Assistant Construction Manager - Arlington, VA

At Cortland, we operate with a forward-thinking approach that challenges conventional norms and actively seeks insights beyond traditional industry boundaries. As a recognized leader in the multifamily sector, our focus on performance, innovation, and disciplined execution continues to drive strong growth and market leadership. We are committed to building a best-in-class organization by empowering top talent with the resources, autonomy, and support needed to deliver results and advance their careers in a high-performance environment.

Role Overview 

As the Assistant Construction Manager, you’ll support the planning and execution of renovations, new construction, and capital projects across a multi‑million‑dollar multifamily portfolio. Your coordination and jobsite partnership directly improve quality, cost control, and schedule performance - resulting in projects delivered on time, on budget, and built to last. 

Construction & Field Execution 

• Support the execution of renovation, new construction, and capital projects across a multifamily portfolio, partnering closely with the Construction Manager in the field and office. 

• Work alongside contractors and vendors on active job sites to ensure scopes are understood, standards are met, and work progresses safely and efficiently. 

• Participate in due‑diligence and property condition walks, assessing renovation needs, estimating repair costs, and documenting findings to support project planning. 

• Apply accepted construction practices, codes, permitting requirements, and market pricing to support compliant, cost‑effective project delivery. 

Project Coordination & Documentation 

• Coordinate day‑to‑day project activities, including schedules, take‑offs, logs, and change orders, keeping contractors and internal stakeholders aligned. 

• Track project progress and communicate updates, risks, and recommendations to property management and senior leaders. 

• Assist in delivering projects on time, within budget, and to quality standards by proactively managing details and resolving issues as they arise. 

• Support design and pre‑construction efforts, including schematic layouts, construction drawings, specifications, scopes of work, and pricing documents. 

Contractor & Team Coordination 

• Support the procurement of construction services, including bid reviews, contract awards, and buyouts, helping assemble reliable project teams. 

• Assist with contractor onboarding by setting clear expectations, coordinating access and documentation, and helping new partners ramp quickly. 

• Coordinate and inspect contractor work, identifying opportunities to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and cost control. 

• Build strong working relationships with contractors and vendors to promote accountability, collaboration, and consistent performance throughout the project lifecycle. 

Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business Management, Architecture, or a related field. 

• Proven experience in real estate or construction, preferably within multifamily renovation or new construction. 

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate projects across multiple phases of construction. 

• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and cost‑management skills. 

• Effective communicator able to work with property teams, contractors, and senior leadership. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project); experience with Timberline preferred 

About Cortland

Founded in 2005, Cortland is an international, vertically integrated multifamily real estate investment, development, and management firm with a resident-centric approach to living experiences. Recognized as one of the top 10 multifamily owners and operators in the US, Cortland combines in-house design, construction, and operations to deliver value and innovation across its portfolio.

Join us as we reimagine apartment living and drive outsized returns through purpose, performance, and people.

Cortland is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud to support and celebrate diversity in the workplace. We are committed to equal consideration for all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a disability and need an accommodation or assistance with the application process and/or using our website, please email Careers@cortland.com

Cortland is a drug-free workplace.

Cortland participates in e-verify to verify the employment status of all persons hired to work in the United States.

California Applicant Privacy Notice
We collect personal information from all job applicants, including identifiers (e.g., name, contact details), professional or employment information (e.g., résumé, work history, qualifications), and education information. This information is used for recruiting, evaluating your candidacy, conducting interviews, and managing the application process.

California residents may request access to or deletion of their personal information by contacting us at careers@cortland.com

GDPR Statement

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected by Cortland (“Controller”), which is located at 3424 Peachtree RD NE Suite 300 Atlanta, GA and can be contacted by emailing careers@cortland.com because Controller wishes to evaluate your candidacy for employment at Controller. Your personal data was either obtained from publicly available sources (e.g. LinkedIn) or provided to Controller by someone who referred you for potential employment. Controller’s data protection officer is Greg Shultz, who can be contacted at Greg.Shultz@cortland.com. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller’s recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment.

Your personal data has been shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller’s behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data has been transferred to the United States. Because the European Union Commission has determined that United States data privacy laws do not ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data collected from EU data subjects, the transfer was subject to appropriate additional safeguards under [either the standard contractual clauses or the Privacy Shield]. You can obtain a copy of the standard contractual clauses by contacting us at careers@cortland.com

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment. Under the GDPR, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have to right to data portability. In addition, you may lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority.