Project Manager, Construction And Store Development

Reports To:
Senior Director, ConstructionLocation:
Greater Toronto Area – hybrid, with travel across the store networkAbout the Role
Our Director of Construction still builds stores himself. That is how the role was defined when FIKA was small, and it worked. At our current size and growth rate it is the constraint — the person who should be planning the program is on a site with tools in his hands.We are hiring a Project Manager to take that work over — and to take it over quickly. The goal is a complete handover of site execution within 90 days.What makes this role different from a standard retail PM: our hardest projects are not new stores. They are multi-store programs delivered in live trading environments — banner rebrands, concept conversions, renovations, and VM and fixture programs. Every shop is a different size and layout, so a program that looks like rinse-and-repeat on paper turns into a different plan in every store, and the doors stay open while the work happens. That is where the time goes, and that is where we need the most help.You will also put the preliminary design together yourself. Not permit drawings — external consultants produce our formal and sealed sets. But the site capture, the layout, the fixture plan that a designer takes formal. Today that step queues behind one person, and it is where projects lose their first two weeks.This is a role with range. You will run new store openings, rebrands, renovations and special projects side by side, because in any given month the pressure moves. As FIKA grows and as your own strengths become clear, the function is expected to split into two lanes — new store development on one side, rebrands and special projects on the other — and you will help decide where that line falls.What You’ll Own
Site Capture and Preliminary Design
Walk a site — often on short possession notice — and capture everything a design and a plan require in a single visit: measurements, existing conditions, services, constraints, photographs.Produce preliminary floor plans and fixture layouts in AutoCAD, SketchUp or equivalent — good enough to brief a designer, price the work and start the permit path.Brief, manage and hold accountable the external architects, designers and engineers who produce our formal permit sets;
review and redline whatcomes back.Read drawings critically in the field. Walk a new build and know whether it is being built correctly and to drawing — before it becomes a deficiency list.You will not be producing sealed or permit-stamped drawings, and no BCIN or professional designation is required.Multi-Store Programs and Live-Store Projects
This is the heaviest lift in the role.Own rebrands, renovations, concept conversions and VM/fixture programs running across multiple stores at once.Solve the per-store variation problem: translate one program into a site-specific plan for every location — what fits, what changes, what gets ordered, what the millwork has to do differently in that footprint.Plan and sequence work around trading hours. Phasing, after-hours work, hoarding and safe separation, and keeping the store selling while the work happens.Build the repeatable kit — per-store survey templates, scope sheets, fixture schedules, standard details and site instructions — so the third wave takes less time than the first, rather than the same.Carry the communication load these programs create, internally and with vendors. Multi-store work lives or dies on planning and follow-up.New Store Openings
Walk a site — often on short possession notice — and capture everything a design and a plan require in a single visit: measurements, existing conditions, services, constraints, photographs.Produce preliminary floor plans and fixture layouts in AutoCAD, SketchUp or equivalent — good enough to brief a designer, price the work and start the permit path.Brief, manage and hold accountable the external architects, designers and engineers who produce our formal permit sets;
review and redline whatcomes back.Read drawings critically in the field. Walk a new build and know whether it is being built correctly and to drawing — before it becomes a deficiency list.You will not be producing sealed or permit-stamped drawings, and no BCIN or professional designation is required.Trades and Vendor Management
Source, qualify and manage general contractors, millworkers, signage vendors and trades across every market we operate in;
build a reliable bench and hold it to standard.Run tender and award: write scopes of work, issue RFPs, level bids properly, recommend award, and manage contracts.Hold vendors to their commitments. Push back on unjustified change orders, challenge pricing, and have the direct conversation when a date slips — firmly, and in a way that keeps a bench we re-use across hundreds of stores.Negotiate rate cards and standing agreements where our volume justifies them.Budget and Capital Control
Build and own project budgets from concept estimate to final cost. Track committed versus actual, forecast to complete, and explain every variance before you are asked.Control change orders, progress draws, holdbacks and invoices.Build cost-per-store benchmarks by project type and province, and feed capex planning with numbers we can rely on.Working with the Coordinator
Direct our Project Coordinator on vendor ordering, scheduling, internal notifications (IT and security on openings), vendor compliance documentation and project tracking.Train the Coordinator on routine site checks for multi-store projects — what to look for, what to capture — so those visits stop coming back to you and to the Director.Routine repairs and maintenance, including HVAC and fire system servicing, sit with the Coordinator. You own escalated and capital-level work only.Reporting
Produce a weekly project dashboard: status by store, key dates, risks, decisions needed and spend against budget.Escalate early and clearly. Surprises are expensive in this function.Who You Are
Organized to a fault.
You can carry fifteen to twenty live files and know the status of everyone without looking it up.Direct.
You are comfortable telling a GC their number is wrong or their crew is behind, and you say it to them rather than around them.Field-credible.
Trades take you seriously because you understand how the work actually gets built, not just how it appears on a schedule.Commercially sharp.
You read a quote and see where the money is.Quick to take the wheel.
You start as the second set of eyes on site and become the first — in weeks.Calm when it goes sideways.
Something always does.What You’ll Bring
Required
5–8 years managing construction projects end to end, ideally in multi-site retail, QSR, hospitality, franchise or another high-volume rollout environment.Enough autonomy to be running your own sites inside the first month. This role has a compressed ramp — we need site execution handed over within 90 days, not a year.Ability to produce preliminary floor plans and fixture layouts yourself in AutoCAD, SketchUp or equivalent. This is a core requirement — samples will be requested. Formal permit drawings stay with external consultants.Proven ability to read, interpret and redline construction drawing sets across disciplines, and to verify built work against them on site.Experience delivering projects in live, trading retail environments — phasing, after-hours work, and keeping a store open and safe through construction.Experience running a program across multiple sites at once, not just one project at a time.Working knowledge of the Ontario Building Code and the municipal permit process, and the judgment to know when a project requires professional design or a sealed drawing.Demonstrated trade and vendor management: tendering, bid levelling, contract and change order control, and holding contractors to schedule and cost.Strong budget discipline — estimating, cost tracking, forecasting and variance reporting.Excellent organization and written communication across many concurrent files and stakeholders.Advanced Excel;
comfort with project scheduling and tracking tools.Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel. Expect 30–40% in the first year as you take over site visits, easing as routine checks move to the Coordinator. Includes overnight and out-of-province travel.Post-secondary education in Construction Management, Architectural or Civil/Building Engineering Technology, Interior Design or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience. A trade background with project management progression is welcome.Strong Assets
Store planning, retail design-build, or fixture and millwork program experience.Experience across multiple provinces and permit jurisdictions (AB, MB, SK, BC, YT).Cannabis, pharmacy, financial services or another regulated retail format where store design carries compliance obligations.Experience integrating acquired stores — surveying an unfamiliar portfolio quickly and building a scope and cost plan from it.Gold Seal, CET, PMP, CAPM or an equivalent credential.Why you’ll love working here
The people who do best here are builders. They take ownership, move fast, and want to see the direct impact of their work.Volume and variety:
A ~270-store network across six provinces and a territory means you will not run the same project twice.Real ownership
A small, senior team, direct exposure to the executive group, and decisions that get made in days rather than quarters.A function you help build:
You are the first PM in a team that is about to grow, and you will help define the seat that comes after yours.Competitive Base & Benefits (Canada):
Competitive base plus a 15% annual bonus and a vehicle/travel allowance. Comprehensive benefits including paid time off, group benefits, and employee discounts across portfolio brands.
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