Program Manager, Pre-Construction EPC Projects (Power Delivery)

Description

Since 1913, Hooper has grown into a well-respected electric power and mechanical contractor, headquartered in Wisconsin with offices in Colorado, Florida, and Ohio. Serving commercial and residential clients, Hooper delivers expert services built on safety, outstanding craftsmanship, respectful collaboration, and community engagement. We foster a culture of collaboration, integrity, and growth. Joining Hooper means joining a century-strong legacy of excellence and people-first values. Hooper also provides competitive compensation and many supportive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Matching 401(k) plan, Profit Sharing, Paid Time Off (PTO), 9 paid holidays, Identity Theft Protection, Life Insurance, as well as Short-Term and Long-Term Disability coverage.

The Program Manager, Pre-Construction EPC Projects is responsible for leading and coordinating the pre-construction activities of multiple Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects within the electric power industry. This role provides program-level oversight across a portfolio of electrical substation and transmission line projects, ensuring successful planning, engineering coordination, permitting, commercial alignment, risk management, and project readiness prior to construction execution.

The Program Manager serves as the primary point of coordination between engineering, estimating, procurement, environmental, permitting, construction, client representatives, utilities, and external stakeholders to ensure projects advance efficiently through development and into construction. This position is responsible for maintaining schedule, budget, scope, and risk visibility across the program portfolio while supporting strategic business objectives and client expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Portfolio Management

• Manage the pre-construction phase of multiple concurrent EPC projects, primarily consisting of electrical substations and associated transmission line projects.
• Establish and maintain program-level schedules, milestones, and deliverables across assigned projects.
• Monitor project progress and provide leadership with portfolio status updates, metrics, forecasts, and risk assessments.
• Ensure consistency in project planning, execution methodologies, documentation, and governance processes.
• Facilitate stage-gate reviews and ensure projects meet readiness requirements before transitioning into construction.

Engineering & Design Coordination

• Coordinate with engineering teams to support timely development of conceptual, preliminary, and detailed designs.
• Review engineering deliverables for alignment with project scope, budget, constructability, and schedule objectives.
• Identify design risks, scope gaps, and potential impacts to project execution.
• Support value engineering initiatives and constructability reviews.

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a key interface between clients, utilities, engineering teams, construction management, procurement, and regulatory agencies.
• Lead project meetings and ensure alignment among internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain strong client relationships throughout project development.
• Communicate project objectives, challenges, and recommendations clearly to executive leadership and project stakeholders.

Permitting, Environmental & Regulatory Coordination

• Coordinate activities associated with permitting, environmental compliance, land acquisition, easements, and regulatory approvals.
• Monitor permit application status and proactively address potential schedule impacts.
• Ensure project development activities comply with applicable utility, environmental, local, state, and federal requirements.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Collaborate with estimating and commercial teams during project development and proposal execution.
• Support the development and maintenance of project budgets, cash flow projections, and forecasts.
• Monitor pre-construction expenditures and identify opportunities to improve project financial performance.
• Assist with contract reviews, scope definition, and change management activities.

Procurement & Supply Chain Coordination

• Coordinate with procurement and supply chain teams to identify long-lead equipment requirements.
• Support procurement strategies for major electrical equipment.
• Monitor equipment lead times and assess schedule risks associated with material availability.

Risk Management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks throughout the pre-construction lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain project risk registers and mitigation plans.
• Lead cross-functional risk review sessions and escalate critical issues as needed.
• Ensure lessons learned and best practices are incorporated across the project portfolio.

Construction Readiness

• Coordinate turnover of projects from pre-construction to construction execution teams.
• Ensure all design, permitting, procurement, schedule, and budget requirements are sufficiently developed prior to construction.
• Support development of project execution plans and construction strategies.
• Participate in project kickoff and transition meetings.

Requirements

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Business, or a related field.
• Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, CCM, or equivalent certification preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of experience in electric utility, power delivery, EPC, engineering, or construction environments.
• 5+ years of experience managing complex infrastructure projects.
• Direct experience with electrical substation projects (15kV through 345kV preferred).
• Experience supporting transmission line, utility, renewable interconnection, or grid modernization projects preferred.
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of EPC project delivery processes.
• Knowledge of electrical substation and transmission line design and construction practices.
• Familiarity with utility standards, interconnection requirements, and industry regulations.
• Experience with project scheduling tools such as Primavera P6
• Strong financial, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting capabilities.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to identify and manage project risk proactively.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to detail.

Hooper is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Hooper considers candidates regardless of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.