Construction Manager - Data Center Projects

vConstruct is looking for a Construction Manager to expand its service and product offerings to owners or contractors of construction projects in Advance Tech market in India with a specific focus on Data Centre projects.

vConstruct currently has a team of 500+ people providing services for planning, estimation, project management, design and construction integration (design review, coordination and shop drawing workflows) and as well as enterprise functions for construction companies in USA by leveraging technologies such as BIM, Software Development, Data Science and Analytics, AI / ML etc.

With a vision of transforming the construction industry by the use of technology, vConstruct aims at improving efficiency, enable predictable outcomes and making the build process a pleasurable experience for all.

The Construction Manager will take the ownership of leading the project from inception till handover. He / She would lead a team of resources from varied technical backgrounds and also a team of other project stakeholders that would include architects, vendors, and contractors and manage the project throughout the complete lifecycle through seamless delivery of an end to end Project Management scope.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Charter

o Understand the project requirements from the client and develop a detailed Project Charter that would include a broad strategy for delivering the Project Management Scope, identification of key stakeholders who would be required from the project inception till closure, define the procurement plan that is merged with the baseline schedule and spell out critical milestones that would be the guiding factor for successful project completion

o Align all the key stakeholders with the Charter and prepare a draft Project Execution Plan

o Collaborate with clients team and prepare a project matrix clearly defining the process for flow of information and internal approval process

2. Project Planning

o Provide inputs with regards to sequencing of activities in the master schedule to include design reviews, drawing delivery schedule, procurement, equipment delivery and installation, construction sequencing and testing & commissioning plans

o Guide the project Planning Manager / Engineer in finalizing the Master Schedule in the inception stage (after acceptance of Project Charter) and then finalizing the detailed project schedule in the final design concept stage (before commencement of Procurement activities)

3. High level budgeting and costing

o Develop high level budget based on available details and with support from planning, civil and MEP teams during the inception stage and update the costing during different stages of the project ie from concept stage to vendor / supplier finalization.

o Establish unit rates for materials and labor based on current market data and historical benchmarks

o Regularly update cost database to reflect trends and regional price fluctuations

4. Tendering & Bid Support

o Lead the tendering process by developing contractor / subcontractor scopes, bid assumptions, relevant tender clauses and risk allowances

o Analyze tender documents, drawings, and specifications to determine labor, material, and equipment requirements

o Suggest clients on tender clarifications, tender event schedule and evaluate technical submissions by vendors / suppliers in line with clients requirements

o Carry out vendor / supplier evaluation (with support from project teams) with respect to technical details and project delivery

o Take ownership of the Tender Event Schedule right up to the award of contract

5 . Value Engineering & Cost Optimization

o Plan for Value Engineering workshop during the concept design and then before design finalization stage of the project

o Identify opportunities to reduce cost by suggesting alternate materials, or design modifications.

o Guide the planning and design management teams to update on schedule, delivery status and change management

6. Coordination & Collaboration

o Coordinate with team members during all the stages of the project to ensure plans are updated as per project status

o Proactively involve in the Risk Management scope and suggest mitigation measures as and when a risk is identified so as to keep the project timelines and cost intact

o Collaborate with the clients team through regular exchange of information, periodic updates and meetings, keeping them informed about the progress at different stages of the project and raising red flags as and when attention is required that needs early resolution

o Coordinate with design teams to ensure design / drawing delivery is as per agreed schedule and support the team in case their delivery is getting affected due to inputs and approvals from required stakeholders

o Collaborate with construction contractor right from their onboarding stage and through the construction process for a seamless execution as per plan, desired quality standards and within assigned project budget

o Conduct regular reviews with key stakeholders to ensure risks are identified proactively and mitigated, project delivery plans are intact and identification of bottlenecks and early resolution

o Conduct site visits, resolve RFIs, and ensure design intent during construction

o Provide support to the respective teams in Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) if these activities are part of our scope

7. Change Management

o Prepare a detailed change management process that is defined at the beginning of the project, approved by client and accepted by all stakeholders

o Ensure the updates on change management are included as part of periodic report to the client

o Review the changes that arise during different project stages with regards to the impact on cost, quality and timelines and ensure if the impact can be minimized through any value engineering initiative before it is submitted for approval to the client

8. Contract Administration

o Ensure a draft contract is prepared as per project requirement and shared with the clients team for their approval

o Study and prepare a draft response to any queries that arise from contractor / vendor / suppliers with regards to understanding of the contract as well as during their delivery period

o Support the clients team in case of any legal issues or arbitrations raised by contractor / vendor / suppliers during their respective contract periods and help in preparing draft responses in line with related contract clause

9. Project Handover and Closeout

o Coordinate with Design, Contractor and Vendor / Supplier teams with regards to their respective project timelines and ensure timely closure of their scope as per agreed timelines

o Support project teams to develop a detailed Handover Document to include financial closure that is reviewed and checked in line with the project cost to completion (as per updates during the project life-cycle)

10. Continuous Improvement

o Coordinate with all stakeholders to capture lessons learnt and review operational feedback that can be included as a process / project delivery improvement plan for subsequent projects.

Qualifications & Experience

Education : B.E. / B.Tech in Electrical, Master / Advance Tech studies in related areas would be preferred

Experience :

o 15 - 18 years of overall experience in Indian market

o Should have worked with a contracting company in the last 8 – 10 years

o Should have managed contracting scope as a Project Manager for complete lifecycle of at least 2 large sized data center projects

Technical Skills :

o Knowledge about different construction practices (civil scope of work) and MEP equipment with regards to all the technical aspects, procurement (tendering activities) and supply chain (ordering, delivery etc), installation, testing and commissioning

o Extensive knowledge regarding contractors / vendors / suppliers in Indian market

o Knowledge about BIM / willingness to adopt technologies like BIM

Soft Skills :

o Strong Leadership skills and ability to manage large sized teams independently

o Excellent communication (verbal & written) and capability to manage client and vendor interaction

o Strong planning and problem-solving skills

o Willingness to learn technology / tools to enhance service delivery

o Open to relocate to a different city (other than base city) for leading projects