Director of Construction

Summit Search Group; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Summit Search Group has been retained by a leading Canadian infrastructure company to recruit a Director, Construction in Manitoba. This senior leader will own the P&L for the construction and paving operations across multiple sites, drive revenue growth and margin, and ensure safe, on-time, on-budget project delivery.

The role requires strong financial discipline, strategic budgeting, and the ability to manage complex client relationships with municipalities and regulatory agencies.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in heavy civil construction, road building, paving, or infrastructure operations.
• 5+ years in a multi-site leadership role with direct P&L accountability.
• Strong financial acumen and ability to read job costing reports, financial statements, and KPIs.
• Post-secondary education in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Business or related field; willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Own the P&L for the business unit, with full accountability for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, and cost performance; develop and manage the annual budget and forecasts.
• Oversee planning, scheduling, and execution of construction and paving projects across multiple sites.
• Champion a strong safety culture, ensuring compliance with HSE policies and regulations; conduct site visits and audits.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Site and Operations Managers, Superintendents, Project Managers, and field leadership.
• Serve as senior point of contact for key clients, municipalities, and regulatory agencies; manage contracts and disputes.

Skills

Heavy civil construction

P&L ownership

Leadership

Financial acumen

Education

Civil Engineering / Construction Management / Business

Job description

Summit Search Group has been retained by a leading, vertically integrated Canadian infrastructure company on the recruitment of a Director, Construction. This organization delivers end-to-end infrastructure solutions spanning construction, materials production, engineering, and infrastructure services for public and private sector clients across Canada, playing a critical role in building and maintaining the transportation, utility, and municipal infrastructure that supports communities and economic growth from coast to coast.

With a market-leading platform that includes construction, aggregates, paving, concrete, environmental services, and infrastructure maintenance, the organization is recognized for its entrepreneurial culture, strong commitment to safety, and proven ability to deliver complex, large-scale infrastructure programs reliably and at scale. The company is among the fastest-growing infrastructure businesses in Canada, offering senior leaders genuine scope, accountability, and a clear growth trajectory.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Regional Vice President, the Director, Construction is the senior operating leader for a defined business unit in Manitoba, with full profit and loss (P&L) accountability for construction and paving operations across multiple active sites. This is a significant operational leadership mandate: the Director owns revenue growth, margin performance, capital discipline, and day-to-day execution, ensuring all projects are delivered safely, on schedule, on budget, and to the organization’s quality standards.

The Director sets annual budgets and financial targets, drives accountability across site and project leadership, and makes resourcing, investment, and pricing decisions to protect and grow profitability. The role serves as the critical link between senior regional leadership and site-level operations, translating corporate strategy into consistent, disciplined, and financially accountable execution across all sites and crews. Regular travel to project sites across the region is required.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the P&L for the business unit, with full accountability for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, and cost performance; develop and manage the annual budget and financial forecasts, analyze monthly results against targets, and drive corrective action on variances to protect margin and cash flow across all sites.
• Oversee the planning, scheduling, and execution of construction and paving projects across multiple sites simultaneously, proactively monitoring production rates, utilization, and cost controls to ensure delivery meets contractual, quality, and client requirements.
• Champion a strong safety culture across the entire business unit, ensuring full compliance with HSE policies and applicable regulations; conduct regular site visits and safety audits, hold teams accountable for safe work practices, and partner with the HSE function to drive continuous improvement in safety performance.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Site and Operations Managers, Superintendents, Project Managers, and field leadership, building a culture of accountability, financial ownership, and safety; drive recruitment, performance management, and succession planning to build bench strength across the business unit.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for key clients, municipalities, and regulatory agencies, maintaining strong relationships that support repeat business and representing the organization in contract negotiations, claims, and dispute resolution to protect commercial, financial, and reputational interests.
• Drive continuous improvement across sites through process standardization, technology adoption, and sharing of best practices; collaborate with estimating and business development teams on bid strategy, pricing, and pre-construction planning to support profitable regional growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in heavy civil construction, road building, paving, or infrastructure operations, including at least 5 years in a multi-site leadership role with direct P&L accountability.
• Demonstrated success owning and managing a P&L of significant scale, including budgeting, forecasting, margin management, and operational financial reporting at the business unit level.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent sites, crews, and project portfolios in a fast-paced construction environment, with strong financial acumen and the ability to read and act on job costing reports, financial statements, and operational KPIs.
• Deep knowledge of construction methods, equipment, materials, and applicable health, safety, and environmental regulations in a heavy civil or infrastructure context.
• Strong people leadership and organizational development skills, with demonstrated experience building, developing, and retaining high-performing multi-site operations teams; excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Post-secondary education in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent industry experience will be considered; valid driver’s license and willingness to travel regularly to project sites across the region required.

Summit Search Group has a strong commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. We strive for continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing bias throughout our process.