through the ESOP, not just a paycheck.
• Specialty contractor platform: self perform scope, in house engineering, and an owned fleet of heavy equipment, so you actually control execution.
• Project diversity: transportation, marine, water, energy, and urban building work across one of the most active geotech markets in the country.
• Flat, principal led culture with direct access to ownership and clear runway to senior PM, ops, and area leadership.
• Strong, stable backlog and a reputation for tackling the technically hard jobs other contractors pass on.

Benefits

Competitive base salary, performance bonus, ESOP participation, 401(k), comprehensive medical, dental, and vision, vehicle or vehicle allowance, paid time off, and ongoing investment in professional development and licensure.