Senior Manager, Project Administration & Systems

Who We Are

VEC is a leading construction technology services provider at the forefront of innovation in the construction industry, delivering cutting-edge technology solutions that improve how construction projects are planned, designed, and built. Our mission is to challenge the status quo and reshape the built world so humanity can thrive sustainably.

We partner with contractors, engineers, and developers/owners across the United States and deploy our team of construction and technology professionals across large, complex projects in sectors including Data Centers, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Technology, Education, Transportation, Aviation, Commercial Office Space, and Public Works.

We value our VECommunity, continuous improvement, and helping the best build better.

Our Core Values

• Goodness: Be ethical and do right by yourself, your teammates, and our partners.
• Extreme Ownership: We take responsibility and deliver results.
• Curiosity: We continuously seek better solutions.
• Better Together: Collaboration drives stronger outcomes.
• Balance: We support sustainable, long-term success for our people.

Position Overview

This is an execution-focused role for someone who has done this work before — not someone who wants to move into it.

You will inherit a lean, well-documented process library and a functional team. Your job is not to invent from scratch. It is to take what works, make it better, and rebuild it for a more complex ERP environment we are currently implementing. You will manage two working PA leads, own billing integrity review, serve as the functional voice from operations to the integrations engineer, and ensure the new system is built to support our real workflows — not the other way around.

If you are looking for a strategic oversight role, this is not it. If you have been the person who actually knew the system, trained the team, caught the billing gap, and fixed the workflow — we want to talk.

Key Responsibilities

ERP Transition: Operational Implementation

• Absorb and master our existing process library (ClickUp-based SOPs and work instructions) within your first 30 days
• Partner with the integrations engineer to communicate how our workflows must be reflected in the new system — project setup, billing terms, change orders, COI compliance, rate tables, labor categories, revenue recognition logic
• Validate that configuration decisions match operational reality before they are built; flag gaps or misalignments early
• Ensure the new ERP preserves and improves the operational sophistication currently built into Kantata, including multi-phase project structures, billing term configuration at the project level, rate table management, custom field logic, and revenue recognition rules
• Design and build ERP-native SOPs and work instructions tied to actual system screens, fields, and sequences — not conceptual process descriptions
• Own end-user training for PA leads on all new system processes

Billing Integrity

• Conduct monthly review of billable fees versus invoiced amounts across the project portfolio
• Identify and root-cause billing gaps: PA execution failure, missing or incorrect data entry, workflow breakdown, or PM non-compliance
• Distinguish between what requires training, what requires a process or SOP change, and what requires PM escalation
• Report findings to VP with clear pattern analysis and recommended corrective action

PA Lead Management

• Directly manage two working PA leads, each overseeing a team of two Project Administrators
• Hold leads accountable for data accuracy, workflow compliance, and team output quality
• Ensure leads understand not just how to enter data but why it matters — the downstream billing and revenue consequences of errors or omissions
• Serve as the escalation point for issues leads cannot resolve independently
• Train leads on new ERP processes and ensure they can effectively train their teams

Process Library Ownership

• Maintain, organize, and improve the existing SOP library — audit for gaps, outdated content, and process inconsistencies
• Update all current processes for the new ERP environment as configuration progresses
• Own workflow documentation standards across the PA function; all work instructions must be system-specific and actionable

Cross-Functional Operations

• Communicate with Project Managers regarding documentation, compliance, and billing requirements
• Document non-compliance and escalate through appropriate channels (PX leadership) with a clear paper trail
• Coordinate with Accounting on billing and AR-related operational issues

Why This Role

• Real Ownership: You own a process library, a team, a system transition, and a billing function that directly impacts revenue realization
• Stable Foundation: Well-documented processes, a functional team, and clear leadership above you — you are improving and building, not rescuing
• ERP Opportunity: Shape how this function operates for years by being the operational voice through a significant system transition
• Visible Impact: Lean structure means your work is visible and your contributions are direct — no layers between your effort and its outcome
• Clear Scope: You will know exactly what you own and what you don’t — no ambiguity about authority or accountability

Scope and Ownership

• This Role Owns:
  • ERP workflow implementation & validation
  • SOP authorship & process library
  • Billing integrity review & root cause
  • PA lead management & accountability
  • COI & compliance workflow design
  • ERP functional requirements communication
  • Leading training on new system
• This Role Does Not Own:
  • ERP system design decisions (VP-led)
  • ERP technical configuration (integrations engineer)
  • Final billing approval or client disputes
  • Individual PA hiring, performance, compensation
  • Contract negotiation or client relationship
  • ERP vendor relationship or IT administration
  • HR, payroll, or financial reporting functions

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in project administration, project controls, or commercial operations in a project-based business — construction, engineering, environmental consulting, or professional services. Not project management. Not corporate operations.
• Direct functional experience with a complex, project-based system (Kantata/Mavenlink, Deltek, Unanet, Ajera, or equivalent) at a power-user or functional lead level — you must be able to describe how project setup, billing term configuration, rate table management, and workflow logic worked in that system, and what you personally owned within it
• Proven experience supporting or leading an ERP implementation or major system migration from the operations side — communicating functional requirements, validating that configuration matches operational reality, and training end users
• Direct ownership of billing operations in a T&M and/or Fixed Fee environment: you have personally identified billing gaps, traced them to root cause, and driven resolution
• Experience managing or leading administrative or project controls staff, including holding people accountable for data quality and workflow compliance
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain system-specific SOPs and work instructions — not conceptual process maps, but step-by-step documentation tied to actual system behavior and fields
• Comfortable working without direct authority over Project Managers: your track record shows examples of influencing compliance and driving accountability through communication, documentation, and escalation — not positional power
• Strong written communication skills; a significant portion of this role’s output is documentation that others execute and that engineers build from

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Prior experience with Kantata (Mavenlink) — familiarity with its project accounting logic, billing configuration, and reporting infrastructure is a meaningful advantage
• Experience in a lean administrative structure where you were simultaneously doing, building, and enforcing — not delegating all execution to a large team
• Background in a firm that operates both T&M and Fixed Fee/Lump Sum project types with distinct billing and revenue recognition treatment

Cover Letter Requirement

• One page maximum
• Describe one operational problem you inherited or identified in a project-based environment — specifically related to billing, project administration, or system workflow — and what you personally did to fix it. Be precise about what was broken, what you did, and what changed
• Do not describe your management philosophy, your team’s accomplishments, or your career arc

Work Environment: Hybrid - within commuting distance to San Francisco

Compensation Range: $120,000 - $140,000

EEO Statement

VEC is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. In accordance with federal and state laws, VEC does not discriminate in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related condition, ancestry, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history cancer or genetic characteristics), veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender expression, HIV/AIDS status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.