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Senior Project Manager - Cultural
- Turner & Townsend (Dallas, TX)
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Company Description
Founded in 1952 and formerly known as Heery International Inc., the firm operates throughout the United States as part of Turner & Townsend. It specializes in project and program management for public sector organizations, with industry-leading experts in corporate, cultural, healthcare, justice, sports, K-12 education, higher education, aviation, and government facilities.
Recognized for service excellence by a broad spectrum of professional organizations and industry publications, the talented multidisciplinary team at Turner & Townsend Heery exceeds client expectations — adding value, best practice, and expertise at every turn. The team's unique client-centric culture is integrated into each project and reflects a passion for the built environment and staying true to the client's vision.
Job Description
Turner & Townsend Heery is seeking a Senior Project Manager to join our team to provide strategic, operational, organizational, executive leadership, and cultural facility management consulting services to clients across the performing arts, cultural, and entertainment industries. This position will serve as a planning lead and project facilitator for assigned cultural projects, collaborating internally with cost estimators, building consultancy teams, and project managers, and externally with design teams and sub-consultants.
Serving as the central point of communication between clients and project teams, this position ensures the timely and effective delivery of project information and outcomes in alignment with Turner & Townsend’s quality standards. The position will represent the company and clients in internal and public meetings, presentations, and forums, often requiring North American travel to support project phases including investigation, analysis, facilitation, reporting, and presentations. Projects may be supported by analysts and other members of the internal team.
The ideal candidate will possess comprehensive knowledge of how arts and cultural organizations and facilities operate and will contribute a specific area of expertise such as governance, artistic programming, facility operations, event production, community engagement, and financial planning. We value humor, patience, and a client-centered approach, and seek colleagues who bring active listening, adaptability, and a commitment to relationship management to every project.
This position is an opportunity to work at the intersection of strategy, design, and culture, contributing to projects that shape the future of the arts and entertainment landscape, where we help clients envision and realize transformational spaces and programs.
Responsibilities
+ Market Study & Feasibility Assessment
+ Lead and support the planning and execution of market studies and feasibility analyses
+ Conduct or co-lead interviews, public meetings, workshops, and presentations
+ Guide stakeholders through strategic planning and decision-making activities
+ Oversee data collection, stakeholder engagement, benchmarking and industry research
+ Synthesize findings into recommendations and actionable insights
+ Programming Account Management
+ Collaborate with clients to develop annual, seasonal, or festival programming strategies
+ Build programming matrices and identify client-specific opportunities and balanced booking strategies
+ Conduct research and present programming options with supporting materials including data, ticket models, riders, and offer sheets
+ Negotiate and secure events based on approved client direction, communicate deal terms, manage event details, and review contracts
+ Coordinate internal communications to distribute booking information, and support clients through event settlement, cancellations, and re-scheduling
+ Advise on strategy, manage, and negotiate client partnership opportunities
+ Maintain financial tracking tools and spreadsheets
+ Collaboration & Reporting
+ Analyze data to generate insights and shape strategic recommendations
+ Integrate partner contributions into cohesive project deliverables
+ Develop project narratives and strategies in collaboration with internal planning and design teams
+ Prepare high-quality written reports and visual presentations
+ Participate in team collaboration and cross-functional meetings as needed
+ Present outcomes in clear and compelling reports, presentations, and meetings
+ Project Management
+ Collaborate with clients to understand project goals and adapt plans as needed
+ Provide oversight and direction for project planning and execution
+ Communicate clearly and effectively with clients, offering timely support and updates
+ Represent Turner & Townsend professionally in meetings and public forums
+ Manage project plans, budgets, resource allocations, and travel schedules
+ Work with internal leaders to ensure quality assurance and quality control
+ Industry Leadership
+ Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and emerging trends
+ Represent Turner & Townsend at industry conferences and speaking engagements
+ Volunteer or contribute to professional organizations as appropriate
+ Sales & Client Development
+ Cultivate and manage client relationships within the cultural projects domain
+ Contribute to proposal development, client interviews, and contract negotiations
+ SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.
Additional responsibilities may be assigned depending on the scope and nature of individual projects.
Qualifications
+ 15+ years of applicable experience with performing arts programming, marketing, and venue operations or consulting.
+ Skilled facilitator with ability to guide discussion, lead engagement activities, and manage group dynamics
+ Conflict resolution and consensus-building skills
+ Strong verbal communication and ability to convey complex ideas simply
+ Comfortable with public speaking and presentations
+ Superior organizational abilities to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining quality standards and meeting time-sensitive deadlines.
+ Effective communication skills to develop and deliver compelling reports, proposals, and presentations to various stakeholders including executive-level decision makers.
+ Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, MS Project, and industry-specific project management, and market research software.
+ Demonstrated commitment to information management, ensuring project data is properly documented, shared among team members, and securely archived for future reference.
Education/Experience
+ Bachelor's degree in related field required, master's in related field preferred.
+ Demonstrated expertise managing study of feasibility, needs assessment, and business operations planning for arts, cultural, or entertainment facilities/organizations.
+ Active membership in relevant professional organizations.
+ Proven track record delivering cultural arts planning projects for cultural facilities/organizations.
+ Advanced knowledge of systems and best practices specific to cultural venues.
+ Expert ability to interpret specifications, contract documents, and RFPs.
+ Comprehensive understanding of specialized requirements for performance venues.
+ Experience navigating the unique partnership and stakeholder dynamics of cultural institutions.
+ Success managing mission-driven projects that balance cultural significance with practical project needs.
+ Ability to prioritize multiple concurrent projects while maintaining attention to detail.
Additional Information
_*On-site presence and travel requirements may change depending on our client's needs_
_Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change._
_We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance._
_Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community._
_Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/_
_Turner & Townsend does not accept any speculative or unsolicited CV's that have been sent to our internal recruitment team or hiring managers from agencies outside of our preferred supplier list or that have not followed due process. Any speculative or unsolicited CV's will be treated as a direct application._
_All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines._
_\#LI-LH2_
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_It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time._
_Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review._
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