Senior Director Construction Operations Central Region

LightPath; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

LightPath is seeking a Senior Director of Construction Operations for the Central Region to provide executive leadership over OSP fiber deployment across multiple markets. You will scale programs, drive excellence, and ensure quality across underground, aerial, and long-haul builds while leading Directors and field teams.

The role requires 12–15+ years in OSP/telecom with proven multi-region leadership, budgeting, and vendor management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12–15+ years in OSP construction or telecom infrastructure.
• Proven leadership of multi-region construction teams and senior leaders.
• Experience scaling large fiber deployments and managing multimillion-dollar budgets.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for OSP construction across regions and markets.
• Lead Directors and contributors, ensuring accountability and alignment.
• Develop enterprise-wide construction strategies to support rapid fiber expansion.
• Establish standardized processes, metrics, and reporting for construction.
• Oversee underground, aerial, and directional boring programs across geographies.
• Own construction budgets, capital deployment, and cost controls.
• Drive contractor strategy, vendor selection, and contract negotiations.
• Ensure OSHA compliance and a zero-incident safety culture.
• Implement QA programs for infrastructure integrity and network reliability.
• Partner with Engineering, Permitting, Operations, and Leadership to align priorities.
• Manage risk: schedule delays, cost overruns, permitting challenges, field execution.

Skills

OSP construction

telecom

fiber optics

leadership

budget management

vendor contracts

OSHA compliance

permitting coordination

contractor management

data-driven decisions

Tools

ESRI

Oracle

Netcracker

Smartsheet

Tableau

Job description

Senior Director Construction Operations Central Region

Job ID: 638020613

Location

Main St,
Richmond,
VA 23234

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Construction Operations provides executive leadership and strategic direction for all Outside Plant (OSP) construction operations across multiple regions and markets. This role is responsible for scaling and optimizing fiber deployment programs, driving operational excellence, and ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality infrastructure builds across underground, aerial, and long-haul network environments.

Reporting to executive leadership, the Senior Director oversees Directors and Individuals of OSP Construction and is accountable for enterprise-wide construction performance, including safety, quality, cost, schedule, and contractor execution. This leader will establish best practices, standardize processes, and drive continuous improvement across all construction operations.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a balance of strategic foresight and deep field expertise. The ideal candidate is a proven operator who has successfully led large-scale fiber deployments and built high-performing construction organizations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all OSP construction activities across multiple regions and markets.
• Lead and manage a team of Directors and individual contributors of OSP Construction, ensuring consistent execution, accountability, and performance alignment.
• Develop and implement enterprise-wide construction strategies to support rapid fiber network expansion and customer delivery commitments.
• Establish standardized processes, metrics, and reporting frameworks for construction execution, productivity, and quality.
• Oversee large-scale underground, aerial, and directional boring programs across diverse geographies.
• Own and manage overall construction budgets, capital deployment, and cost controls across all active markets.
• Drive contractor strategy, including vendor selection, performance management, contract negotiations, and optimization.
• Ensure consistent adherence to safety standards, OSHA compliance, and zero-incident culture initiatives across all teams.
• Implement and enforce quality assurance programs to ensure infrastructure integrity and long-term network reliability.
• Partner with Engineering, Permitting, Operations, and Executive Leadership to align construction priorities with business objectives.
• Oversee risk management, including schedule delays, cost overruns, permitting challenges, and field execution issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to productivity, cycle time reduction, and cost efficiency.
• Lead executive-level reporting on construction performance, including KPIs, forecasts, and risk mitigation plans.
• Support escalation management for critical issues involving municipalities, utilities, customers, and key partners.
• Ensure organizational scalability through workforce planning, leadership development, and succession planning.

Required Qualifications

• 12-15+ years of experience in OSP construction, telecom, fiber optics, or utility infrastructure.
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing large, multi-region construction teams and senior leaders.
• Proven experience leading large-scale fiber network deployments, including metro, long-haul, and data center connectivity builds.
• Deep expertise in:
• Underground conduit systems and civil construction
• Aerial fiber deployment
• Directional drilling and trenching operations
• Utility coordination and joint-use programs
• Fiber placement and splicing readiness
• Demonstrated success scaling construction operations across multiple concurrent markets.
• Strong understanding of permitting, right-of-way processes, and municipal coordination at scale.
• Extensive experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets, capital programs, and vendor contracts.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations, safety programs, and compliance frameworks.
• Ability to interpret engineering designs, GIS mapping, and construction documentation.

Requirements

• Ability to travel frequently (up to 50%) across active markets and project sites.
• Valid Driver's License with a clean driving record.
• Ability to operate effectively in both field and executive environments.
• Willingness to work flexible hours as required by business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• OSHA 30 Certification strongly preferred.
• Experience with large-scale fiber builds supporting hyperscale, data center, or enterprise customers.
• Familiarity with construction and project management platforms (ESRI, Oracle, Netcracker, Smartsheet, Tableau, etc.).
• Experience implementing enterprise-level construction KPIs, dashboards, and reporting systems.
• Strong background in contractor ecosystem development and performance optimization.

Leadership Profile

The Senior Director is a builder of organizations and systems, not just projects. This leader combines deep field credibility with executive-level decision-making and strategic planning. They excel at scaling operations, driving accountability, and building high-performing teams across multiple geographies.

This individual must be:

• Strategic and execution-focused- able to translate vision into operational success
• Highly accountable- owns outcomes across cost, schedule, and quality
• Data-driven- uses metrics to guide decisions and optimize performance
• Field-connected- maintains credibility with boots-on-the-ground teams
• People-focused- invests in developing leaders and building scalable teams