Assistant Project Manager

Job summary

Support the planning, execution, and closeout of heavy industrial maintenance and shutdown projects for pulp and paper clients. Coordinate resources, track project costs and schedules, and maintain strong communication between field teams and clients.

Job details

***THIS OPPORTUNITY REQUIRES A LOT OF TRAVEL AND WOULD REQUIRE RELOCATION TO GREATER VANCOUVER TO BE CLOSE TO THE HEAD OFFICE*** Assistant Project Manager – Heavy Industrial We are seeking an Assistant Project Manager to join our client who is an established mechanical contractor specializing in heavy industrial maintenance, shutdowns, and turnarounds. This is an opportunity to work alongside experienced project leadership while developing toward full ownership of an established portfolio of pulp and paper clients. The role combines project coordination, commercial support, client interaction, and hands-on site execution, with extensive travel during the spring and fall shutdown seasons across Western Canada. The client is specifically open to someone developmental who can learn the portfolio from the existing team before taking on greater responsibility. Must Haves 3+ years of project coordination, project management, or similar construction experience. Experience within heavy industrial construction, maintenance, or another industrial environment. Willingness to travel extensively during spring and fall shutdown seasons, including multiple weeks away from home. Comfortable working extended hours during active shutdowns and turnarounds. Strong organizational skills with the ability to coordinate people, materials, equipment, schedules, and documentation. Strong communication skills and confidence dealing directly with clients, field teams, and internal departments. Basic understanding of project costs, schedules, change management, and construction documentation. Comfortable working in active industrial sites and fast-paced field environments. Nice to Haves Pulp and paper industry experience. Shutdown, turnaround, outage, or industrial maintenance experience. Mechanical construction experience. Previous Project Coordinator or Assistant Project Manager experience with a self-performing contractor. Estimating, bidding, or proposal experience. Exposure to project controls, forecasting, or cost reporting. Trade certification, engineering technology, construction management, or other relevant technical education. Experience supporting multiple projects or client sites simultaneously. Responsibilities Work closely with experienced Project Managers to learn an established portfolio of pulp and paper clients. Support the planning, coordination, execution, and closeout of industrial maintenance, shutdown, turnaround, and capital project work. Assist with coordinating labour, materials, equipment, subcontractors, suppliers, and other project resources. Maintain project schedules, manpower plans, procurement trackers, action lists, and other execution documentation. Assist with project budgets, cost tracking, forecasting, committed costs, and financial reporting. Track change orders and out-of-scope work and help ensure changes are properly documented, priced, submitted, and approved. Communicate regularly with Superintendents, field supervision, project administration, finance, engineering resources, and other internal teams. Develop relationships with client representatives and progressively assume greater responsibility for day-to-day client communication. Attend client planning, coordination, progress, and project review meetings. Prepare meeting minutes, progress reports, cost reports, schedules, change documentation, and other project records. Travel to industrial sites throughout Western Canada to support planning and project execution. Provide on-site project support during shutdowns and turnarounds where schedules are fixed and timely execution is critical. Work extended hours when required during shutdown and turnaround periods. Monitor project progress and raise potential cost, schedule, resource, safety, or quality issues before they become larger problems. Support estimating, proposals, procurement, scheduling, and pre-project planning between active shutdown periods. Assist with project closeout including final documentation, outstanding changes, cost reconciliation, and lessons learned. Develop an understanding of each client's facilities, personnel, expectations, maintenance programs, and upcoming work. Progressively take ownership of smaller projects and client relationships as experience and capability develop. Build toward a Project Manager position with increasing responsibility for project execution, financial performance, and client account management.

What you’ll do

Support the planning, execution, and closeout of heavy industrial maintenance and shutdown projects for pulp and paper clients. Coordinate resources, track project costs and schedules, and maintain strong communication between field teams and clients.

Requirements

Requires 3+ years of project coordination or construction experience within a heavy industrial environment. Must be willing to relocate to Greater Vancouver and travel extensively across Western Canada during shutdown seasons.

Listed skills

• Project Coordination · Preferred
• Change Management · Preferred
• Project Closeout · Preferred
• Budgeting · Preferred
• Financial Reporting · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred
• scheduling · Preferred
• Client Relationship Management · Preferred
• Procurement · Preferred
• Forecasting · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Project Coordination
• Project Management
• Change Management
• Cost Tracking
• Scheduling
• Client Relationship Management
• Budgeting
• Procurement
• Financial Reporting
• Industrial Maintenance
• Site Execution
• Resource Coordination
• Forecasting
• Estimating
• Proposal Writing
• Project Closeout

Job areas

• Construction
• Management & Leadership
• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Trades