Director of Operations

Purple Squirrel Advisors; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Purple Squirrel Advisors is seeking a Director of Operations for a growing steel and construction business serving residential and commercial clients. This hands-on role builds scalable processes, develops people, and coordinates across project management, fabrication, and delivery to sustain entrepreneurial culture amid rising complexity.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in operations or construction management, strong leadership, and the ability to read drawings, manage schedules, and drive

Qualifications

• 7+ years in operations, project management or construction management within a commercial, industrial or project-driven environment.
• Experience leading teams and improving processes within a growing or entrepreneurial organization.
• Strong ability to read and understand construction drawings, manage project schedules and communicate about technical issues.
• Knowledge of project-based operations, including material planning, purchasing, production or fabrication scheduling, project cost tracking, change orders and project closeout.
• Strong project management, organizational and problem-solving skills, with judgement and decisiveness.
• Comfort working directly with customers, vendors, architects, engineers, and internal operations teams.
• Strong technology aptitude, including Microsoft Office and an interest in using systems and automation to improve operations.
• Hands-on leadership style, willing to roll up sleeves and train teams; forklift/shop experience is a plus.
• Prior steel experience is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead large residential and commercial projects from award through fabrication and delivery.
• Coordinate schedules, material requirements, purchasing, drawing coordination, and delivery commitments across internal teams and external partners.
• Take ownership of day‑to‑day project decisions while guiding the detailing and project support team.
• Create visibility and discipline around how work flows through the organization.
• Coordinate priorities across project management, purchasing, fabrication, yard operations, and delivery.
• Identify bottlenecks and recurring operational challenges and implement practical solutions.
• Develop practical, repeatable processes for project documentation, material tracking, scheduling, handoffs, and communication.
• Evaluate technology, systems and automation opportunities to improve execution and efficiency.
• Use data, observation and employee feedback to improve productivity and operating performance.
• Become a trusted decision-maker and coach for employees; create accountability and develop the team.
• Build credibility by understanding the operation firsthand and solving problems at the right level.

Skills

Operations leadership

Project management

Process improvement

Team development

Communication

Data analysis

Construction drawings

Scheduling

Microsoft Office

Automation

Steel experience

Problem solving

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Our client is a growing, entrepreneurial steel and construction business serving residential and increasingly complex commercial customers. Over the past several years, the company has expanded from approximately $20 million in revenue to nearly $30 million while significantly increasing its capabilities in commercial steel, design-build work, detailing, fabrication, and project execution.

That growth has created tremendous opportunity, along with greater operational complexity.

We are seeking a high-performing Director of Operations to strengthen our client's leadership team, build scalable operating processes, and help them continue growing without sacrificing service, quality, or our entrepreneurial culture. This is a highly visible role for someone who enjoys solving problems, creating structure, developing people, and working across both project management and hands‑on operations. The right person will ultimately become one of the company's key operating leaders.

Responsibilities

Commercial Project Execution

• Lead large residential and commercial projects from award through fabrication and delivery.
• Coordinate schedules, priorities, material requirements, purchasing, drawing coordination, and delivery commitments across internal teams and external partners.
• Take ownership of day‑to‑day project decisions while providing leadership to the commercial detailing and project support team.

Operational Flow

• Create greater visibility and discipline around how work flows through the organization.
• Coordinate priorities across project management, purchasing, fabrication, yard operations, and delivery.
• Identify bottlenecks and recurring operational challenges and implement practical solutions.

Process Improvement

• Develop practical, repeatable processes for project documentation, material tracking, scheduling, handoffs, and communication.
• Evaluate technology, systems and automation opportunities to improve execution and efficiency.
• Use data, observation and employee feedback to improve productivity and operating performance.

Leadership

• Become a trusted decision‑maker and coach for employees throughout the organization.
• Create clear accountability and expectations while developing team members.
• Build credibility by understanding the operation firsthand and creating an environment where problems are surfaced and solved at the appropriate level.

We are open‑minded regarding specific industry experience. Candidates may come from commercial construction, specialty contracting, fabrication, structural steel, miscellaneous metals, electrical, mechanical, millwork, building products or another project‑driven operating environment.

The strongest candidates will bring:

• 7+ years of experience in operations, project management or construction management within a commercial, industrial or project‑driven environment.
• Experience leading and developing teams and improving processes within a growing or entrepreneurial organization.
• Strong ability to read and understand construction drawings, manage project schedules and communicate effectively about technical issues.
• Knowledge of project‑based operations, including material planning, purchasing, production or fabrication scheduling, project cost tracking, change orders and project closeout.
• Strong project management, organizational and problem‑solving skills, along with the judgment and confidence to make decisions.
• Comfort working directly with customers, vendors, architects, engineers, and internal operations teams.
• Strong technology aptitude, including experience with Microsoft Office products and an interest in using systems and automation to improve operations.
• A hands‑on, lead‑by‑example approach, with a willingness to roll up their sleeves, get into the weeds, and do whatever is needed to solve problems and keep projects moving. Comfortable learning and proving out processes firsthand before training and holding the team accountable for execution. Forklift experience or experience working in a shop, warehouse, fabrication, or construction environment is a plus.
• Prior steel experience is helpful but not required.