HVAC Program Manager
Capital PWL - HVAC Facility Management Program
Location: The Woodlands, TX (Regular Travel Required)
Employment Type: Full-Time | Salaried
Travel: Approximately 50-75%, based on project needs
About Capital PWL
Capital PWL provides nationwide HVAC procurement, warehousing, logistics, and program management services for commercial and industrial clients. Our HVAC Facility Management Program supports the complete equipment lifecycle - from field assessment and replacement planning through budgeting, procurement, storage, quality control, and delivery to the project site.
We are seeking a highly experienced HVAC Program Manager to lead and grow this program while remaining directly involved in the technical and operational work that drives successful execution.
Position Summary
This is a senior, hands-on leadership position for someone who can take ownership of a large portfolio of HVAC program and projects work spanning industrial and commercial sites. You must manage and build client and manufacturer relationships, direct an extensive HVAC program, and continue maturing the systems needed for consistent delivery. The Program Manager is accountable for priorities, schedules, budgets, procurement strategy, quality, risk, and communication across the full program.
This is also a player-coach role. The successful candidate will not manage only from a desk. They will participate in important field assessments, review equipment selections and submittals, engage manufacturers and all stakeholders, walk the warehouse, own the quality program, inspect critical receipts, and help solve technical or logistical problems when the details matter.
The right person can lead a customer meeting, make a sound commercial decision, review a mechanical schedule, challenge an equipment discrepancy, and then work with the team to carry the solution through procurement, storage, and delivery. Routine HVAC service and repair are not the focus, but strong field credibility and practical knowledge of how equipment is installed, operated, and replaced are essential.
This role is well suited for an experienced leader from a mechanical contractor, facilities management, HVAC manufacturer, or similar environment who wants broad program ownership without giving up meaningful technical participation.
What Success Looks Like
- One accountable leader: Clients and internal teams know who owns the program, the decisions, and the follow-through.
- Reliable execution: Projects move from assessment through procurement and delivery with clear priorities, accurate information, and early issue resolution.
- Commercial discipline: Budgets, commitments, lead times, and change impacts are actively managed.
- Scalable systems: The program can grow without losing control of documentation, inventory, quality, or client expectations.
Primary Responsibilities
- Own program performance: Lead Capital PWL's HVAC Facility Management Program across multiple concurrent client and program teams, projects, and locations across the US and Canada.
- Set the operating plan: Establish priorities, schedules, staffing plans, milestones, budgets, reporting cadence, and escalation paths.
- Lead and coordinate the full team: Lead field assessments and coach procurement and warehouse personnel. Align with engineering partners, contractors, manufacturers, and transportation providers.
- Manage risk and change: Identify technical, commercial, schedule, and logistics risks early; develop recovery plans; and drive issues to closure.
- Develop repeatable processes: Develop practical standards for documentation, approvals, procurement, receiving, storage, quality control, delivery readiness, and project closeout.
Technical Oversight and Hands-On Participation
- Lead field teams: Participate in site surveys, equipment evaluations, project planning, constructability reviews, manufacturer meetings, and client discussions.
- Provide senior HVAC judgment: Review field data, mechanical drawings, equipment schedules, specifications, submittals, product data, and replacement recommendations.
- Validate equipment decisions: Confirm capacities, dimensions, electrical characteristics, controls, accessories, options, and other requirements before purchase and at key quality-control points.
- Resolve discrepancies: Work directly with engineers, manufacturers, contractors, facility personnel, and internal teams to solve field, submittal, procurement, receiving, or delivery conflicts.
- Stay connected to execution: Walk active warehouse and project operations, review critical incoming equipment, investigate damage or exceptions, and verify readiness before release to site.
Team Leadership, Quality, and Safety
- Lead through clear accountability
- Protect quality and documentation
- Maintain safe execution
Skills and Qualifications
Required:
- Minimum 10 years of commercial or industrial HVAC, mechanical construction, equipment, or related facilities experience.
- Demonstrated success leading multiple projects, an operating function, or a client-facing programs with significant coordination responsibility.
- Strong technical knowledge of commercial and industrial HVAC equipment and practical understanding of replacement and installation requirements.
- Experience reading mechanical drawings, equipment schedules, specifications, and HVAC submittals.
- Experience with procurement, vendor management, project budgets, schedules, and issue resolution.
- Experience working at industrial or controlled-access client sites.
- Ability to communicate credibly with client leaders, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, warehouse personnel, and field technicians.
- Strong judgment, organization, follow-through, and written communication skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and digital document-management tools.
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel approximately 50-75%, depending on project needs.
Preferred:
- 15+ years of relevant HVAC industry experience and prior program, operations, project, or branch leadership.
- Background with a mechanical contractor, HVAC manufacturer, commercial equipment distributor, or large industrial/commercial facilities organization.
- Experience with equipment procurement, receiving, warehousing, inventory control, preservation, shipping, and logistics.
Travel, Field, and Physical Requirements
This position requires regular travel to customer facilities, manufacturers, suppliers, warehouses, and project sites throughout the United States and Canada. The Program Manager must be willing to work in both office and operational environments and to personally participate at client facilities and project locations.
Field and warehouse activities may include walking large facilities; climbing stairs and ladders; accessing rooftops and mechanical rooms; bending, kneeling, and working around operating industrial facilities; wearing required PPE; working outdoors in heat, cold, humidity, dust, and noise.
The Ideal Candidate
- You are a leader who still likes the work: You can delegate effectively, but you want enough direct involvement to understand the facts and make better decisions.
- You move comfortably between levels: You can discuss program strategy with a client, negotiate with a vendor, review a submittal, and help the team solve an equipment problem.
- You take ownership: You do not wait for problems to become someone else's responsibility, and you communicate early when scope, cost, schedule, or quality is at risk.
Fitness For Duty: Must pass a pre-employment drug screening and background check and maintain compliance with the corporate Fitness For Duty program.
Pay: From $110,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Will you pass a full pre-employment drug screening and background check and maintain compliance with corporate Fitness For Duty program?
Experience:
- HVAC: 10 years (Required)
- Industrial Facilities or Controlled-Access Site: 10 years (Required)
- Mechanical Contractor: 10 years (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
