Director of Field Operations

Socket.dev; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev seeks an experienced Director of Field Operations to lead enterprise field construction across EPCM-led and owner-led projects. This senior leader will build a high-performing field organization, set execution standards, deploy qualified resources, monitor performance, and strengthen the company’s overall construction capability.

The role requires directing field leaders, coordinating with owners, engineering and procurement teams, and driving continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 20 years of progressive construction and field operations experience.
• Experience in complex industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, data center, life sciences, commercial, or similar environments.
• Significant EPC, EPCM, construction management, or owner-led delivery experience.
• Proven success leading large field organizations and multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong experience in craft labor management, workforce planning, construction planning, field productivity, safety, quality, and mobilization.
• Experience coordinating owner, engineering, procurement, subcontractor, vendor, and trade partner interfaces.
• Experience developing field operating systems, governance processes, and organizational capability.
• Proven ability to assess operational risks and support project recovery.
• Strong executive communication, leadership, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to travel to active project sites and company locations as required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise Field Operations organization and set performance expectations.
• Establish consistent construction standards, processes, and governance across projects.
• Forecast, allocate, and deploy field leadership resources across multiple concurrent projects.
• Provide operational oversight and support to Project Directors, Construction Managers, General Superintendents, Superintendents, and field teams.
• Review construction execution plans, staffing strategies, site logistics, work packaging, and project readiness.
• Monitor safety, quality, productivity, schedule, staffing, and overall operational performance.
• Conduct project start-up, operational health, and recovery reviews, and intervene when at risk.
• Coordinate field execution with owners, engineering, procurement, project controls, vendors, subcontractors, and trade partners.
• Promote constructability, work readiness, short-interval planning, proactive constraint removal, and effective turnover planning.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain senior field leaders while strengthening succession readiness.
• Advance digital field systems, lessons learned, process standardization, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Executive leadership

Field operations leadership

Strategic planning

Risk assessment

Communication

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management / engineering

Tools

BIM-enabled execution

Job description

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Director of Field Operationsto provide enterprise leadership for field construction operations across a portfolio of complex EPCM-led and owner-led projects. This senior leader will build and manage a high-performing field organization, establish execution standards, deploy qualified resources, monitor project performance, and strengthen the company’s overall construction capability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise Field Operations organization and establish clear performance expectations.
• Establish consistent construction execution standards, processes, and governance across projects.
• Forecast, allocate, and deploy field leadership resources across multiple concurrent projects.
• Provide operational oversight and support to Project Directors, Construction Managers, General Superintendents, Superintendents, and field teams.
• Review construction execution plans, staffing strategies, site logistics, work packaging, and project readiness.
• Monitor safety, quality, productivity, schedule, staffing, and overall operational performance.
• Conduct project start-up, operational health, and recovery reviews, and intervene when projects are operationally at risk.
• Coordinate field execution with owners, engineering, procurement, project controls, vendors, subcontractors, and trade partners.
• Promote constructability, work readiness, short-interval planning, proactive constraint removal, and effective turnover planning.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain senior field leaders while strengthening succession readiness.
• Advance digital field systems, lessons learned, process standardization, and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 20 years of progressive construction and field operations experience.
• Extensive experience in complex industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, power, data center, life sciences, commercial, or similar construction environments.
• Significant experience in EPC, EPCM, construction management, or owner-led project delivery models.
• Demonstrated success leading large field organizations and multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong experience in craft labor management, workforce planning, construction planning, field productivity, safety, quality, and project mobilization.
• Experience coordinating owner, engineering, procurement, subcontractor, vendor, and trade partner interfaces.
• Experience developing field operating systems, governance processes, and organizational capability.
• Proven ability to assess operational risks and support project recovery.
• Strong executive communication, leadership, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to travel to active project sites and company locations as required.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Construction Engineering, or a related field is preferred. An equivalent combination of extensive field leadership, technical training, trade experience, and construction experience may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience establishing or significantly improving an enterprise field operations function.
• Experience with large-scale greenfield, brownfield, shutdown, turnaround, or operating‑site projects.
• Familiarity with advanced work packaging, BIM-enabled execution, digital field reporting, and construction productivity systems.
• Professional certification in construction management, project management, safety, quality, or a related discipline.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and operational leadership
• Construction execution expertise
• Enterprise resource management
• Safety and quality leadership
• Workforce and succession planning
• Productivity and performance management
• Project recovery leadership
• Executive communication
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Continuous improvement