LaundroLab is an emerging laundromat franchise brand committed to building beautiful, modern, and highly functional laundromats that elevate the customer experience. Laundromats are simple in design but oftentimes are quite complicated to build once you consider accommodating the nuanced permitting requirements, unique demands of specialized plumbing, electrical systems, and high-capacity machines. We’re looking for a talented and experienced Construction Project Manager to lead our team into new projects with a new emphasis on getting laundromats built on schedule and on budget.
Why This Role Matters:
Building laundromats is an intricate process. Each project involves managing expensive equipment orders, coordinating with specialized contractors, and navigating complex build-out requirements. The Construction Project Manager will play a critical role in ensuring our franchise partners succeed by managing projects on time and within budget. Every delay in opening a laundromat costs our franchisees valuable revenue, making your role essential to their success and to the growth of LaundroLab.
Success in this role means managing an active pipeline of construction projects—each delivered on or before its scheduled opening date and within stated budgetary constraints. This includes fostering positive, efficient vendor partnerships, creating and maintaining robust documentation to guide franchisees, and continuously seeking opportunities for cost savings without compromising quality. Ultimately, the goal is to help franchisees open their laundromats smoothly and profitably, reinforcing LaundroLab’s standing as a leader in modern laundromat construction.
What are the day-to-day responsibilities of the Construction Project Manager role?
1. Project Managing the Construction Process
- Oversee Multiple Projects: Manage a pipeline of multiple construction projects in multiple states simultaneously, maintaining a 90%+ on-time completion rate.
- Maintain and Communicate Timelines & Budgets: Develop and use standardized project management tools to track schedules and budgets, aiming for budget overruns of <5% from initial projections. Provide weekly status updates (e.g., Gantt charts, cost reports) to leadership and franchisees.
- Understand and mitigate the opportunity costs: Ensure all parties understand the cost of delayed openings. This includes holding both vendors and franchise partners accountable for quick and correct action and proactively removing blocks.
- Proactive Issue Resolution: Identify potential roadblocks in advance (e.g., permitting delays, contractor availability) and maintain a risk log. Strive for fewer than two urgent escalations per project cycle.
- Ongoing Support for Completed Projects: Assist recently opened laundromats with any remaining construction-related tasks. Close out post-completion tasks within 30 days and document lessons learned for future improvements.
- Develop reporting systems: Create or revise existing infrastructure for tracking project timelines and budgets and providing actionable insights to stakeholders. Create a forecasted project plan for each project and report out on how we executed against this forecast.
2. Value Engineering & Vendor Management
- Identify Cost-Saving Opportunities: Propose at least two cost-saving or value-engineered measures per quarter and maintain a detailed cost-reduction log shared quarterly with leadership.
- Vendor Sourcing & Comparison: Develop a database of preferred vendors, updating it quarterly with at least three new vetted options for critical services.
- Contract Negotiations: Negotiate vendor contracts to secure cost-effective pricing and favorable terms. Demonstrate at least a 5% decrease in average vendor quotes compared to previous contracts.
- Monitor Vendor Performance: Track on-time delivery, quality of work, and responsiveness. Resolve vendor issues within 48 hours on average, and aim for a 90%+ vendor satisfaction rating among franchisees.
3. Document Processes for Franchisees
- Develop Comprehensive “How-To” Guides: Produce step-by-step documentation for the entire laundromat build-out process, publishing or updating at least one major guide every quarter.
- Maintain an Up-to-Date Resource Library: Perform quarterly audits to ensure all documentation is current. Incorporate at least five new lessons learned from each project into the resource library.
- Encourage Franchisee Adoption and Feedback: Target a 90% utilization rate of these materials through surveys, Q&As, and consistent feedback loops. Implement at least one franchisee-suggested improvement per quarter.
What are the requirements for the Construction Project Manager role?
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related field strongly preferred.
- 5+ years of experience managing commercial construction projects from pre-construction to closeout. Exposure to multi-site development is a plus.
- PMP (Project Management Professional) or CCM (Certified Construction Manager) certification preferred.
- Proficiency in project management software (e.g., Notion, Monday.com, etc) to track timelines, budgets, and milestones.
- Familiarity with construction documentation, local building codes and permitting processes, and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) systems.
- Basic understanding of cost estimation and value engineering principles.
- Track record of negotiating contracts and managing vendor relationships to optimize cost and performance.
- Experience overseeing specialized subcontractors (e.g., plumbers, electricians, equipment suppliers).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a knack for simplifying complex concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, including architects, engineers, and franchise partners, while maintaining strong relationships and a positive team environment.
- Proven ability to anticipate and mitigate risks (e.g., permitting delays, material shortages) and quickly resolve unexpected challenges.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, rapidly growing franchise environment.
- Passionate about customer experience and delivering high-quality facilities on time and on budget.
- Ability to travel overnight as needed to support projects. Estimated to be less than 10% of the time.
What are the perks of being the Construction Project Manager?
- Ability to get in on the ground floor and have a significant impact at one of Charlotte’s fastest growing franchise companies
- Opportunities to grow in the marketing field
- Direct and regular access to thought leaders in the startup, franchising, and laundry industries
- Benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k, and an Employee Assistance Program
- Unlimited PTO policy that our employees actually use!
- Working with a supportive, driven team working to build our startup into a nationally recognized brand
- Free laundry!
2ULaundry and LaundroLab are equal opportunity employers. We value diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment representative of a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Employment is decided solely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.