Vice President Operations - Civil

The Company

Talent Authority Partners (TAP) is conducting a confidential search for an established specialty civil construction contractor serving infrastructure projects across the Southeast. We are working directly with the CEO to hire a VP of Operations who will strengthen field execution and build the operating practices needed for continued growth.

The company is investing in leadership, systems, and employee development. You will have a direct role in turning those investments into better crew productivity, more reliable schedules, and stronger project results.

We will share the company name and additional details during your one-on-one video interview with TAP.

Your Team

You will report to the CEO and lead project managers, with responsibility extending through superintendents, foremen, and field supervision. You will partner with estimating, finance, HR, and the shop and logistics team. The broader leadership structure will evolve as the business grows.

Your Role

You will own execution after a project is awarded. Your first priorities are crew scheduling, production performance, and installation quality: matching crews to the right work, keeping them productive, and addressing problems before they erode job margins.

You will spend time in the field to understand how work gets built, then turn that knowledge into practical standards, training, and reporting. This is an opportunity to take meaningful operating responsibility from the CEO and develop the people and processes that support a larger business.

Expect a typical 40–50-hour workweek, frequent Southeast job-site day trips, and approximately one overnight trip every other week. Office and field presence are central, especially while building relationships; work from home is available when the work allows. Relocation timing can be discussed.

Responsibilities

• Own crew scheduling across concurrent projects, adjusting assignments as customer needs, site readiness, and capacity change.
• Set production targets and use labor hours, installed quantities, and job-cost data to improve productivity and protect margins.
• Lead project managers through job setup, scheduling, change orders, billing support, customer escalations, and closeout.
• Carry bid budgets and production assumptions into field execution through a consistent estimating-to-operations handoff.
• Coordinate equipment, materials, trucks, and mobilizations with the shop and logistics team to reduce avoidable downtime.
• Develop field leaders and establish repeatable installation, onboarding, and cross-training practices.
• Report operating performance to the CEO, including schedule adherence, job margins, utilization, and customer outcomes.
• Uphold site safety, contract requirements, and accurate labor reporting, partnering with finance and payroll on prevailing-wage compliance.

Minimum Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive construction operations leadership with direct responsibility for self-performed field crews.
• Highway, heavy civil, or Department of Transportation (DOT) subcontracting experience
• Experience leading project managers or equivalent field leaders; a project manager overseeing multiple superintendents at a larger contractor can qualify.
• Demonstrated improvement in crew productivity and execution across multiple concurrent projects and locations.
• Strong scheduling and resource-planning skills, with the ability to use production metrics and job-cost data to make decisions.
• Construction judgment to evaluate installation methods, diagnose missed production targets, and hold teams accountable.
• Credibility with general contractors and public owners, including clear communication and effective issue resolution.
• Ability to maintain the required office and field presence and regular multistate travel, including overnight stays.

Nice to Have

• Experience creating repeatable field training and cross-training programs.
• A bachelor’s degree; equivalent field and leadership experience is equally valued.

Compensation

Base Salary: $175 - $220k

Bonus: $75k