Program Manager - Technology Evaluation

McGough is a respected partner that brings six generations of experience to high profile, unique and complex construction projects. We take great pride in our people and their extraordinary expertise in planning, development, construction and facility management. McGough employee tenure reflects the commitment and pride we share in our work. Ask anyone who knows us - the caliber of our people sets us apart.

PROGRAM MANAGER - TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION

The Program Manager - Technology Evaluation leads McGough's structured approach to managing early-stage technology pilots and R&D initiatives. This role owns the intake, structuring, and portfolio management of pilot efforts, ensuring ideas are translated into clearly defined, time-boxed, and budget-aware experiments that support informed decision-making.

Operating between business teams, Product Managers, Business Analysts, IT, and Emerging Technology leadership, this role balances exploration with enterprise fit. The Program Manager works with stakeholders to articulate why a technology should be piloted, what success looks like, and how learning will be measured. They establish lightweight project charters, milestones, and evaluation criteria that create shared understanding and accountability.

While not responsible for day-to-day pilot execution, this role serves as the steward of each initiative-monitoring progress, risk, spend, and outcomes to ensure every pilot reaches a defined decision point. Initiatives that demonstrate value transition to delivery or operations teams for scaling; those that do not are formally closed to preserve focus and resources.

The role reports to the Director of Emerging Technology and serves as the central point of coordination and visibility for McGough's technology pilot and R&D portfolio.

Qualifications:

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in technology project management, R&D coordination, innovation programs, or digital initiative evaluation and a bachelor's degree in technology, engineering or information systems or an additional 4 years of experience in lieu of the degree.
• 5+ years of experience assessing new software or technology solutions and guiding pilot initiatives from concept to decision.
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous concepts into structured pilot charters, evaluation plans, milestones, and measurable success criteria in partnership with business stakeholders, Product Managers, and Business Analysts.
• 3-5 years of experience coordinating cross-functional teams without direct authority, including communication with frontline users and executive leaders.

Preferred:

• Experience working with emerging technologies such as construction software platforms, AI-enabled tools, or automation.
• Familiarity with construction, engineering, or project-based operational environments.
• Experience partnering with Product Managers, Program Managers, Business Analysts or Enterprise Architecture teams.
• Masters degree in technology, engineering, information systems or related fields

Skills:

• Ability to bring structure and clarity to early-stage, ambiguous ideas through disciplined evaluation frameworks and outcome-based success criteria.
• Curiosity and empathy in understanding business context and evaluating solutions from the perspective of impacted stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of enterprise alignment, including integration considerations and strategic roadmap fit.
• Effective communicator who translates pilot activity into clear executive-level insights and recommendations.
• Confident in facilitating stop, pivot, or redirect decisions when initiatives no longer meet defined criteria.
• Comfortable balancing experimentation with operational discipline.
• Highly organized, able to manage multiple concurrent initiatives with transparency.
• Skilled at influencing across business and technical teams without direct authority.

Office and Travel:

• Position based in McGough's Roseville MN office and can be a hybrid role.
• Travel is expected to be approximately 10% consisting of trips to McGough's regional locations for various training or team building activities.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Program Leadership:

• Lead and continuously refine McGough's technology pilot and evaluation operating model, including intake, chartering, governance, and closure processes.
• Maintain end-to-end visibility of active R&D and pilot initiatives across the enterprise.
• Establish consistent milestones, review cadences, and evaluation timelines.
• Track progress, risks, learnings, outcomes, and pilot-level spend in a transparent and standardized manner.
• Provide regular portfolio updates and insights to Emerging Technology leadership and key stakeholders.
• Ensure pilots align with business priorities, enterprise standards, and available R&D funding.
• Coordinate structured transition plans for pilots approved for scale and formal closure for initiatives that are discontinued.

Intake & Enablement:

• Manage the enterprise intake funnel for new technology ideas and pilot proposals in partnership with innovation and business teams.
• Partner with stakeholders, Product Managers, and Business Analysts to clarify problem statements, objectives, assumptions, and hypotheses.
• Assess and recommend whether ideas should move forward as pilots, be redirected to other delivery channels, or not proceed.
• Define and document evaluation criteria, decision gates, and measurable outcomes for approved pilots.
• Develop concise pilot charters outlining scope, success metrics, risks, milestones, budget expectations, and decision timelines.

Pilot Portfolio & Budget Management:

• Oversee the allocated R&D pilot budget, ensuring initiatives are appropriately scoped and remain within approved spend.
• Monitor cost relative to expected value and learning objectives.
• Surface tradeoffs, constraints, and potential overruns early to leadership.
• Maintain disciplined investment decision-making as the portfolio evolves.

Other Responsibilities:

• Actively participate as a member of the IT/Technology/Emerging Technology teams
• Attend relevant IT and company meetings, training sessions, and company-sponsored events
• Support standard work practices and participate in Lean initiatives
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements listed here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Position involves sitting for extended periods of time at employee's workstation and during meetings as well as while traveling, either by plane or car. Employee needs to be able to lift to 20 pounds as frequently as needed to move objects; dexterity to write and manipulate computer keyboard and mouse; ability to hear and speak clearly; and ability to distinguish between colors on graphs and charts.

Employee may be required to visit construction jobsites which may expose the employee to dirt, dust, uneven surfaces, outdoor weather conditions and extreme temperatures.

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In alignment with our commitment to pay transparency, the base salary range for this position is $138,000 to $163,000, excluding fringe benefits or potential bonuses. If you join McGough, your final base salary will be determined by several factors, including geography, location, skills, education, and experience. Furthermore, we place significant value on pay equity among our current team members as part of any final job offer.

Please note that the range provided above reflects the hiring range for this role. Hiring near the top end of this range would be atypical, as we aim to allow room for future salary growth. Additionally, McGough offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. This includes insurance coverage for medical, dental, vision, life, and disability. We also provide generous retirement plans, voluntary benefit plans, parental leave, substantial paid time off, and holiday pay.

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