Sr Manager Construction & Capital Projects

Sierra Space Careers:

At Sierra Space, we build the missions and systems that keep our world secure in the domain above Earth.  

Sierra Space team members share a spirit of innovation and collaboration and a belief that we can deliver on the boldest missions in space today. Together with our customers, we aim to safeguard our nation, sustain human presence in space, and secure the freedom of operations in low Earth orbit and beyond.  

Our success is measured by the trust of those who rely on what we build and deliver, and our technologies keep the United States and its allies mission-ready throughout space.

We are mission-driven, and together, we are an extraordinary team.

About the Role

The Senior Manager, Construction & Capital Projects leads the execution of the capital construction and renovation program, across all sites, and is the go-to leader for the program and its projects. This role reports to the Director of Real Estate & EHS (Facilities) and executes the capital strategy set by senior leadership, leading a small team of project managers. The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on construction project delivery experience with a track record of running multi-site capital programs, significant project budgets, and cross-functional and external partners to balance stakeholder requirements, budgets, schedules, and quality so projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to spec.

The role's primary focus is running major capital projects from kickoff through design, permitting, construction, and closeout, directly managing internal project teams and external architects, engineers, general contractors, and construction managers, and owning scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk at every stage and balancing stakeholder requirements against those constraints. Early in each project, the Senior Manager leads space design requirements gathering with business unit stakeholders, translating headcount, workflow, and functional needs into a design program, then works with architects and designers through space planning and design development, presenting concepts and options to stakeholders and leadership, gathering feedback, and driving alignment and sign-off before construction proceeds. The role applies standardized project delivery methods (design-bid-build, design-build, CM-at-risk), enforces stage-gate approvals and change order controls, leads the capital construction RFP process, contractor prequalification, and GC and trade partner selection, drives pre-decision alignment on each project so stakeholders agree on scope, budget, and schedule before key decisions are made, and drives issue resolution to keep every active project on track. The Senior Manager partners with Procurement on the vendor and contractor program, holds GCs, trade partners, and project managers accountable to SLA, safety, and performance standards, and ensures GCs and trade partners comply with the organization's safety standards and code requirements on active job sites. The Senior Manager owns day-to-day budget control, monitoring spend and commitments against approved forecasts and flagging variances early, and owns leadership reporting communication, delivering regular, clear updates on project status, schedule, budget, risk, and decisions needed, tailored to executive audiences. The Senior Manager also directly manages, mentors, and develops the project managers and staff supporting capital delivery, building bench strength within the team. Throughout, the Senior Manager balances stakeholder requirements, budget constraints, schedule, and quality, makes trade-off decisions transparently, and escalates to leadership when priorities conflict.

About You

Our mission is driven by an unyielding commitment to advancing space-based technology in service of our customers and safeguarding national security. We seek individuals who are passionate about innovating beyond boundaries and relentlessly pursuing solutions that protect, preserve and empower – to join us in this critical mission.  

We’re looking for team members who align with our values, mission and goals – while also meeting the minimum qualifications below. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, or a related field. 

• Extensive years of progressive capital construction project management experience, including a substantial track record running simultaneous projects and project managers within a capital program. 

• Proven experience delivering capital construction and renovation projects end-to-end, including project delivery methods, schedule and budget control, and change order and risk management. 

• Experience leading space design requirements gathering with business stakeholders and partnering with architects and designers through design development, including presenting design concepts and driving stakeholder alignment and sign-off. 

• Experience managing GC and trade contractor performance, including contractor prequalification, RFPs, master agreements, and SLA enforcement on active job sites. 

• Demonstrated ownership of capital project budgets, including tracking spend against forecasts, construction cost management, and financial and schedule reporting to senior leadership. 

• Experience driving pre-decision alignment with stakeholders and leadership on capital projects before key scope, budget, and schedule decisions are made. 

• Experience balancing competing stakeholder requirements against capital budgets, schedules, and quality standards to drive informed trade-off decisions. 

• Experience reporting project status, budget, and risk to senior leadership on a regular cadence, with strong written and verbal communication skills. 

• Experience coordinating cross-functional partners (Legal, Finance, HR, Architecture/Engineering, Procurement) on active capital projects, aligning stakeholder input and approvals to keep projects on schedule. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of construction methods/materials, building systems, and construction project management software platforms. 

• Experience managing multiple simultaneous capital construction/renovation projects and vendor/GC RFP processes. 

• Experience implementing governance frameworks, standards, and SOPs for capital construction execution across a multi-site portfolio. 

• Experience with transaction tracking systems or databases for project critical dates, stages, and portfolio reporting. 

• Professional certification (e.g., PMP, CCM, LEED AP) is a plus. 

Compensation:

Pay Range:

$149,735.00 - $205,886.00

Your actual base compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, experience, internal equity and market competitiveness.

Elevate Your Career

At Sierra Space, we are committed to your personal and professional development. We empower you to make profound and meaningful contributions and foster a vibrant culture of collaboration, where teamwork ignites breakthrough innovations. 

We also offer a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, and more.

Sierra Space is an industry-leading space and defense technology company providing satellites, spacecraft, and enabling mission systems and components. We deliver mission-proven technologies to our customers that safeguard our nation, protect space-based assets and enable space exploration.

Application Deadline: This role will remain posted until a qualified pool of candidates is identified.

Please note: Sierra Space does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to Sierra Space team members not through our approved vendor list or Talent Acquisition will be considered property of Sierra Space, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

Sierra Space Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need special assistance or a reasonable accommodation related to applying for employment with Sierra Space or at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us.