Program Manager - Construction

Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch land and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond As the partner of choice for critical space missions Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24 hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing Headquartered in north Austin Texas Firefly is looking for passionate hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Construction Program &

• Portfolio Execution Own end to end execution of assigned construction and facilities project portfolios across Firefly campuses from project approval and scope development through design procurement construction commissioning turnover and closeout Establish and maintain a consistent construction project delivery methodology including project phases stage gates required deliverables documentation and handoff criteria appropriately scaled to project size and complexity Lead multiple concurrent construction projects balancing resources priorities schedule risk funding and operational requirements across campuses Develop and maintain integrated construction plans that sequence work around active manufacturing production testing and engineering operations to minimize disruption to mission critical activities Partner closely with Facilities Production Test Engineering EHS Security IT Finance and other internal stakeholders to define project requirements manage operational impacts and ensure organizational readiness Serve as the primary owners representative for major construction projects ensuring projects are delivered safely on schedule within budget and in accordance with approved scope and quality requirements Establish project execution strategies appropriate to delivery method including design bid build design build construction manager general contractor and specialty trade execution Estimating Scheduling &
• Cost Control Develop and validate construction estimates from conceptualROM through definitive estimates including quantity takeoffs labor and material assumptions contingency escalation and appropriate allowances Lead development of project budgets schedules cash flow forecasts and execution plans in support of capital approval and annual planning processes Build baseline and maintain integrated project schedules using Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling tools including critical path analysis resource loading milestone tracking and schedule recovery planning Develop and manage project spend plans and cash flow forecasts; track commitments actual expenditures forecast at completion contingency and variance to approved budget Provide estimating schedule risk and constructability input for CapEx approval packages governance reviews and funding decisions Partner with Finance to appropriately classify project scope as capital or expense and ensure compliance with capitalization policies thresholds construction in progress accounting and asset placed in service requirements Administer formal change management processes including evaluation pricing documentation negotiation approval and tracking of change orders and potential changes Identify cost and schedule trends early and develop corrective action plans to protect project commitments Construction Risk Safety &
• Governance Establish and maintain project risk registers covering cost schedule safety technical operational permitting procurement and construction risks Quantify risk exposure and develop mitigation and contingency strategies with clear ownership and trigger conditions Proactively escalate material risks issues and decisions with recommended courses of action and quantified cost schedule safety and operational impacts Ensure projects comply with applicable building codes permitting requirements authority having jurisdiction AHJ approvals life safety requirements environmental requirements and Firefly standards Partner with EHS to ensure contractors implement site specific safety plans and comply with applicable requirements including hot work LOTO confined space excavation and other high risk construction activities Establish and enforce construction quality expectations inspection requirements punch list management commissioning readiness and final turnover criteria Prepare and present project status financial performance schedule performance risk and decision requests to the Director of Facilities and executive leadership Contractor Vendor &
• Contract Management Lead contractor and vendor selection activities including development of scopes of work RFPs bid walks bid leveling technical evaluations and recommendation of award Manage general contractors construction managers design build partners architects engineers and specialty trades to ensure compliance with contracted scope schedule cost safety and quality requirements Administer construction contracts and purchase orders within approved authority and in coordination with Supply Chain Finance and Legal as appropriate Review contractor pay applications validate percent complete confirm installed quantities and manage retention lien releases and supporting documentation Negotiate and manage change orders claims schedule impacts and contractor performance issues Develop and maintain a qualified contractor and specialty trade network to support current and future construction requirements across Firefly campuses Reporting &
• Performance Management Provide recurring construction program reporting to the Director of Facilities and executive leadership covering project cost schedule risk safety quality and operational readiness Maintain consistent project financial reporting including approved budget commitments actuals forecast at completion variance to budget and remaining contingency Track schedule performance against approved baseline schedules and clearly identify schedule variance and critical path impacts Present exceptions trends and recommended actions rather than raw project status clearly communicating what is off plan why it is off plan the business impact and the corrective action required Maintain a centralized portfolio view of active construction projects providing current visibility into scope budget schedule risk and project status Ensure project financial information reconciles with Finances system of record and resolve discrepancies prior to reporting Prepare executive level and governance level reporting packages supporting capital requests funding decisions project reviews and portfolio prioritization Provide immediate notification of material cost schedule safety quality or operational impacts between formal reporting cycles Conduct project closeout reviews and capture lessons learned to continuously improve Fireflys construction delivery processes REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Bachelors degree in Construction Management Engineering Architecture or a related technical discipline Equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience will be considered 10 years of progressive experience managing construction programs capital projects or major facilities projects including demonstrated ownership of projects exceeding 5M Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent construction projects andor a complex capital project portfolio Experience delivering projects within an active manufacturing industrial aerospace semiconductor or similarly complex operational environment required Demonstrated experience serving as an owners representative and managing general contractors construction managers design professionals and specialty contractors Proven expertise in construction estimating including scope development quantity takeoffs bid leveling contingency escalation and cost validation Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling software including schedule baselining critical path analysis resource loading and multi project portfolio management Demonstrated experience managing project budgets spend plans cash flow forecasts commitments actuals and cost to complete analysis Experience with formal construction risk management including risk registers probabilityimpact assessments mitigation planning and contingency management Demonstrated experience managing contracts change orders claims contractor performance and commercial issues Working knowledge of building codes permitting AHJ requirements life safety systems and construction regulatory requirements Experience coordinating MEP systems commissioning construction turnover and operational readiness Demonstrated experience producing project and portfolio reporting for senior and executive leadership including cost schedule risk and variance analysis Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders resolve complex project issues and communicate effectively with executive leadership PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Experience in the space aerospace defense semiconductor advanced manufacturing or other highly regulated industrial environments PMP certification PE license CCM certification or other relevant professional certification Experience delivering high bay manufacturing facilities cleanrooms test facilities test stands hazardous systems propellant facilities or other technically complex infrastructure Experience with pre engineered metal building PEMB delivery and greenfield site development Experience with complex mechanical electrical plumbing MEP controls utilities and industrial systems Experience leading commissioning startup turnover and operational readiness activities Experience managing design build and other alternative project delivery methods Experience managing construction projects across multiple geographic locations Familiarity with CMMS CAFM IWMS project controls or capital project management systems Working knowledge of capital accounting practices including capitalization thresholds construction in progress CIP and asset placed in service timing Experience establishing construction standards processes project controls and governance frameworks within a rapidly scaling organization