Construction Recruiting
Project engineers through project executives, matched on the delivery method, project type, and dollar value you actually run.
Northside Recruiting is a construction recruiting firm based in Chicago that places project engineers, assistant PMs, project managers, senior PMs, and project executives with general contractors and contractors across the US. We screen on project type, delivery method, and project scale, reach PMs who are not job hunting, and measure success by whether the hire stays through closeout.
How this market works
Design-bid-build, design-build, CM-at-risk, and GMP are different jobs with the same title. A PM who has only run design-bid-build has not owned GMP buyout, early preconstruction input, or the owner relationship a design-build job demands. We screen on how you have actually delivered, not just how long you have been doing it.
Running a $4M interior build-out and running a $120M ground-up tower are different jobs with the same title. We match on contract value and team size, so nobody is set up to fail in either direction.
Healthcare, data centers, education, industrial, and refinery or environmental work each carry their own approvals, inspections, and rhythms. We are honest with both sides about how far a sector jump can realistically stretch.
Strong project managers are busy running work, not browsing boards. We reach them directly and quietly, which is why our shortlists look different.
The ladder
From the bench you grow your own PMs on to the executive who owns a portfolio. We help match the level to the project's size, delivery method, and risk.
Who we support
We recruit for general contractors, construction managers, specialty and MEP contractors, industrial and environmental services firms, heavy civil builders, and energy developers.
Project types we screen for
How it works
We learn the project type, delivery method, contract value, team, reporting line, travel, and comp. If the comp package needs to change to fill the role, we tell you honestly, up front.
We reach PMs directly, including the ones who are not looking, and screen on real project history, delivery method, and scale, not keywords.
You get a short list of genuinely interested, genuinely qualified people, with honest notes on each. We move fast when a start date is fixed.
We manage references, comp, relocation, and notice timing. We measure ourselves on whether your hire is still running work when the project turns over.
Where we work
Northside Recruiting is headquartered in Rogers Park on Chicago's Northside, and our searches run nationwide, from single-site roles to regional-travel and rotational programs that span the country. See our open searches below for exactly where we're hiring right now. We recruit project managers nationwide, including Southern California and Arizona.
Open now
Project Management
A lean, growing environmental and industrial services company is hiring a Project Manager to lead its team at a major refinery in Whiting, Indiana. The company…
From $150,000
Project Management
A national solar, battery storage, and microgrid contractor is hiring a Project Manager to run utility-scale builds end to end, from design review through…
$150,000 – $210,000
Project Management
A national solar, battery storage, and microgrid contractor is hiring a Project Engineer to support project managers and utility operations leadership on solar,…
$175,000 – $225,000
The whole team
Most jobs are won or lost on how the PM and the superintendent work together. We recruit both, and we are glad to run paired searches so the office and the field are aligned from day one.
Plain answers
The strongest PMs are usually employed and not on job boards, so postings miss them. The most reliable route is a construction-only recruiter who screens on project type, delivery method, and scale and reaches passive candidates directly. Northside Recruiting does this from Chicago, nationwide, placing project engineers through project executives.
They define the role by project type, delivery method, and contract value, then reach passive PMs directly rather than waiting for applicants. They screen real project history instead of keywords, present a short list, and manage the process through the offer. Some, including Northside, also measure whether the hire stays through closeout.
Across the industry, contingency searches typically run about 20 to 25 percent of first-year base salary, and retained searches run higher and are paid in installments. That is an industry range, not a quote. Northside quotes its own terms in writing before a search begins.
It depends on how specific the role is, including sector, delivery method, and travel, and on whether the comp is competitive. Northside moves fast when a start date is fixed, and tells you early if the comp needs to change to fill the seat.
Project engineers, assistant project managers, project managers, senior project managers, project executives, and project directors, plus owner's representative and program management roles. We help match the level to the project's size, delivery method, and risk.
A PM who has only run design-bid-build has not owned GMP buyout or the coordination a design-build job demands. Matching the delivery method to a candidate's real experience reduces ramp-up time and the risk of a hire who struggles on an unfamiliar contract structure.
Yes, nationwide. We run onsite, regional-travel, and rotational searches, and we confirm travel and relocation terms with candidates up front.
No. We're headquartered in Rogers Park, Chicago, and we recruit nationwide, running onsite, regional-travel, and rotational searches across the country. Our open roles page always shows exactly where we're hiring right now.
Tell us what you are building. The first conversation costs nothing and stays between us.