Role search
Get an Interim Owner's Project Manager who can own GMP change order validity.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You choose from a short list of people who have done this before.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Interim Headhunters starts with the work behind this request: This manager exists to serve as your primary defensive line against escalating hard costs and schedule slippage. While a construction manager manages site-level output, an owner's project manager focuses on contract enforcement, specifically regarding GMP and change order validity.
This is what we do all day: place interim executives, interim managers and contract professionals.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
- No upfront fee
- 2 to 3 vetted consultants per assignment
- Matched to your industry
- You choose
- Interim plus permanent search
- Interim Owner's Project Manager
The judgment call
What this hire really comes down to
This manager exists to serve as your primary defensive line against escalating hard costs and schedule slippage. While a construction manager manages site-level output, an owner's project manager focuses on contract enforcement, specifically regarding GMP and change order validity. They must treat your capital constraints as the primary boundary condition for every technical decision made by the design and construction team.
Judgment manifests in how they parse a change order request against the original contract scope. An effective manager distinguishes between legitimate unforeseen site conditions and contractor incompetence. They must possess the standing to reject unjustified cost increases immediately, ensuring that budget pressure remains with the firm performing the work rather than being passed back to you as the owner.
What we check
What we check before you see anyone
- Our vetting process confirms they have performed site visits and verified progress against design documents for real estate developers. We check their competency in reviewing developer budgets and managing architect contracts during phases. We prioritize people who understand how to report status and risks directly to firm leadership without outside help.
- Our review identifies how they handled subcontractor claims during concrete pours or structural steel installation. We assess if they successfully halted work when field installations deviated from permit drawings. We confirm they directly approved pay applications rather than simply processing paperwork handed to them by the construction manager.
- We evaluate their comfort using building software to track material submittals and request for information logs. We ask how they clarify architectural design intent during field coordination meetings. We require evidence showing they directly instructed a contractor to replace defective materials or redo wall finishes that failed to meet code.
- Candidates must demonstrate profound proficiency in reconciling field discrepancies against precise structural blueprints during foundation placement. We scrutinize their historical record regarding direct intervention during site noncompliance to ensure material integrity meets strict safety benchmarks. Vetting focuses on verifying their autonomous oversight of rigorous payment certification cycles and their technical aptitude for resolving intricate design conflicts through onsite leadership decisions while maintaining meticulous audit logs for project stakeholders.
Sourcing
Where we find them
We locate talent currently embedded in development firms and institutional capital groups. These professionals are usually active on current projects, meaning their knowledge of supply chain lead times and local labor costs is current. They are not looking for general growth but for specific, high-intensity assignments that offer direct accountability for project outcomes.
These individuals move because they seek control over the final project result, often feeling constrained by the internal politics or misaligned incentives of their current firms. They gravitate toward interim roles that allow them to apply their expertise to complex capital problems without becoming entangled in the administrative overhead of a permanent corporate role. They understand that an interim assignment requires immediate action to correct existing project velocity issues.
Where searches go wrong
Mistakes we see
- Hiring someone with only designer or architect backgrounds to manage construction budget and schedule. These professionals often focus on aesthetics and code compliance but frequently miss the nuances of contractor billing, labor productivity, and claims management.
- Overestimating the effectiveness of a general contractor's self-reported progress. Owners often fail because they rely on the contractor to identify their own failures. An effective manager must have the capacity to build a parallel schedule and cost model to identify gaps that the contractor hides.
- Assigning someone who refuses to initiate difficult conversations with general contractors. Project management is a series of conflicts over money and time. If a candidate attempts to maintain consensus rather than enforce contractual obligations, the budget will erode through unchecked change orders.
The search
How the Interim Owner's Project Manager search runs
- First, we screen candidates for technical, contract-specific experience in your project asset class. We define the search by the contract type they managed, specifically looking for GMP oversight and the ability to reconcile trade-level costs against initial projections. We filter out candidates whose experience is limited to soft costs or design-only phases.
- Second, we probe their history of handling project crisis, specifically asking for evidence of schedule recovery. We look for tangible examples where they identified a failure, mandated a corrective plan from the general contractor, and monitored the output to ensure the finish date remained unchanged. We focus on their ability to demand specific labor loading plans from subcontractors to get back on track.
- Third, we vet their reporting style to ensure it serves your decision-making needs. We exclude candidates who provide high-level summaries and seek those who present granular evidence of site activity, budget burn rates, and pending contract risks, allowing you to intervene only when significant issues arise. We verify that their reporting leads directly to actionable budget or schedule adjustments.
Questions
How does this role differ from a construction project manager?
A construction project manager works for the builder, focused on field output and profitability. An owner's project manager works for you, focused on protecting your budget, schedule, and contract interests.
Do I pay for this service if no one is hired?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How do you verify if they actually managed the budget?
We confirm their specific role in GMP change order negotiations and their history of denying claims that lacked contractual merit. We check references for evidence of budget control.
What software or tools should they use?
They must be proficient in industry standard scheduling and project management software. We verify their ability to use these tools to model the impact of delays on your overall timeline.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
How are recruiting fees agreed?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present. We scope the assignment before quoting; the fee page explains our model.
How soon can we see options?
Availability depends on the assignment and the people who fit it. We qualify interest and commitments rather than promising a shortlist date before the search is scoped.
What if the scope grows?
Discuss new responsibilities before adding them to the engagement. Agree the priorities and record any change to the brief and terms.
Can we extend an engagement?
Discuss what remains unfinished and whether the same responsibility is still needed. Extensions depend on the person's commitments and the agreed engagement terms.
Can the appointment become permanent?
A permanent move can be discussed if both sides want it. Review the future role and the applicable agreement instead of assuming that temporary coverage automatically converts.
How is a confidential search handled?
Tell us what can be disclosed and whom we must not contact. We agree those boundaries before approaching people; do not send sensitive records with an initial brief.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting as a search or bill hourly for recruiting work. We do not take a retainer unless expressly agreed, and an introduction does not authorize an engagement.
Tell us the seat
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Share the title, the situation and the timing. A person reads it.
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The Six-Step Search
What do you get at each step of the search?
We agree what the person must own before contacting anyone. You see how the search is scoped and which backgrounds we pursue. We speak with candidates about the work before presenting them. The Six-Step Search gives you useful written notes and support through interviews, rather than a pile of applications.
- 01
Scope call
We talk through the seat, the business and what has to change.
You get: A one-page role brief you approve before we search.
- 02
Market map
We work out where people who have done this job actually sit.
You get: A short note on the pool and how we plan to reach it.
- 03
Direct outreach
We approach people who are not looking at job boards.
You get: Progress updates so you are never chasing us.
- 04
Screening
We interview every candidate on the work, not the resume.
You get: Written notes on fit, availability and terms for each person.
- 05
Shortlist and interviews
You meet a short list. We handle the scheduling.
You get: Several vetted options and a debrief after each interview.
- 06
Offer and start
You choose. We help settle terms and the start date.
You get: Confirmed terms, a start date and check-ins after day one.
Tell us who you need.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Send us the seat. We will take it from there.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.