PM Program Manager

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Client / Engagement

Client / Engagement: San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC)
Location: Stockton, CA (On-site, 5 days/week)
Salary Range: $185,000–$255,000 (commensurate with experience)
Employment Type: Full-time

Position Summary

Jaquith Consulting Group seeks an experienced, PMP-certified Program Manager to provide Capital Program Management and Engineering Services to the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) in Stockton, California. SJRRC governs ACE commuter rail service, linking the Central Valley and Silicon Valley, and is Managing Agency for the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA).
Under the direction of SJRRC’s Director of Capital Programs and Chief Program and Construction Manager, this Key Personnel role supervises, plans, coordinates, and reviews engineering, design, and construction activities and ensures their compliance across more than 30 active projects in the Valley Rail expansion program and the SJRRC, ACE, and SJJPA capital programs. Projects include double track and siding upgrades, pedestrian bridges, station platforms, and roadway and railroad crossing modifications.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide program and project oversight of consultant services across all phases of SJRRC and SJJPA Capital Program development and delivery, controlling scope, schedule, cost, risk, and quality.
• Meet frequently with consultant design and project managers to review risks, issues, progress, and schedule adherence, and conduct periodic site visits.
• Work directly with lead agency personnel, SJRRC departments, design, right-of-way, environmental, and construction management consultants, and outside stakeholders to advance Capital project engineering and design.
• Oversee preliminary engineering for environmental approval, design and design variances, utility management, right-of-way, permitting, railroad agreements, and environmental requirements to secure regulatory and agency approvals.
• Coordinate closely with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and BNSF Railway (BNSF) on projects adjacent to active rail rights-of-way, including construction sequencing and utility conflicts.
• Lead and coordinate engineering staff and consultant teams across multiple departments and programs, with clear accountability for deliverables, schedules, and budgets.
• Oversee construction and construction management, including scheduling, sequencing, field observations, budgets, and expenditures.
• Manage requests for information, change orders, and claims; direct value engineering, constructability reviews, and cost-reduction recommendations.
• Oversee quality reviews of contractor and consultant deliverables and the production of plans, specifications, cost estimates, manuals, and related documents, adjusting procedures as needed to maintain compliance.
• Support procurement of design, construction, and consultant services, including scopes of work, requests for proposals/qualifications, independent cost estimates, and proposal evaluations.
• Support development and implementation of engineering policies, design standards and requirements, and manuals for Capital projects.
• Resolve project issues promptly to maintain schedules and program-wide consistency, and provide analysis and recommendations to inform SJRRC program decisions.
• Monitor project funding, budgets, and expenditures, and support compliance and reporting for federal, state, and local funding sources (e.g., FTA, FRA, CalSTA/TIRCP, Caltrans).
• Coordinate grade-crossing modifications and approvals with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), cities, counties, and utility owners.
• Prepare and present project status reports, staff reports, and briefings to SJRRC and SJJPA leadership, Boards, and committees.
• Promote a strong safety culture across all projects, including compliance with railroad roadway worker protection, contractor safety plans, and site-specific safety requirements.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to agency staff and consultant project managers.
• Prepare addenda to ongoing contracts and work directly with fiscal and planning staff to establish budgets and funding for ongoing Capital projects.

Required Qualifications

• Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (proof of certification required).
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of demonstrated program/project management experience with full responsibility for large, complex design and construction projects, including at least five (5) years of program/project management of engineering staff across multiple departments or programs.
• Ability to work on-site full-time, five (5) days per week, in Stockton, CA.
• Eligibility to work in the United States and ability to pass a background screening.
• Valid California driver’s license and ability to travel to project sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated project and program management experience with U.S. Class I railroads (e.g., UPRR, BNSF).
• Working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, codes, and guidance governing transit and rail project development and construction.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.
• Professional Engineer (PE), Civil, registration in the State of California (candidates holding both a PMP and a California Civil PE may be considered for either Program Manager role).
• Certified Construction Manager (CCM) credential.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety certification and railroad contractor safety training (e.g., UPRR/BNSF roadway worker protection, eRailSafe).
• Proficiency with scheduling, project controls, and construction document management systems (e.g., Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, e-Builder, Procore).
• Stakeholder coordination and communication experience.

Working Conditions

• Full-time on-site presence, Monday through Friday (40 hours per week), at the Stockton Rail Maintenance Facility, 1020 Alpine Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204, unless otherwise directed by the Chief Program and Construction Manager.
• Periodic travel to Robert J. Cabral Station (949 East Channel Street, Stockton, CA) and project sites throughout the Central Valley, Sacramento, and Bay Area.
• Field visits in and around active construction sites and operating rail rights-of-way; must be able to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) and meet all site and railroad safety requirements.
• Must sign a confidentiality agreement and a California Fair Political Practices Commission Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700), and disclose any financial or business interest in SJRRC-identified projects.
• Must complete railroad contractor safety orientation and any background checks required for UPRR or BNSF right-of-way access.

Jaquith Consulting Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.