My parents were English majors, and my father’s career was in the military. To say my education in grammar was disciplined would be an understatement. Years later, I married a British woman who speaks “proper English”. We laugh nearly every day at the differences we find when using the same words or phrases. I’m always interested in popular expressions and in our industry, there are plenty. I’m finding, the job title of “Package Manager” is not well known by those outside the project management industry, so here is a brief summary.
A Package Manager on a large mining capital project is accountable for delivering a defined portion (“package”) of the overall scope—such as a tunnel, processing area, water treatment plant, power system, or key infrastructure—from concept and design through procurement, construction, and commissioning, within agreed safety, cost, schedule, quality, and regulatory parameters. The role functions as a “mini project manager” for that slice of work, fully integrated into the wider project team but with clear end‑to‑end responsibility for the assigned package.
In mining and heavy industrial EPC/EPCM environments, a package is a logically grouped unit of work that can be designed, tendered, contracted, executed, and handed over as a semi‑discrete unit. Examples include underground works, surface facilities, non‑process infrastructure, water and sewage systems, power reticulation, camp facilities, and roads and bridges. Structuring a mega‑project into multiple such packages allows better control of risk, interfaces, and contractor performance, especially when different contractors or specialist vendors execute different parts of the project.
The Package Manager’s first major responsibility is scope and technical definition. They lead development of the engineering scope of work, coordinating with internal disciplines (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, infrastructure) and external consultants. They ensure that engineering deliverables—drawings, specifications, models, and calculations—are accurate, coherent, and aligned with project requirements, codes, standards, and permitting conditions. They review and validate engineering work, resolve design bottlenecks, and manage technical issues and clashes that could impact constructability, operability, or integration with adjacent packages.
A second core area is procurement and contract formation. Package Managers help transform engineering outputs into clear, tender‑ready work packages. They assemble the technical portions of tender documents—scope descriptions, drawings, specifications, performance requirements, and interface definitions—for both engineering services and construction contracts. They support the tendering process (rather than leading it) by responding to bidder queries, participating in bid clarifications, and contributing to technical evaluations and recommendations for award. The objective is to ensure the contracted scope is complete, unambiguous, and aligned with project execution strategy, reducing later disputes and changes.
Third, Package Managers own cost, schedule, and risk management at package level. They develop and maintain the package schedule aligned with the integrated master schedule, define milestones, and identify key interfaces and constraints. They track progress, report performance, and work with project controls to forecast outcomes. On the cost front, they monitor commitments and expenditures, review trends, and manage change events such as design changes, field‑initiated changes, and contractor claims, ensuring deviations are captured, analyzed, and controlled through formal change processes.
Fourth, they interface with construction management and oversee quality and HSE for their scope. Package Managers support early contractor involvement, constructability reviews, and scope pre‑planning to de‑risk field execution. During construction, they work with Construction Managers and site teams to resolve technical issues, clarify design intent, and ensure installation complies with design, specifications, and standards. They coordinate access, interfaces, work sequence, and testing across multiple contractors and packages, helping ensure the work is safe, meets quality requirements, and respects environmental and community commitments.
Fifth, Package Managers play a key role in commissioning and handover. They organize their scope into commissioning work packages and collaborate with the commissioning team on pre‑commissioning, commissioning, and performance testing. They ensure that documentation—such as as‑builts, equipment data, O&M manuals, test records, certificates, and approvals—is complete and properly handed over. Increasingly, they also support use of VDC/BIM and other digital tools for model‑based coordination, clash detection, and efficient transfer of digital asset data into operations systems.
Beyond technical tasks, the role demands strong integration and leadership. The Package Manager is the focal point for their scope, interacting with engineering, project services, project controls, environment and permitting, HSE, quality, construction, commissioning, operations, and external stakeholders. They lead coordination and progress meetings, address issues proactively, and escalate decisions when necessary. Effective communication, relationship‑building, and cross‑cultural skills are critical, especially on remote projects with multiple stakeholder groups and Indigenous or community considerations.
Typical background includes an engineering degree (civil, mechanical, electrical, or related), substantial experience—often 10+ years—in mining or heavy industrial projects, and a track record spanning design, project management, and field execution. Formal project management training or certification (such as PMP) is commonly preferred, with success hinging on technical depth, project management discipline, commercial acumen, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in demanding, schedule‑driven environments.
If you are interested in applying for one of our Package Manager roles in British Columbia, please apply here.
Written by John F. Gravel and edited by Perplexity.
IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
UP NEXT
- The Hidden Costs of Attorney-Client Privilege
- Does the Progressive Design Build Model Force Better Scopes?
- Musings About Angie’s List