Carpentry & Joinery Project Manager (Unique Position)

Carpentry & Joinery Project Manager

Melwood Joinery (Built by MD Group) – Melbourne VIC

Melwood Joinery is not your typical contractor.

We are one of Melbourne's only businesses that both manufacture joinery in-house and deliver full carpentry & joinery site installation, giving us complete control.

We design, build and install commercial joinery and carpentry fitouts for Tier 3 builders across education, sport and commercial fitout projects — jobs ranging from $100k to $1.5m. Five years in, we're an established, growing operation with a strong order book and a genuine reputation for quality — we just need the right person to lock in delivery discipline as we scale.

The Role

This is a genuine gap in our business, not a box-ticking hire. We need someone who owns a job from handover through to final install — chasing shop drawing sign-off, getting materials ordered on time, keeping the program honest, and being the one point of accountability between the client, the factory floor, and site.

Right now, jobs run without a dedicated PM driving the front end — and that's the single biggest thing costing us on-time delivery. You'll fix that. You'll report directly to our Managing Director and Production Manager, giving you real visibility and backing at the top of the business — not buried in a layer of admin.

You'll also have our Project Supervisor working alongside you, supporting you on the ground. Part of this role is taking the Project Supervisor under your wing — showing them how a well-run job actually operates, so they grow into a stronger supervisor and you build a right-hand support as you go. You're not just running jobs, you're shaping how Melwood runs them going forward, and building the next person up while you do it.

You'll be responsible for:

• Managing multiple joinery and carpentry projects from handover to completion

• Driving shop drawing approvals and material procurement to hit factory release dates — no more late starts blowing the program

• Coordinating between estimating, drafting, the factory floor and site install crews

• Running client and builder communication on program, variations and progress

• Mentoring our Project Supervisor, who'll work alongside you and learn the ropes of running a job under your guidance

• Flagging program risk, scope creep and variations before they become a problem — not after

You'll bring:

• Proven project management experience in joinery, carpentry, or commercial fitout

• Ability to read and interrogate shop drawings and technical detail

• A trade or technical background preferred — you need to know when a program date is realistic and when it isn't

• Strong builder and client-facing communication

• Someone who chases dates, not someone who waits to be chased

Why Join Melwood / MD Group

• Work across both manufacturing and construction — not just one side

• Be part of a well-established group (~$20M business) with strong systems and pipeline

• Long-term role with real growth and leadership potential

• Tight-knit team that values accountability, communication, and results