Self-Perform Group Operations Manager

Wire Enterprise; Westmont (IL); On-site; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) match

Vehicle allowance

Paid time off

Job summary

SHONCO Enterprise is seeking a senior Self-Perform Group Operations Manager to lead a portfolio of self-perform projects, driving profitability, risk management, and operational excellence. The role requires deep construction financial fluency, strong leadership, and a focus on process discipline across preconstruction, project startup, controls, and closeout.

You will own the operational playbook, set project KPIs, and coordinate across estimating, accounting, safety, procurement, and field

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive construction leadership experience.
• Proven experience managing project financials and WIP.
• Experience with contract review, change orders, and risk management.
• Experience developing and leading PM teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the self-perform portfolio execution and profitability.
• Lead preconstruction planning, risk review, and kickoff readiness.
• Oversee project controls, reporting, and closeout practices.
• Drive improvements for cost, schedule, and quality performance.
• Develop and manage KPIs and recovery plans.

Skills

Construction leadership

Project financial mgmt

Contract administration

Team development

Executive communication

Education

BS in Civil Eng / Construction Mgmt

Tools

Procore

Foundation

Sage 300 CRE

Job description

Job Description: Self-Perform Group Operations Manager

Position Summary

This is a senior operating leadership role with direct accountability for the performance and profitability of the self-perform project portfolio and the team that delivers it. The Operations Manager establishes and enforces consistent preconstruction, project controls, reporting, contract administration, labor-productivity, and closeout practices; identifies risk early; and drives corrective action. The successful individual combines deep construction financial fluency with strong people leadership, sound judgment, field credibility, and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Key Responsibilities

Preconstruction, Planning & Project Startup

• Lead preconstruction planning for concrete and fencing self-perform work, ensuring estimates, scope, means and methods, labor plans, schedules, equipment needs, and material logistics are stress-tested before mobilization.
• Partner with estimating and business development to review contracts and bid assumptions before award, identifying scope gaps, exclusions, risk exposure, unfavorable terms, and execution constraints.
• Establish project execution plans and clear handoff protocols between estimating, operations, project management, field leadership, accounting, and safety.
• Participate in project kickoff and turnover meetings and confirm that budgets, cost codes, procurement plans, schedules, submittals, and reporting requirements are established before work begins.

Project Execution, Process Discipline & Accountability

• Own the operational playbook for self-perform delivery, including standards for scheduling, forecasting, reporting, change management, documentation, quality, and closeout, and hold the PM team accountable to consistent execution.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews, project health reviews, and jobsite visits to confirm that project plans, financial forecasts, schedules, and field execution remain aligned.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and process gaps and lead practical improvements that increase consistency, speed, accountability, and scalability.
• Establish and monitor project-level KPIs and leading indicators; require timely recovery plans when performance deviates from expectations.
• Coordinate across field leadership, estimating, accounting, safety, procurement, and executive leadership to resolve issues that affect cost, schedule, labor, customer commitments, or project risk.

Financial Management, WIP & Profitability

• Own monthly financial outcomes for the self-perform portfolio; reviewing earned revenue, cost-to-complete, forecasted margin, committed costs, and under/overbilling positions with the Controller and taking immediate corrective action as necessary.
• Ensure project forecasts are timely, supportable, and based on current field conditions, labor productivity, procurement status, change exposure, and remaining work.
• Identify margin erosion, cash-flow concerns, and unfavorable cost trends early and drive corrective action before isolated issues become portfolio trends.

Contract Administration, Change Management & Risk

• Oversee contract administration throughout the project lifecycle, including notice requirements, change orders, claims exposure, schedule impacts, documentation, and closeout.
• Ensure potential changes are identified, priced, documented, submitted, negotiated, and incorporated into project forecasts promptly.
• Escalate significant commercial, contractual, schedule, customer, or financial risks to General Counsel and the President with recommended actions.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution by maintaining disciplined project documentation and timely communication with customers and internal stakeholders.

Labor, Productivity & Resource Management

• Maintain a high level of proficiency in labor management, including union labor agreements, crew composition, labor classifications, productivity benchmarking, and workforce planning.
• Analyze labor productivity against estimates and production goals and drive field-level corrective action when performance trends off plan.
• Partner with trade workforce leadership to forecast manpower demand, allocate resources across projects, and anticipate workforce constraints as the portfolio grows.
• Ensure compliance with certified payroll, prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon where applicable, and collective bargaining agreement requirements.
• Evaluate the operational impact of equipment, material, subcontractor, and staffing decisions and promote resource deployment that supports safe, profitable production.

Team Leadership & Development

• Own the full employment lifecycle for the self-perform Project Management team, including workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, performance management, development, succession planning, and separation.
• Set clear expectations, goals, and KPIs for direct reports and provide timely, direct, documented feedback consistent with company performance management standards.
• Build a team capable of leading increasingly complex work as the portfolio scales toward $100M and beyond.
• Coach and mentor team members in financial acumen, forecasting, contract administration, communication, customer management, planning, and field leadership.
• Assess team capacity and capability against the forward project pipeline and proactively recommend hiring, development, or organizational changes.

Customer, Quality, Safety & Culture

• Build productive relationships with key customers and support Project Managers in resolving issues while protecting BlackRock's contractual and financial interests.
• Promote consistent quality planning and execution and ensure deficiencies, punch-list items, and closeout obligations are addressed promptly.
• Champion safe production practices and partner with safety leadership to ensure growth in volume never comes at the expense of employee or jobsite safety.
• Model and reinforce the LiveWire/SHONCO culture framework - Be Ready, Show Up - through preparation, communication, ownership, responsiveness, and follow-through.
• Represent BlackRock and SHONCO professionally with customers, trade partners, labor representatives, vendors, and other external stakeholders.

Leadership Expectations

• Operate as an owner of outcomes by eliminating obstacles, resolving issues, and holding others accountable for commitments.
• Use sound judgment and data to make timely decisions while recognizing when significant risk requires executive escalation.
• Maintain composure and objectivity when projects are under pressure and keep teams focused on the intended business and project outcomes.
• Communicate directly, professionally, and consistently with field and office teams and executive leadership.
• Balance standardization with practical field execution; improve processes without creating unnecessary administrative burden.
• Build credibility through preparation, responsiveness, consistency, financial command, and visible engagement with active projects.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive construction leadership experience, including direct oversight of complex self-perform projects.
• Proven experience managing project financials at a portfolio level, including WIP, earned revenue, forecasted margin, under/over billing, and cost-to-complete analysis.
• Strong labor-management background with demonstrated proficiency in union labor environments and productivity analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in contract review and administration, change-order management, claims awareness, and project risk management.
• Track record of building, standardizing, or refining operational processes within a growing construction organization.
• Experience directly managing, developing, and holding accountable Project Managers and project-management staff.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to present project and portfolio performance to executive leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent progressive experience will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct self-perform experience in concrete and/or fencing scopes, rather than general contracting oversight alone.
• Experience scaling an operation through a significant revenue-growth period, such as $50M to $100M+.
• Experience with Procore, Foundation, Sage 300 CRE, or comparable construction financial and project-management platforms.
• Experience with certified payroll, prevailing wage, and Davis-Bacon compliance.
• Demonstrated experience using operational and financial KPIs to improve project profitability and labor productivity.

Measures of Success

• Standardized preconstruction, project controls / reporting, change-management, and closeout processes are consistently followed across the portfolio.
• Project forecasts are timely, accurate, and defensible, with fewer late financial surprises and earlier identification of margin risk.
• Project profitability and labor productivity demonstrate measurable improvement, and corrective action is taken promptly when performance deviates from plan.
• The team demonstrates stronger accountability, financial acumen, planning discipline, and independent decision-making.
• BlackRock maintains the leadership capacity, operating systems, and project controls necessary to scale responsibly from $65M+ toward $100M+
• Safety, quality, customer commitments, and company culture remain strong as volume and organizational complexity increase.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary Range: $155,000 - $175,000 annually, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and demonstrated capability.
• Standard company benefits apply, including health benefits, 401(k) match, vehicle allowance, and paid time off.

SHONCO Enterprise is an equal opportunity employer. This job description reflects the general nature and level of work performed and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Responsibilities may be modified as business needs evolve.