Project Lead Jobs in Columbia, SC
Project Lead jobs in Columbia, South Carolina are active across the Main Street corridor, the Vista, and the Midlands technology and healthcare districts, with demand concentrated in government contracting, healthcare systems, and information technology. Employers hiring right now include American business solutions, Thomas & Hutton, and EMCOR. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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What We're Looking For
At HNTB, you can create a career that is meaningful to you while building communities that matter to all of us. For over 110 years, we have been delivering solutions for some of the largest, most complex infrastructure projects across the country. With our historic growth, it is an exciting time to join our team of employee-owners.
As the Traffic Project Manager, you will be responsible for leading HNTB’s traffic analyses, traffic forecasts, and traffic modeling efforts for our clients in South Carolina. You will be responsible for managing projects, tasks, budgets, and client engagement and expectations for traffic engineering tasks and deliverables. The role will include leveraging technical expertise and leadership experience to deliver quality projects on time, within budget and to the client’s satisfaction. HNTB's strengths lie in leading complex, multi-disciplined projects, which requires strong leadership from and collaboration among our discipline managers. This opportunity also includes leading, mentoring, training, and reviewing work of members of our current team of professionals.
What You'll Do:
Responsible for development of the project scope and fee quotation and assists in the preparation of technical proposals and contracts in accordance with HNTB's Sophisticated Contracting Approach (SCA).
Serves as the primary client liaison and manages the project team to deliver the scope, schedule, and budgets to completion and to the client’s satisfaction. Assists with client project scoping and contract negotiations.
Performs technical discipline tasks including analysis, reports, design, specification, and production for assigned projects.
Implements the firm’s project delivery plan using HNTB's Sophisticated Delivery Approach (SDA) on each project. Leads the development and the execution of the project management plan. Supervises and mentors team to overall project objectives.
Performs coordination with managers on project staffing, including, but not limited to; recruitment, development, retention, and succession of project staff; development of plan for project staff reporting; and support for performance and compensation reviews.
Partners with Client Service Leaders and pursuit champions to assist with business development, building client relationships, and pursuit efforts for strategic and mini-mega projects in accordance with HNTB's Sophisticated Sales Approach (SSA). Works with the project team and marketing resources to prepare appropriate proposal and presentation materials. Leads proposal development and interview presentations for strategic and mini-mega projects to the client as well as general presentations within the industry and community.
May be responsible for the recruitment, hiring, development, and retention of staff, including development of plan for staff reporting, performance and compensation reviews, and succession.
Performs other duties as assigned.
What You'll Need:
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 8 years of relevant experience
2 years task management or Deputy PM experience
What You'll Bring:
Successfully delivering 4for4 (on-time, on-budget, quality, client satisfaction) on all projects. Identifying risks and mitigation measures with oversight from more experienced staff.
Using system tools to manage, monitor, and deliver projects or task orders.
Leveraging the Office Management Team to assist in implementing HNTB Sophisticated processes as applicable to the project.
Interfacing with your client-level peer on a projects and task orders.
Providing technical guidance to team and task leads as well as performing portions of the technical work.
What We Prefer:
10 years relevant experience
Professional Engineer (PE) certification
Proficiency in Traffic Analysis tools like Synchro, HCS, VISSIM, TransModeler, TransCad, and Sidra
Previous project management or task management experience
Additional Information
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
#JS #Traffic
Locations:
Columbia, SC, North Charleston, SC
NOTICE TO THIRD-PARTY AGENCIES:
HNTB does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or agencies. Any staffing/employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume to this site does so with the understanding that the applicant's resume will become the property of HNTB. HNTB will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion and without any fee owed to the submitting staffing/employment agency, person or entity. Staffing/employment agencies who have fee agreements with HNTB must submit applicants to the designated HNTB recruiter to be eligible for placement fees.
Job Type: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full time
Job Category: Engineering Group
ReqID: R-30723
Equal Employment Opportunity & Disability Accessibility Statement
HNTB provides a fair and equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, or other status protected by law. The HNTB Companies ensure nondiscrimination in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Any applicant with limited English proficiency or a qualifying physical or mental disability who believes they require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact us at ReasonableAccommodations@HNTB.com or call 816-527-2600 for assistance. HNTB will make determinations on requests for accommodations on a case-by-case basis.
Hearing and speech impaired individuals who seek assistance or accommodation in applying for a position via TTY, may dial 711 in the United States. Instruct the TTY operator to call 888-400-4682 and select option 5 for TTY service. Please indicate to the HNTB agent that you are a candidate seeking assistance in the job application process.
Please note that The HNTB Companies will not accept any resume submitted via this email address. To properly submit your application to the HNTB Companies, and to ensure that our recruiters have immediate access to your resume/CV, please search our open positions online, and apply directly through our careers website.
Thank you for considering HNTB for your career opportunities.
Affirmative Action Policy Statement
HNTB has implemented the following policy as part of its longstanding commitment to compliance with all applicable affirmative action requirements. HNTB agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, this Affirmative Action Policy.
HNTB is a federal contractor subject to Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended (“Section 4212”) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (“Section 503”). Accordingly, it is HNTB’s policy to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment protected veterans (disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, Armed Forces Service Medal veterans, or active-duty wartime or campaign badge veterans) and individuals with disabilities at all levels of employment, including the executive level. HNTB also will provide reasonable accommodation to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified employee or applicant for employment with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose undue hardship on the operation of HNTB. In order to request a reasonable accommodation, employees should contact the HR Solutions Center at General Policy Inquiry - Employee Center and applicants should contact ReasonableAccommodations@HNTB.com.
HNTB will recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals in all job titles, and will ensure that all other personnel actions are administered, without regard to an individual’s protected veteran or disability status. All employment decisions will be based only on valid job requirements. In addition, employees and applicants shall not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination because they have engaged in or may engage in any of the following activities: (1) filing a complaint; (2) assisting or participating in an investigation, compliance evaluation, hearing, or any other activity related to the administration of any Federal, State, or local law requiring equal opportunity for protected veterans or individuals with disabilities; (3) opposing any act or practice made unlawful by Section 4212, Section 503, their implementing regulations, or any other Federal, State, or local law requiring equal opportunity for protected veterans or individuals with disabilities; or (4) exercising any other right protected by Section 4212, Section 503, or their implementing regulations.
The non-confidential portions of the affirmative action program for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities shall be available for inspection upon request by any employee or applicant for employment. These plans are available for review upon request during normal business hours. Any questions or requests to review should be directed to your Human Resources Partner.
As Chief Executive Officer, I fully support our affirmative action program and am committed to the implementation of the company’s affirmative action policy. I have delegated overall responsibility for this policy to the Business Integrity Director. The Manager of HR Compliance & Immigration is responsible for the implementation, auditing, and reporting of this policy and program, assisted by the office’s Human Resources Partner.
HNTB employees must comply with this policy and report any violations of illegal discrimination, as specified in the Integrity Reporting policy.
For Questions or Additional Information
For more information on this policy, please contact the HR Solutions Center, General Policy Inquiry - Employee Center, 888-400-4682.
Robert J. Slimp, CEO
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Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services21
- Technology & Software4
- Construction & Real Estate4
- Healthcare & Medical Services4
- Manufacturing1
Project Lead Jobs in Columbia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a project lead job in Columbia?
Focus on Columbia's strongest hiring sectors: state and federal government contracting, health systems anchored around the Midlands medical corridor, and IT services firms clustered near Fort Jackson and the downtown technology corridor. Candidates who demonstrate experience coordinating cross-functional teams in regulated or government-adjacent environments stand out here. PMP certification or Agile credentials add measurable weight in this market.
Which companies hire project leads in Columbia?
Companies currently hiring project leads in Columbia include American business solutions, Thomas & Hutton, and EMCOR, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. Columbia's employer mix skews toward government contractors, regional health networks, and technology services firms serving state agencies.
Are there remote project lead jobs in Columbia?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on role type. Project leads managing physical construction, facilities, or on-site operations are almost always required in person, while those overseeing software delivery, IT implementations, or policy programs have more remote flexibility. About 28% of project lead openings tied to Columbia are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, with hybrid arrangements most common among technology and consulting employers in the downtown and Midlands corridor.
How can I get a project lead job in Columbia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Columbia is moving into a project coordinator or junior project analyst role at a state agency or a government contracting firm, where structured project environments and mentorship are common. University of South Carolina graduate programs and local professional development through the PMI Midlands chapter connect early-career candidates with those employers. Demonstrating ownership of even small deliverables, an internship, or volunteer coordination work substantially improves your candidacy here.
Which industries hire the most project leads in Columbia?
Columbia project lead roles concentrate in Consulting & Professional Services, Technology & Software, and Construction & Real Estate, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. Columbia's role as South Carolina's capital drives sustained demand from state government agencies and the contractors, health systems, and technology vendors that support them.
Related Jobs in South Carolina
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