Air Conditioning Vice President, Commercial Operations

The Opportunity

What You'll Own

• Estimating and pre-construction: walk commercial properties, evaluate existing systems, scope the right solution (HVAC, roofing, electrical, controls, and plumbing where relevant), and craft value-engineered proposals that win
• Co-selling with the founder: ride along on prospect meetings as the technical authority, help shape pitches around what the property actually needs, support proposal walkthroughs and objection handling
• Sub-contractor bench development: recruit, vet, qualify, and grow a deep network of installation, service, and specialty subs across South Florida & more broadly where our clients are — this is one of the most strategic outputs of the role
• Project handoff and quality oversight: define scope packages for subs, lead kickoffs, monitor execution against sold scope, resolve issues before they become escalations
• Some business development: warm referrals, repeat-customer expansion, vertical-specific outreach, trade association relationships, and partnering with the founder on strategic accounts
• Methodically build the team: as the division scales, hire, mentor, and manage your direct reports — estimators, project managers, account managers, additional subs — at a pace that keeps quality high
• Operating system: stand up the SOPs, templates, sub agreements, scope checklists, QA processes, and AI-augmented workflows that let a small team punch above its weight
• Partner with the founder on go-to-market: vertical focus, pricing strategy, service mix, and how the brand shows up in the commercial market

What You Bring

• 10+ years in residential and commercial mechanical contracting with a wide variety of installation experience: rooftop units, splits, VRF/VRV, chillers (air-cooled and water-cooled), cooling towers, boilers, controls/BAS, ductwork, hydronics, exhaust and ventilation systems
• Deep estimating and pre-construction experience — you can walk a building, read existing equipment, identify what's salvageable and what's not, and build a defensible scope and number
• Hands-on familiarity with a wide range of commercial property types: institutional housing (student housing, senior living, dormitories, government and military housing), office, industrial/warehouse, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and education
• Sub-contractor network in South Florida (or the demonstrated ability to build one quickly through industry relationships)
• Project management chops — you've owned multi-million-dollar mechanical projects from sold to closeout, and you know what good handoff looks like
• Comfortable in a co-selling role: you don't need to be the closer, but you can hold a room with a property manager, GC, or facilities director and earn their trust on technical merit
• Tech-forward mindset: you reach for AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, takeoff platforms, AI proposal tools) to multiply your output, not to replace judgment
• Builder temperament: you are energized by ambiguity and a clean slate, not paralyzed by it. You move methodically — quality over speed
• Florida driver's license, clean record, comfortable on rooftops and in mechanical spaces. Florida-licensed (CMC or equivalent) a strong plus

How This Role Is Different

Compensation

Detail

$130,000 – $170,000 (commensurate with experience and book of relationships)

Up to 20% of base, paid quarterly, tied to division revenue, gross profit, and sub-bench / project delivery KPIs

5.0% of gross profit on all sourced and sold projects

Phantom equity or profit-share package available after Year 1 — meaningful, founder-aligned, structured for the long term

Vehicle to be provided

Laptop, phone, premium AI tool subscriptions (Claude Pro/Teams, ChatGPT, takeoff and proposal software)

Health insurance stipend, paid time off, paid holidays

Owner / Founder

None at hire — grows over time as the division scales

South Florida — hybrid; expect significant time in the field with prospects, clients, subs, and active projects

How to Apply