Vice President Project Operations

The Vice President, Project Operations provides executive leadership for the Project Operations function across multiple regions, operating companies, and project delivery teams. This role is responsible for driving strategic growth, operational excellence, safety, customer satisfaction, project execution, profitability, talent development, and organizational scalability.

The VP of Project Operations will lead a high-performing team of regional project leaders, project managers, engineers, coordinators, and support functions to ensure successful project delivery while achieving financial objectives and supporting Smart Care’s long-term growth strategy.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and operational leader with a proven track record of scaling project-based businesses, managing significant P&L responsibility, developing leaders, optimizing operational performance, and building strong customer and vendor partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and execute the national Project Operations strategy aligned with organizational objectives and growth initiatives.
• Provide executive oversight for all project-related operations, ensuring consistency in execution, quality, safety, and customer outcomes across all markets.
• Partner with executive leadership to identify and execute strategic growth opportunities, new market expansion, and operational improvements.
• Establish and drive key performance indicators (KPIs) focused on revenue growth, profitability, operational efficiency, project execution, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead organizational transformation initiatives that improve scalability, technology adoption, and operational excellence.

Financial Management & Business Performance

• Maintain full accountability for Project Operations financial performance, including revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, working capital, backlog management, and overall P&L results.
• Lead the annual operating planning process, budget development, forecasting, and long-range strategic planning.
• Monitor project portfolio performance and implement corrective actions to ensure financial commitments are achieved.
• Drive disciplined project review processes to improve profitability, risk management, and execution consistency.
• Present monthly, quarterly, and annual business performance reviews to executive leadership.

Project Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Provide executive oversight of project lifecycle management, including estimating, engineering, procurement, scheduling, construction, commissioning, billing, and closeout activities.
• Ensure standardized project management methodologies, execution disciplines, and operational processes are implemented across the organization.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to improve productivity, project cycle times, labor utilization, and customer outcomes.
• Oversee large-scale, complex projects and provide executive support on strategic customer engagements.
• Ensure timely and accurate project backlog reviews and resource planning processes.

Safety & Compliance Leadership

• Champion a culture of safety and accountability throughout all project operations.
• Ensure compliance with company safety standards, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
• Lead injury prevention initiatives, risk mitigation strategies, and incident response efforts.
• Foster a culture where safety remains a core operational value and business priority.

Talent & Organizational Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Project Operations leadership team.
• Establish succession planning, leadership development, and workforce planning strategies.
• Drive talent acquisition, retention, and employee engagement initiatives across the organization.
• Coach and mentor directors, managers, and emerging leaders to strengthen organizational capabilities.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement.

Customer & Business Development

• Develop and maintain executive-level relationships with key customers, general contractors, strategic partners, and vendors.
• Collaborate with Sales and Business Development teams to support growth initiatives and improve customer retention.
• Lead executive customer reviews and proactively address customer satisfaction opportunities.
• Partner with project leaders to identify opportunities for service agreement growth and recurring revenue expansion.
• Develop and strengthen strategic subcontractor and supplier relationships to support business scalability and project execution capacity.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, or related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience within project-based organizations.
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing managers and multi-functional teams.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale project operations with significant revenue and P&L responsibility.
• Proven experience driving operational improvements, process optimization, and business growth initiatives.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, profitability management, and strategic planning.
• Experience developing high-performing teams and leadership succession pipelines.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead organizational change.
• Experience in commercial HVAC, refrigeration, mechanical construction, foodservice equipment, industrial services, construction, or related industries.
• Ability to travel up to 40%.

Preferred

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Engineering, or related field.
• Experience leading multi-location or national project operations teams.
• Thorough understanding of the order-to-cash project lifecycle, including sales, estimating, engineering, procurement, scheduling, construction, commissioning, billing, and collections.
• Experience implementing project management systems, ERP platforms, and operational technologies.
• Strong knowledge of project scheduling methodologies, work breakdown structures, resource planning, and project controls.
• PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, or other project and operational excellence certifications.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully integrating acquisitions and scaling operational teams.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Financial Acumen
• Change Management
• Executive Presence
• Operational Excellence
• Customer Focus
• Talent Development
• Results Orientation
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Decision Making & Problem Solving
• Collaboration & Influence
• Integrity & Accountability

Success Measures

The Vice President, Project Operations will be evaluated on:

• Revenue growth and project backlog expansion
• EBITDA and gross margin performance
• Safety performance and incident reduction
• Customer satisfaction and retention
• Project execution quality and schedule adherence
• Talent retention and leadership development
• Operational efficiency improvements
• Strategic initiative execution and business scalability

This position serves as the senior operational leader for Project Operations and plays a critical role in driving Smart Care’s growth, profitability, customer experience, and operational excellence across the enterprise.