Chief Operating Officer

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO)Pinehurst, NC | Full-time | On-siteMUST have prior experience with commercial sitework, civil construction, and underground utilities. Experience with a general contractor that self-performs civil/sitework is particularly relevant.OPPORTUNITYWe are a privately owned construction company with civil/sitework operations and a growing building/general contracting business. We are seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead daily operations across both areas, develop the management team, and drive profitable growth.This is a hands-on executive role in a small, owner-led company. You will work closely with field and office employees, visit jobsites, coach leaders, address personnel issues, and take ownership of financial performance. You must be comfortable building the processes and management structure the business needs as it grows.The owner understands his strengths and where he needs support. He is prepared to give this leader full authority over operations and people management, with accountability for results.MANDATEBuild an organization that delivers safe, high-quality, profitable work without depending on the owner’s daily involvement.Lead operations across the civil/sitework and building/GC businesses. Establish clear responsibilities, strengthen project execution, develop capable leaders, and implement practical systems that improve accountability, communication, and financial performance.Partner with the owner during the transition to capture his knowledge and standards, transfer routine operating responsibilities, and build a team that can execute consistently.WHAT YOU WILL OWNCompany-wide operations: Lead daily operations across both businesses, aligning priorities, people, equipment, and resources. Manage multiple concurrent projects and crews while maintaining commitments to customers.Leadership and organizational development: Direct and support the building/GC leader and the civil field leadership team. Assess staffing needs, develop existing talent, and recruit superintendents, foremen, and other leaders as needed. Establish clear reporting relationships and decision-making authority.People management: Own hiring, onboarding, performance expectations, coaching, employee development, and personnel decisions, including terminations. Build a culture of clear communication, respect, and accountability.Project management and controls: Oversee estimating, project planning, scheduling, budgets, resource allocation, change orders, cost forecasting, and closeout. Establish consistent reviews that identify problems early and drive corrective action.Financial performance: Own P&L results and operating budgets. Understand job costs, labor productivity, equipment utilization, overhead, margins, and cash flow. Maintain visibility into the performance of each business and establish consistent treatment of shared costs and resources.Profitable growth: Expand the company’s capacity to execute work successfully while improving earnings and protecting cash flow. Evaluate opportunities against available talent, equipment, working capital, and execution risk.Safety and quality: Hold leaders and crews accountable for safe work practices, project requirements, and quality standards. Address issues promptly and establish practices that reduce recurring problems and rework.Processes and communication: Implement useful procedures, regular operating meetings, and a focused set of performance measures. Ensure field and office teams have the information needed to make decisions and follow through.Owner partnership: Maintain a high-trust relationship with the owner through direct communication, sound judgment, and clear reporting on performance, risks, and priorities.WHO YOU AREYou have led operations in a construction or closely related project-based business and can demonstrate how you improved profitability, developed leaders, and built the capacity to grow.You bring:Operational leadership: Experience managing multiple projects and field crews, with the ability to balance immediate jobsite needs and longer-term business priorities.Financial expertise: Demonstrated P&L responsibility and a strong command of job costing, budgeting, forecasting, margins, and cash flow.A record of profitable growth: Specific examples of increasing earnings and strengthening operating performance as a business expanded.Construction understanding: The ability to evaluate estimates, schedules, project risks, and field performance, and to recognize when specialist input is needed.Team-building ability: Experience hiring strong people, developing supervisors and managers, delegating effectively, and addressing underperformance.Communication and coaching skills: The ability to set clear expectations, give direct feedback respectfully, and mentor employees with different backgrounds and working styles.Emotional maturity: Sound judgment, humility, and the ability to build productive relationships with everyone in a small office and field organization.Ambition and initiative: A desire to take ownership, solve problems, and build a stronger business over time.A practical approach: The ability to introduce structure that improves execution and can be used consistently by the people doing the work.Commercial sitework, civil construction, and underground utility experience are strongly preferred. Experience with a general contractor that self-performs civil/sitework is particularly relevant. Candidates from related industries will be considered when they demonstrate transferable operating expertise, relevant project experience, and the ability to lead effectively in this environment.SUCCESSFirst 90 daysDevelop a clear understanding of the people, active projects, equipment, finances, and opportunities across both businesses. Establish an operating rhythm, clarify responsibilities and decision rights, assess field leadership needs, and recommend a practical organizational and hiring plan.First yearImprove job-cost visibility, project planning, financial reporting, and employee accountability. Strengthen leadership across both businesses and implement a field management structure that can reliably direct crews. Make measurable progress toward reducing the owner’s involvement in routine scheduling, supervision, and personnel decisions.Over timeBuild a company that can take on more work profitably, develop and retain capable leaders, and deliver consistent results without requiring the owner to manage daily execution.COMPENSATIONCompensation will include a base salary and meaningful performance-based upside through an annual operating incentive tied to defined financial and organizational goals, plus a growth incentive tied to operating profit above an agreed baseline.The opportunity is designed for an entrepreneurial leader who wants to participate in the profitable growth they help create.***PLEASE NOTE: ALL CANDIDATES MUST BE AUTHORIZED TO WORK WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ON A PERMANENT BASIS, FOR ANY EMPLOYER, WITHOUT REQUIRING VISA SPONSORSHIP***