Job Description

Statement of Duties:

Responsible for project management for a wide array of capital building projects in the City. Includes management of all aspects of projects including stakeholder interface, funding, project approvals, programming, design, cost estimates, schedule, bidding and construction. Articulates the technical aspects of a project to non-technical stakeholders. Prepares progress reports on a recurring basis and provides periodic project updates to various committees. Coordinates extensively with other Departments with interests or funding in the project. Key staff member who interfaces with both in-house personnel and outside consultants.

Supervision

Employee works under the general supervision of the Public Buildings Commissioner or their designee.

Employee works independently to manage projects and coordinate interaction with other City department personnel to move projects through appropriate reviews, approvals and project implementation.

Job Environment

The work requires review and verification of scope, budget and schedule for each project initiated from the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Work involves cost estimating, writing and reviewing specifications, funding identification and approvals and managing engineering and architectural design and construction activities while meeting project schedules.

Project guidelines include a large body of policies, practices, Ordinances, and precedents, which may be complex and conflicting at times. Multiple funding sources on one project ensure a complexity of interest groups and stakeholders. Employee is expected to weigh efficiency and relative priorities in conjunction with program objectives in decision-making. Employee is responsible for evaluating compliance with established standards or criteria and determining the methods to accomplish the project.

The position requires routine meetings and presentations with elected officials, night meetings, and hearings with official City organizations, committees and task forces, as well as community meetings at off site locations. Considerable time spent inspecting project work in the field while at the same time requiring office work in the completion of reports, preparation of presentations, and maintaining financial accounting documents.

Position Functions

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as an illustration of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

Essential Functions

• Develops and manages all projects from the programming stage through design, cost estimating, scheduling, bidding and construction.
• Responsible for coordination of project funding and funding approvals.
• Provides engineering/architectural advice on the feasibility and cost of projects.
• Maintains a project database of all capital projects that ties into the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Maintains and coordinates project updates. Updates project status on the City’s web site. Updates database as projects are completed and as new capital needs are identified.
• Prepares and negotiates consultant contracts for engineering and architectural design services. Prepares requests for qualifications and proposals for design services as required. Reviews qualifications and proposals and works with the City’s Designer Selection Committee to recommend selection and award of consultant contracts.
• Oversees design projects performed by design consultants and works with the City’s Design Review Committee to review projects. Monitors the consultant’s contract. Reviews payment requests. Monitors consultant’s progress through contract closeout.
• Prepares presentations for various committees to include the CPA Committee, Public Facilities Committee, Finance, Committee and Conservation Commission. Most meetings are held in the evening after normal work hours.
• Oversees and provides construction cost estimating, and construction scheduling, during the preparation of construction bid documents. Prepares construction schedules using computer software such as Microsoft Project, Primavera, and CPM scheduling programs.
• Works with the Purchasing Department to oversee the procurement of construction contractors during the bidding and award phase of the project. Reviews contractor bids for completeness and reasonableness.
• Provides comprehensive construction management and oversight services including overseeing on-site resident representatives and construction inspectors during the construction phase of the project. Interfaces with the designers and construction inspectors for all project related questions.
• Understands and interprets all State and City building codes and any other applicable statutes, Ordinances, rules, and regulations necessary to oversee the construction projects.
• Monitors daily the contractor’s adherence to approved plans and specifications. Maintains oversight of the on-site representatives and construction inspectors of the City as required. Records the progress of the construction project, reviews and recommends approval of payment requisitions, and prepares written reports of the progress of construction.
• Assures compliance with City issued permits, rules, regulations and procedures, and orders of conditions issued by the Newton Conservation Commission.
• Oversees construction project completion, closeout, cleanup, as-built drawings.
• Interfaces, communicates, and presents to the public routinely under variable situations.
• Keeps current with rules and regulations pertinent to the execution of this job and maintains required contacts to keep abreast of developments and trends in this field.
• Follows and adheres to department and other government rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Maintains established quality control and quantity standards; ensures work area(s) and equipment are maintained in a clean, orderly and safe condition, that prescribed safety measures are followed, that established City and department policies, procedures, regulations are adhered.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Ten to fifteen (10-15) years of capital project management experience, construction management and oversight; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Previous Superintendents and/or Clerk of the Works individuals would be ideal for this position. Employee must have a valid Massachusetts Class D driver’s license.

Physical and Mental Requirements

Employee works in a moderately loud office and is required to talk, listen/hear more than 2/3rd of the time; stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl up to 2/3rd of the time; stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb and/or balance up to 1/3rd of the time. Employee is required to work outside on construction sites, and occasionally lifts up to 20 lbs. Normal vision is required.

Equipment operated includes a personal computer and technical software, such as Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Project Schedule.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Required skill in:

• Principles and practice of Engineering and/or Architecture
• Engineering/Architectural program management
• Construction program management
• Site design and analysis
• Construction cost estimating and scheduling
• Construction techniques
• Advanced mathematical concepts; statistics, probability, geometry, trigonometry
• Effective written, oral communication skills with ability to present ideas to a group
• Strong analytical, problem solving and trouble shooting skills

And ability to:

• Read, understand, interpret engineering/architectural plans, regulations, codes, and other pertinent information, and relate expertise to others
• Prepare detailed reports and correspondence
• Ability to estimate construction costs
• Ability to schedule construction efforts
• Interpret applicable federal and state regulations and maintain compliance
• Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations within the limits of standard or accepted practice
• Present and explain complex or controversial information effectively
• Deal with difficult members of the public in a tactful manner

Company Description

THE CITY:

The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus. The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.

OUR GOVERNMENT:

Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.

AS AN EMPLOYER:

The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset. To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits. We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities. We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings. We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees. And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.

Human Resources Diversity Statement

We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:

• Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
• Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
• Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
• Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
• Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
• Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 457 Deferred Compensation plans
• Metro Credit Union
• Verizon Wireless discount
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous paid leave time benefits and paid holidays.
• City Retirement (Mandatory)
• Direct Deposit
• Opportunity to serve the public and join a dynamic team of dedicated employees