Office Manager

Position Title: CONSTRUCTION OFFICE MANAGER

Location: Des Plaines, IL

Schedule: Full-time, primarily in-office, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with reasonable flexibility when an urgent project or client issue occasionally requires attention outside normal business hours.

Salary: $65,000 to $80,000 annually

HELP RUN THE BUSINESS, NOT JUST THE OFFICE.

Hudson Construction Services is looking for a highly organized, resourceful, and technology-minded Construction Office Manager to become the operational backbone of our growing design-build construction company.

This is not a receptionist or traditional administrative position. You will work directly with the CEO and help manage the systems connecting our construction projects, clients, subcontractors, finances, sales, marketing, and day-to-day operations. As you learn the company and demonstrate sound judgment, you will be trusted with increasing responsibility and decision-making authority.

We are also actively changing how we operate through AI and automation.

You do not need to be an AI expert today. You do need to be curious, technologically comfortable, eager to learn, and genuinely excited about using tools such as ChatGPT and Claude as part of your everyday work.

AI is not an occasional tool in this position. It is becoming part of how we prepare proposals, communicate, research, market, manage sales opportunities, document projects, improve processes, and operate more efficiently.

Training will be provided, but the willingness to learn, experiment, adapt, and help us develop better AI-enabled workflows is essential to succeeding in this role.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU

• Work Directly With the CEO. Become a trusted operational partner with significant visibility, responsibility, and opportunity to influence how the company operates.

• Make Decisions That Matter. As you learn the business and demonstrate sound judgment, you will be trusted to solve problems and make increasingly important day-to-day operational decisions.

• Build the Systems. Establish, document, refine, and continuously improve the operational and financial processes that drive company performance.

• Develop Real AI Skills. Work extensively with ChatGPT, Claude, and other emerging technology to improve proposals, sales, marketing, project administration, communications, research, and internal workflows.

• Help Shape How We Use AI. You will not simply follow existing processes. We want someone curious enough to help identify new ways AI and automation can make the company faster, smarter, and more efficient.

• Execute Strategy. Help turn leadership's ideas and objectives into organized, measurable execution.

• Bring Fresh Ideas. Identify inefficiencies and recommend better ways to operate.

• High-Impact Role. This is an operational leadership opportunity for someone who wants responsibility, accountability, and the opportunity to make a measurable difference.

• Client and Partner Exposure. Work directly with clients, subcontractors, vendors, municipalities, inspectors, utilities, and other business partners.

• Growth Opportunity. As the company grows, the goal is for this position to grow with it, transitioning from hands-on execution toward greater operational leadership and eventually helping hire and oversee people supporting the systems you helped build.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• $65,000 to $80,000 annual salary, paid weekly

• Blue Cross & Blue Shield PPO health insurance

• 1 week paid vacation

• 40 hours PTO

• 7 paid holidays

• Company-provided cell phone

• Company-provided laptop

THE ROLE

Success in this position means creating smooth, organized day-to-day operations while reducing the amount of routine administrative oversight required from executive leadership.

You should be comfortable taking ownership, following through, asking questions when necessary, and solving problems independently when the answer can reasonably be found.

Construction changes quickly. Priorities move. Clients call. Subcontractors need answers. Municipalities create delays. Documents need to be corrected. A system that worked yesterday may have a better solution tomorrow.

We are looking for someone who can remain composed, determine what is truly urgent, organize competing priorities, and keep moving forward without creating unnecessary stress for themselves or the rest of the team.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Experience with QuickBooks Online

• Construction office, construction administration, project coordination, property management, or similar operational experience strongly preferred

• Experience with Buildertrend or another construction management platform preferred

• Familiarity with construction accounting processes such as lien waivers, sworn statements, pay applications, job costing, and subcontractor documentation preferred

• Exceptional attention to detail and a strong sense of responsibility for financial accuracy

• Strong organizational and problem-solving ability

• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities without losing control of details

• Professional communication skills with clients, subcontractors, vendors, municipalities, and other stakeholders

• Emotional maturity and composure under pressure

• Comfortable learning new technology and changing established ways of working when a better process is identified

• Comfortable using AI extensively as part of everyday work

• Curious and willing to experiment, learn, and continuously improve

• Resourceful enough to research and solve problems rather than waiting for someone else to provide every answer

• Full-time, in-office availability Monday through Friday beginning at 9:00 AM

• Looking for a long-term opportunity with increasing responsibility and professional growth

THE PERSON WHO WILL THRIVE HERE

You do not need to know everything on your first day.

You do need to be someone who wants to learn.

We are looking for a person who sees an unfamiliar system, new technology, difficult construction problem, or changing process and thinks, "I can figure this out."

If you are disciplined, decisive, technologically curious, comfortable with accountability, and excited about combining construction operations with emerging AI technology, we would like to hear from you.