Project Manager, IDOT Programs

Title may be extended to Senior Project Manager, Director, or Vice President depending on the selected candidate's experience, licensure, and portfolio. The scope of work described below does not change with the title.

Location: Chicago, Illinois (onsite, 5 days per week)
Department: Transportation / Infrastructure Employment type: Full time, exempt Compensation: $175,000 to $250,000 base, plus annual performance bonus

Travel: Local and regional travel to project sites

We are hiring a transportation leader to own our delivery record and growth with the Illinois Department of Transportation. This is state system work: expressways, interstates, state routes, and the structures that carry them, delivered under a formal process with a long memory.

You will lead IDOT projects across Phase I preliminary engineering and environmental, Phase II contract plan preparation, and Phase III construction engineering. You will own the agency relationship, technical delivery, budget and schedule performance, and the pursuit strategy that keeps the backlog full.

The successful candidate knows the IDOT process from the inside out, not just from the manuals. You know how a Phase I approval actually gets earned, what a poorly assembled ESR does to a schedule, and why the answer to most review comments is a phone call before it is a resubmittal.

This role is onsite in our Chicago office.

• Serve as Project Manager of record on IDOT contracts spanning highway and interstate reconstruction, bridge rehabilitation and replacement, interchange improvements, intersection and traffic signal work, and corridor studies.
• Direct Phase I preliminary engineering and NEPA documentation (CE, EA, EIS), including purpose and need, alternatives analysis, Environmental Survey Request coordination, and Section 4(f) and Section 106 clearance.
• Manage Phase II contract plan preparation, special provisions, quantity takeoffs, engineer's estimates, and PS&E submittals conforming to the IDOT Bureau of Design and Environment Manual, the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets Manual, and the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction.
• Oversee Phase III construction engineering, including resident engineering staff, documentation of contract quantities, change orders, and project closeout.
• Own project financial performance: fee development, budget, earned value, multiplier and profitability targets, invoicing accuracy, and subconsultant management.
• Hold schedule accountability across IDOT review cycles, land acquisition, utility coordination, railroad agreements, and permitting milestones.
• Enforce quality control and quality assurance on every deliverable. IDOT review comments are a permanent record of how your team works.

• Act as the primary point of contact for IDOT District One project managers and bureau staff across Programming, Design, Local Roads and Streets, Bridges, Traffic, and Construction.
• Manage federal aid requirements including Local Public Agency processes, FHWA coordination, and compliance documentation on federally funded projects.
• Coordinate with local agencies, municipalities, townships, and counties where IDOT projects intersect local jurisdiction.
• Coordinate with Class I railroads, CTA, Metra, Pace, and utility owners.
• Lead public involvement: context sensitive solutions coordination, public information meetings, and formal public hearings.

• Identify, position for, and capture IDOT pursuits, including monitoring the multi‑year program and bulletin postings.
• Maintain and expand the firm's IDOT prequalification categories, and manage the prequalification renewal process.
• Lead SOQ and proposal development, interview preparation, and teaming strategy, including DBE partner selection consistent with IDOT participation goals.
• Contribute to annual revenue and backlog targets.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop engineers and technical staff.
• Allocate staff across a project portfolio, resolve resource conflicts, and forecast utilization.
• Support recruiting and retention in a competitive Chicago labor market.

• Bachelor's…