Object Construction · 19 hours ago
Director of Project Management
Los Angeles, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$120K/yr - $150K/yr
10+ years expObject Construction is a company specializing in scenic and experiential fabrication and event production. The Director of Project Management will lead the project delivery function, ensuring projects are executed safely, on schedule, and within budget while managing a high-performing project management team.
Construction
Responsibilities
Own the active project portfolio, prioritizing work, balancing capacity, and aligning project intake with business goals and shop/field realities
Establish and maintain a company-wide Project Management Methodology (PMM) that is scalable, practical, and appropriate for a small, production-driven organization
Implement governance rhythms such as stage gates, checklists, decision logs, standard templates, and weekly portfolio reviews
Define and evolve standards for scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, procurement, and stakeholder management, informed by PMI principles and industry best practices
Apply “tailored delivery” approaches (predictive, agile, or hybrid) based on project type (retail build-outs, tours, one-off experiential builds) and trade capacity (carpentry, metal, scenic/paint, sculptural)
Serve as the executive escalation point for key accounts, ensuring a consistent, high-quality client experience and driving repeat business
Lead contract review strategy, including scope clarity, assumptions, exclusions, schedule constraints, milestone and payment terms, and risk exposure
Ensure disciplined change management with top-level clients, including pricing, approvals, documentation, schedule impact assessment, and stakeholder communication
Provide portfolio-level oversight across the full project lifecycle, including pipeline forecasting and PM bandwidth planning
Advise and support the PM team through kickoff, engineering/drafting, procurement, fabrication, paint/finishing, pack/ship, installation/load-in, strike/load-out, and closeout
Ensure strong coordination between engineering/drafting, fabrication shop, field installation teams, and vendors/subcontractors
Oversee onsite readiness, including site surveys, access constraints, venue and rigging rules, union compliance (where applicable), truck pack plans, equipment readiness, and install sequencing
Drive quality control standards and sign-off gates for materials, fit and finish, structural integrity, safety, and client brand requirements
Own portfolio-level financial performance, including gross margin targets, labor utilization, forecast accuracy, and closeout discipline
Partner with Finance Operations to establish standards for labor planning, budget tracking, vendor spend controls, cash flow milestones, billing cadence, and cost-to-complete forecasting
Implement systems and habits to detect and address margin erosion quickly, including scope creep, rework, expedited shipping, overtime, and delayed change orders
Lead, mentor, and develop the Project Management team (Project Managers, Associate Project Managers, Freelance Project Managers)
Own hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and performance management for the PM function
Build a culture of accountability, proactive communication, and operational excellence while preserving creativity, flexibility, and production speed
Standardize role expectations, career ladders, and training paths to ensure consistent outcomes across projects
Define and maintain a practical project technology stack and reporting approach, including project databases, dashboards, templates, cost tracking, schedules, and change logs
Lead post-project reviews and institutionalize lessons learned into the PMM to improve repeatability and predictability
Establish a performance evaluation cadence using metrics such as on-time delivery, margin variance, change-order cycle time, rework and rush rates, and client satisfaction
Ensure disciplined adherence to safety and compliance standards in both shop and field environments
Reinforce safe work practices across teams and job sites
Lead risk management as an ongoing practice, identifying both threats and opportunities with clear ownership and mitigation strategies
Qualification
Required
10+ years of project leadership experience in scenic fabrication, experiential fabrication, exhibits, live events production, retail build-outs, or related custom fabrication environments
3+ years leading project management teams and/or operating a PMO-style function with portfolio oversight and standardized delivery
Demonstrated expertise managing fabrication and installation workflows with cross-functional teams (technical and fabrication designers, shop, field installation, vendors)
Strong ability to adapt modern project management principles to a specialized, fast-paced, production-driven environment
Proven success delivering complex, schedule-critical projects in high-change environments
Excellent client-facing leadership skills, including executive communication, negotiation, and escalation management
Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, margin management, labor planning, and vendor cost control
Proficient in reading and interpreting drawings, shop drawings, and fabrication documentation
Preferred
PMP Certification is a plus
Software familiarity preferred in Google Workspace; Excel/Sheets; Smartsheet, Monday, Asana; familiarity with SketchUp, Illustrator, or CAD is a plus
Benefits
Competitive Salary
Benefit Eligible
Paid Vacation / PTO
Company
Object Construction
At Object, we specialize in transforming bold, creative visions into reality through expert fabrication and design. With over 45,000 sq. ft.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageCompany data provided by crunchbase