Capital Projects Project Manager

About the Central Park Conservancy

Central Park is one of the world's most famous and beloved urban public spaces. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1857, the 843-acre Park was the country's first purpose-built public park and is a National Historic Landmark. The Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1980 to rescue the Park, which had fallen into serious disrepair. Since then, the Conservancy has overseen the investment of approximately $1 billion in the restoration of the Park, and now hosts over 40 million visitors a year.

The Conservancy's mission is to preserve and celebrate Central Park as a sanctuary from urban life. The City of New York has formally entrusted the care of the Park to the Conservancy, which is responsible for every aspect of its care, including landscape maintenance, capital improvements, and the visitor experience. Committed to sharing the best practices in urban park management, the Conservancy also serves as a resource for other NYC parks and public-private partnerships worldwide. The Conservancy employs roughly 400 people and has an operating budget of $100 million.

Position Summary

The Central Park Conservancy’s Capital Project’s department is seeking an experienced Project Manager to join our interdisciplinary team. The position is primarily responsible for tracking overall budgets, costs, and schedules for all active Capital Projects; administering high-level initiatives within the Capital Projects team; and assisting the Vice President in day-to-day activities of the department. This position will also collaborate across many departments within the organization on capital project issues.

The Capital Projects department is responsible for and supports the Conservancy’s 43-year effort of restoration and stewardship of New York’s Central Park, with a focus on planning, designing, and constructing projects of varying complexity, program and scale. Ongoing work by the 25-staff department of landscape architects, architects, planners and construction managers includes the redesign and reconstruction of playground and recreation facilities, infrastructure modernization, historic and ecological landscape and water body restorations, and a wide range of architectural rehabilitation projects.

Capital projects funding primarily comes from private philanthropic dollars and a capital contract agreement with the NYC Parks Department. The capital contract is managed in close collaboration with our city agency partners.

Position Responsibilities

• Work with Design and Construction staff to ensure projects stay on schedule and within budget.
• Establish and manage total project cost sheets for all active Capital Projects. Coordinate with Design and Construction to ensure additional service requests, change orders and exposures are tracked in a timely manner.
• Prepare high-level budget and project information for the executive team and board committee meetings, as needed.
• Create project dashboards to track project schedules and budgets.
• Assist the Vice President in managing the public review process. Establish annual public review schedule for capital program based on the project portfolio.
• Prepare project summaries and presentations for community boards, regulatory agencies, and community groups.
• Prepare responses, as needed, to community boards and regulatory agencies throughout the public review process.
• Manage the donor plaque and donor bench programs for the Capital Projects team.
• Coordinate with Philanthropy, the Women’s Committee and Communications teams to ensure donor plaques and donor benches are incorporated into Capital Projects as needed. Communicate project details and schedules to manage expectations.
• Communicate with other Conservancy departments including Philanthropy, Communications, Finance and Operations on capital project issues.
• Work independently and with limited direction in managing assigned projects.
• 5+ years’ experience in managing design and construction projects.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field.
• Familiarity with project budgets. Excellent Excel skills preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of New York City’s public review process.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Ability to manage and collaborate with project team members to advance projects.
• Excellent written, verbal, and communication skills.
• Valid New York State driver's license.

Position Qualifications:

Salary range: $89K to $112K (based on level of experience)

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION:

The Central Park Conservancy’s work is guided by the belief that Central Park, and all public parks, must be managed and actively protected as an inclusive and democratic space for all.

Working closely with our New York City partners, we will always strive towards creating and sustaining a sense of belonging for all visitors and advocating for equitable and accessible public use of the Park.

In service of this belief, we are committed to fostering a workforce and organizational culture that is as diverse as Central Park itself and the dynamic city it serves.

Safety Requirements:

Establishment and maintenance of a safe work environment is the shared responsibility of this organization and employees at every level. The Conservancy will make every effort to assure a safe environment and follow federal, state, and local safety regulations. Employees are expected to obey safety rules and to exercise caution in all their work activities. Accordingly, employees should be aware of any hazards which could cause an injury or accident (e.g., spills, obstacles in walkways, etc.). If an employee discovers a potentially dangerous condition, he/she/they should alert other employees and notify his/her/their supervisor immediately.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.