Vance Brown Builders - Project Manager

Date Posted	9/3/2026
Job Title	Project Manager
Location	Palo Alto, Ca
Contact	Matt Gallagher or Sonia Clark
E-MAIL	matt.gallagher@vanebrown.com or sonia.c@vancebrown.com
Salary	$150,000-$200,000
Website	vancebrown.com

Job Description:

Vance Brown Builders is seeking a detail-oriented, strategic, and leadership-driven Project Manager to manage the design, entitlement, and construction process for our high-profile Bay Area projects. The Project Manager assumes full accountability for project success, ensuring work is delivered on schedule, within or under budget, to the highest quality standards, and in alignment with company profit goals—all while fostering lasting relationships with clients, design teams, and subcontractors.

In this role, you will also serve as a key mentor to project staff, directly managing, teaching, and supporting Project Engineers and overseeing Project Superintendents. Join a Bay Area legacy: Vance Brown is a family-owned general contractor with over 94 years of excellence. Our culture speaks for itself, with nearly 50% of our staff remaining with us for over 10 years. We are committed to investing in your executive development as you lead our project teams to continued success.

Authority & Core Accountability

Executive Representation: Serve as Vance Brown’s primary point of contact with clients, architects, and project stakeholders from inception through closeout.
Financial Oversight: Accountable for maintaining project profit objectives, finalizing completion dates and budgets with clients, and approving material purchases within job estimates.
Operational Command: Direct Project Superintendents and project teams (with oversight from Senior PMs/Project Executives), with authority limited only by specific direction from the COO.
Team Leadership: Manage, develop, and evaluate assigned Project Engineers, providing regular feedback and training in cost management, estimating, scheduling, codes, and leadership.

Key Responsibilities & Scope

Project Planning, Estimating & Pre-Construction

Read and enforce Owner/Contractor contract terms across all internal teams and subcontractors.
Prepare total project estimates, quantity takeoffs, labor breakdowns, pricing sheets, and cover sheets for Executive review.
Coordinate bid days with Precon, build subcontractor bid lists, evaluate sub-bids, and address scope questions.
Participate in design development and value engineering to optimize construction methods, save time, and reduce costs.

Contracting & Procurement

Negotiate and execute subcontracts and purchase orders, ensuring basic VBI risk mitigation principles are applied.
Procure all necessary permits, inspection cards, job-copy plans, temporary site utilities, power, water, security fencing, and facilities.
Assemble Superintendent Job Buyout Folders (subcontracts, POs, schedules, labor breakdowns, and CAL-OSHA safety postings).

Financial & Scope Management

Identify contract scope changes, price variations accurately, obtain written client approval, and issue change orders.
Establish billing formats, determine monthly percentage-complete progress billings, and review final statements of cost.
Review and approve timecards (via CMiC with phase codes), material invoices, equipment rentals, and sub-tier payment applications.
Deliver regular cost comparisons (estimate vs. actual) and financial impact reports to the Project Executive.

Field Operations, Safety & Quality Control

Review estimates, schedules, and labor breakdowns with the Superintendent within two weeks of contract award.
Conduct regular site visits and face-to-face progress reviews with Superintendents to monitor progress, labor, methods, and quality.
Enforce safety protocols on site in partnership with the Superintendent.
Engage independent testing laboratories and oversee Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) standards.

Project Closeout

Direct final inspections, janitorial cleanups, punch list completions, utility transfers, and removal of temporary facilities.
Assemble as-built drawings, warranties, and O&M manuals.
Secure Notices of Completion and Certificates of Occupancy, review final costs, complete VBI’s closeout checklist, and conduct final client walk-throughs.

Performance Standards & Qualifications

Leadership & Team Building: Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across clients, trade partners, and field crews, maintaining calm and effective direction during high-pressure situations.
Technical & Code Expertise: Advanced knowledge of construction techniques, building codes, technical submittals, testing, and commissioning processes.
Contractual & Financial Acumen: Understanding of basic contract law, risk management, trade scopes, and budget management to achieve company profit targets.
Communication & Executive Reporting: Exceptional oral and written communication skills; ability to provide clear updates to executive leadership regarding potential cost variances or delays.
Exemplary Organization: Maintain project files, logs, and plans with meticulous organization such that senior management could seamlessly assume control at any point.
Continuous Improvement: Participate in VB internal feedback process, conduct annual staff reviews, recommend wage adjustments to the COO, and maintain status checklists for senior executive review.