Associate Project Manager – Commercial Real Estate Project Delivery
Keyser Commercial Real Estate | Scottsdale, Arizona | Full-Time | In Person
About the Role
Keyser is seeking an Associate Project Manager to help lead the planning and delivery of commercial real estate projects on behalf of our clients.
This role goes beyond traditional construction management.
Successful commercial projects require the coordination of numerous interconnected workstreams—including architecture and engineering, construction, furniture, audio visual, IT and low-voltage systems, security and access control, signage and branding, move coordination, specialty vendors, landlords, and internal client stakeholders.
The Associate Project Manager helps bring all of these pieces together.
You will work closely with senior Project Managers while taking ownership of defined projects and project workstreams from early planning and design through procurement, construction, installation, occupancy, and closeout.
We are looking for someone who understands commercial design and construction, can confidently coordinate multiple consultants and vendors, communicates exceptionally well, and is comfortable representing Keyser directly in front of clients.
This is a highly collaborative and client-facing position. The right candidate is organized, proactive, professional, curious, accountable, and able to drive decisions and action items forward without requiring constant direction.
What You'll DoProject Planning & Delivery
- Support and manage commercial real estate projects from early planning and due diligence through design, construction, installation, occupancy, and closeout.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project schedules, budgets, milestone trackers, action logs, decision logs, and client reporting.
- Coordinate architects, engineers, general contractors, landlords, brokers, vendors, consultants, and client stakeholders.
- Understand the relationship between the various project workstreams and proactively identify coordination gaps, schedule conflicts, scope overlaps, and missing responsibilities.
- Monitor project milestones and critical-path activities and escalate issues that could affect cost, schedule, scope, quality, or the client experience.
Construction Management
- Coordinate the construction process, including preconstruction, bidding, permitting, construction, punch list, turnover, and closeout.
- Manage and track RFIs, submittals, change orders, proposals, pay applications, schedules, punch lists, and project documentation.
- Review contractor proposals, bids, schedules, change requests, and supporting documentation.
- Assist with RFP preparation, bid leveling, contractor selection, contract coordination, and procurement.
- Review architectural and construction drawings and coordinate questions with architects, engineers, contractors, landlords, and other project partners.
- Conduct job-site visits to monitor progress, document conditions, identify issues, and coordinate next steps.
Furniture, Technology & Specialty Vendors
Coordinate project workstreams that extend beyond the general contractor's scope, including:
- Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E)
- Audio visual systems
- IT infrastructure and low-voltage cabling
- Security and access-control systems
- Signage, environmental graphics, and branding
- Appliances and specialty equipment
- Move management and relocation
- Other owner-direct vendors and specialty consultants
The Associate Project Manager is expected to understand how these vendors integrate into the overall design, construction, and occupancy schedule.
Responsibilities include:
- Developing and tracking vendor scopes, budgets, procurement schedules, lead times, installation requirements, and dependencies.
- Coordinating vendor requirements with architects, engineers, general contractors, landlords, and other consultants.
- Identifying scope gaps and clarifying responsibility between vendors before they become project issues.
- Coordinating installation sequencing, site access, power/data requirements, infrastructure, inspections, testing, and turnover.
- Making sure owner-direct vendors are incorporated into the overall project schedule rather than managed as separate activities.
- Tracking long-lead items and escalating procurement or installation risks early.
- Supporting vendor selection, proposal review, contract coordination, and budget management.
Client & Team Communication
This is a client-facing role, and excellent communication skills are essential.
The Associate Project Manager will:
- Participate in and increasingly lead client and project-team meetings.
- Communicate project status, risks, decisions, and next steps clearly and professionally.
- Prepare concise meeting agendas, meeting minutes, executive updates, action-item logs, and project reports.
- Translate technical construction and vendor information into clear business language for clients.
- Follow up consistently with project participants and drive outstanding actions to resolution.
- Communicate confidently with senior client representatives, architects, engineers, contractors, landlords, brokers, and vendors.
- Know when an issue can be resolved independently and when it should be escalated.
- Represent Keyser with professionalism, responsiveness, good judgment, and a strong client-service mindset.
We are looking for someone who can walk a construction site with a general contractor in the morning and confidently lead a client discussion about budget, furniture, technology, schedule, and upcoming decisions that afternoon.
Budget & Schedule Management
- Develop, maintain, and reconcile comprehensive project budgets.
- Track construction costs as well as owner-direct costs such as furniture, AV, security, technology, signage, consultants, and other specialty vendors.
- Track commitments, invoices, forecasts, allowances, contingencies, pending changes, and anticipated final costs.
- Maintain integrated project schedules incorporating design, permitting, construction, procurement, furniture, technology, security, signage, move activities, and occupancy.
- Identify budget and schedule variances early and help develop solutions.
- Understand dependencies between construction and owner-direct vendors so that decisions and procurement activities occur at the appropriate time.
What We're Looking ForRequired Experience
- 3+ years of experience supporting or managing commercial real estate, commercial construction, owner's-representation, corporate interiors, or similar project-delivery assignments.
- Direct experience with commercial design and construction projects.
- Experience coordinating multiple consultants, contractors, vendors, and project stakeholders.
- Working knowledge of construction budgets, schedules, RFIs, submittals, change orders, bidding/procurement, pay applications, punch lists, and project closeout.
- Familiarity with owner-direct project scopes such as furniture, AV, low voltage/IT, security, signage, or similar specialty vendors.
- Ability to read and understand architectural and construction drawings.
- Understanding of how design, construction, technology, furniture, and specialty-vendor scopes come together to deliver a completed commercial space.
- Strong Excel skills and proficiency with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and project-management tools.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
Communication & Professional Skills
Exceptional communication skills are a requirement for this position.
The successful candidate must demonstrate:
- Strong written and verbal communication.
- Confidence communicating directly with clients.
- Professional presence in meetings and presentations.
- Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong listening skills and the ability to understand what a client is actually trying to accomplish.
- Ability to organize complex information and communicate it clearly and concisely.
- Strong follow-through and responsiveness.
- Good judgment and problem-solving ability.
- Ability to anticipate questions, risks, and next steps rather than simply reacting to requests.
- Comfort holding consultants and vendors accountable while maintaining productive relationships.
- A collaborative, team-oriented working style.
The Person We're Looking For
Technical knowledge matters, but we are equally interested in how you operate.
You are likely to succeed at Keyser if you:
- Take ownership rather than waiting to be told what to do next.
- Naturally think several steps ahead.
- Follow through on commitments.
- Are comfortable asking questions when something doesn't make sense.
- Can identify gaps between different scopes of work.
- Enjoy coordinating people and solving problems.
- Can move comfortably between detailed project information and higher-level client conversations.
- Remain composed and professional when projects become complicated.
- Understand that responsiveness and communication are a major part of providing excellent project management.
- Care about the client's overall experience—not simply completing individual tasks.
A successful Associate Project Manager knows what is happening across the entire project.
You understand what the contractor is doing, what decisions the architect needs, when the furniture must be ordered, whether AV requirements have been incorporated into the drawings, whether security infrastructure has been coordinated, what the client needs to decide next, and which activities could affect the move-in date.
You don't need to personally design or install each system.
You do need to understand enough about each workstream to ask good questions, identify coordination issues, connect the right people, and drive the project forward.
Preferred Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Real Estate, Business, or a related field.
- Experience with an owner's representative, project-management consultancy, corporate real estate team, commercial general contractor, developer, architecture/design firm, or workplace delivery organization.
- Commercial tenant improvement and corporate interiors experience.
- Experience coordinating furniture procurement and installation.
- Familiarity with AV, IT/low voltage, security/access control, signage, branding, and relocation workstreams.
- Familiarity with commercial leases, work letters, landlord/tenant responsibilities, and tenant improvement allowances.
- Experience with MS Project, Smartsheet, Procore, or comparable project-management platforms.
- PMP, CCM, LEED, or similar professional credential—or an interest in pursuing one.
What Success Looks Like
Within this role, success means becoming a trusted extension of both the Keyser team and the client's team.
You are someone a client can call when they have a question and trust that you will either know the answer or find it.
Your projects are organized. Your communication is clear. Your vendors know what is expected of them. Decisions don't disappear into meeting minutes. Risks are identified before they become emergencies. Construction, furniture, technology, security, signage, and other project components come together as one coordinated delivery plan.
As your capabilities grow, you will take increasing responsibility for client relationships and independently managing projects from planning through occupancy.
About Keyser
Keyser provides integrated commercial real estate services with a client-first approach.
Our Project Management team represents clients throughout the real estate and project-delivery process, helping organizations successfully plan, design, build, equip, and occupy their spaces.
Because our Project Management team works alongside real estate professionals, clients, architects, engineers, contractors, landlords, furniture dealers, technology providers, security vendors, and other specialists, our team has the opportunity to understand both the real estate strategy and the execution required to bring a project to life.
Compensation: TBD
Benefits: Health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, health savings account, life insurance, disability insurance, paid time off, and opportunities for professional growth.
Work Location: In person – Scottsdale, Arizona
Before Applying
This position is focused on the delivery of commercial real estate projects.
Candidates do not need to be experts in every specialty system, but they should have meaningful experience working within commercial design and construction environments and understand how multiple consultants, contractors, and owner-direct vendors must be coordinated to successfully deliver a project.
Candidates whose experience is primarily residential real estate, brokerage, property management, administrative coordination, or general business project management without exposure to commercial design, construction, and project delivery are unlikely to be a fit.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
