Business Lead Project Manager, Project Origination

Business Lead / Project Manager Project Origination

Location: South Plainfield (Hybrid 3 days a week)
Job Type: Full-Time

About Us

CARIAN is a purpose-driven woman-owned consulting and advisory firm dedicated exclusively to the power sector. We partner with leading electric and gas utilities to provide strategic advisory and disciplined execution across program management business intelligence and field execution oversight. Guided by integrity trust excellence and accountability our team helps deliver complex capital programs and build the resilient energy infrastructure that communities depend on.

Position Overview

CARIAN is seeking a Business Lead / Project Manager to support the development and early-stage origination of major utility capital projects including transmission distribution substation and grid modernization initiatives. This role focuses on conducting feasibility assessments evaluating technical and financial assumptions coordinating cross-functional stakeholders and advancing projects toward constructability. The Business Lead will support business cases funding strategies project controls and project planning activities within a structured utility environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical and business feasibility studies for transmission distribution substation and grid modernization projects

• Review engineering designs system impacts risks and constructability considerations

• Align project scope with engineering planning asset management environmental real estate and construction groups

• Manage scope schedule budget risks funding requirements and resources

• Monitor stakeholder adherence to project milestones and escalate non-performance as needed

• Maintain accurate project documentation including meeting minutes decision logs and version-controlled records

• Support RFP preparation vendor evaluations requisitions and contract closeout

• Lead and coordinate cross-functional project meetings and ensure clear communication of action items and responsibilities

• Prepare presentations reports and decision-ready materials for project leadership

• Track activity funding levels and identify when additional funding is required

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering Finance Business or a related field required

• 5 to 10 years of experience in utility planning engineering project development or capital project management

• Strong project management skills with experience managing scope schedule budget and risk

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional utility stakeholders

• Familiarity with SAP Primavera P6 MS Project or similar tools preferred

• Strong analytical written and verbal communication skills

• PMP certification preferred

• Experience supporting investor-owned utility programs is a plus

Why CARIAN

• Purpose-driven work. Help deliver infrastructure that powers communities.

• Industry reputation. Trusted by leading utilities for our reliability and results.

• Career growth. Opportunities to lead major programs and mentor high-performing teams.

• Collaborative culture. Join a team that values delivery excellence and long-term relationships.

• Competitive total rewards. Strong compensation full benefits 401(k) match and meaningful work.

Equal Employment Opportunity

CARIAN is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We hire and develop talent based on qualifications performance and business needs. Employment decisions are made without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin age disability veteran status or any other protected characteristic. As a women-owned firm dedicated to the power sector we are committed to building a team that reflects professionalism expertise and integrity at every level.

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $105000 to $135000 annually based on a full-time equivalent schedule. This range represents a good-faith estimate at the time of posting. Actual compensation will depend on experience qualifications and other factors permitted by addition to base salary the role includes eligibility for bonus incentives a comprehensive benefits package and a company 401(k) match.

Required Experience:

IC