Vice President of Civil Site Construction

Vertical Earth; Cumming (GA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertical Earth is seeking a Vice President of Civil Site Construction to lead civil site development operations across the southeast, with a Georgia-focused footprint. You will guide project management, estimating, and coordination to align people, equipment, schedules, budgets, and production plans, while partnering with field leadership and key clients.

The role demands oversight of safety, quality, and financial performance, plus the ability to build durable client relationships and drive

Qualifications

• Fifteen or more years of progressive experience in heavy civil or commercial civil site construction.
• Proven success leading multiple projects with large revenue, backlog, budgets, and teams.
• Strong executive communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive oversight of civil site construction operations, including planning and safety.
• Lead civil project managers and estimators while coordinating with field leadership.
• Set forecasts and budgets for the division and establish performance standards.
• Develop growth strategy and manage client relationships with owners and partners.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with quality and safety compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Risk management

Budgeting

Contract management

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, or related field

Job description

The Vice President of Civil Site Construction provides executive leadership for Vertical Earth’s civil site development operations and is accountable for safe, profitable, quality, and consistent project delivery from preconstruction through closeout. This position leads civil project management, estimating, and operational coordination while working closely with the Civil General Superintendent and field leadership to align people, equipment, schedules, budgets, and production plans. The Vice President maintains strong relationships with owners, developers, general contractors, engineers, municipalities, trade partners, and suppliers; guides project selection and risk management; develops high-performing leaders; and advances the company’s growth strategy across existing and emerging markets. Markets may include B2B and B2G, including mission critical, industrial, multifamily, commercial, single family, energy, waste, and utility infrastructure in a geographic footprint focused on Georgia but across the southeast.

In addition to the Business Development responsibilities, the role requires disciplined financial oversight, sound judgment, timely decision-making, and visible commitment to Vertical Earth’s values and safety culture. The Vice President of Civil Site Construction provides executive leadership for Vertical Earth’s civil site development operations and is accountable for safe, profitable, quality, and consistent project delivery from preconstruction through closeout.

This position leads civil project management, estimating, and operational coordination while working closely with the Civil General Superintendent and field leadership to align people, equipment, schedules, budgets, and production plans. The Vice President maintains strong relationships with owners, developers, general contractors, engineers, municipalities, trade partners, and suppliers; guides project selection and risk management; develops high-performing leaders; and advances the company’s growth strategy across existing and emerging markets. Markets may include B2B and B2G, including mission critical, industrial, multifamily, commercial, single family, energy, waste, and utility infrastructure in a geographic footprint focused on Georgia but across the southeast. In addition to the Business Development responsibilities, the role requires disciplined financial oversight, sound judgment, timely decision-making, and visible commitment to Vertical Earth’s values and safety culture.

Key Responsibilities

Civil Operations Leadership

• Provide executive oversight of civil site construction operations, including grading, underground utilities, storm drainage, water and sewer systems, erosion control, asphalt, concrete, retaining walls, survey, and related self-perform and subcontractor work.
• Lead civil project managers, estimators, and other assigned operational leaders while partnering closely with the Civil General Superintendent(s), superintendents, foremen, and support teams.
• Set forecasts and budgets for the division while establishing clear performance expectations, operating standards, accountability routines, and communication practices across the civil division.
• Balance backlog, staffing, equipment, subcontractor capacity, and project schedules to support safe execution and sustainable growth.
• Conduct regular project reviews and jobsite visits to verify production, quality, schedule, documentation, client satisfaction, and leadership effectiveness.
• Maintain relationships with clients and the industry in order to both resolve significant operational issues and remove barriers that could affect safety, cost, schedule, quality, or client commitments as well as build dialogue for continued success.

Preconstruction and Project Execution

• Direct civil estimating and preconstruction planning to ensure pursuits align with the company’s capabilities, risk tolerance, strategic markets, and margin expectations.
• Align efforts to develop strategies for successfully pursuing projects and create advantages during the precon phase. Provide systematic support for developing further advantages during the buyout phase.
• Participate in go/no-go decisions, bid reviews, contract handoffs, kickoff meetings, and operational planning for major or high-risk projects.
• Ensure project teams establish clear scopes, budgets, schedules, procurement plans, equipment plans, subcontractor strategies, and production goals before mobilization.
• Monitor contract requirements, change management, billing, collections, claims prevention, documentation, and project closeout.
• Partner with estimating, accounting, and project leadership to improve cost history, production assumptions, lessons learned, and estimate-to-actual performance.
• Ensure projects are delivered in accordance with plans, specifications, contractual commitments, permits, and owner expectations.

Safety, Quality, and Compliance

• Champion Vertical Earth’s safety culture and reinforce that the right way is the safe way in planning, decision-making, and field execution.
• Partner with Health and Safety leadership to ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, excavation, trenching, utility, and company requirements.
• Confirm that project teams complete effective preplanning, hazard assessments, competent-person coverage, incident reporting, and corrective-action follow-through.
• Hold leaders accountable for workmanship, inspection readiness, testing, documentation, punch-list completion, and timely closeout.
• Identify recurring operational risks and implement corrective actions, standardized processes, and training to prevent recurrence.

Financial and Commercial Management

• Maintain responsibility for civil division revenue, gross profit, cash flow, backlog quality, and operating performance.
• Review monthly forecasts, cost-to-complete projections, labor and equipment productivity, committed costs, change-order status, billing, and receivables.
• Require timely recovery plans for projects that fall behind budget, schedule, production, or cash objectives.
• Promote disciplined cost control, accurate forecasting, effective equipment utilization, and proactive management of procurement and subcontractor commitments.
• Provide executive leadership with clear reporting on performance, risk, resource needs, market conditions, and corrective actions.

Client, Market, and Business Development

• Serve as a senior company representative with owners, general contractors, developers, engineers, municipalities, and industry partners.
• Build durable client relationships through responsive communication, reliable execution, transparency, and follow-through.
• Support strategic business development, negotiated opportunities, client presentations, market assessments, and civil project pursuits.
• Monitor market conditions, competitor activity, delivery methods, pipeline opportunities, and regional demand to guide growth priorities.
• Protect Vertical Earth’s reputation by addressing client concerns promptly and ensuring commitments are documented and fulfilled.

People and Leadership Development

• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain strong civil construction professionals across estimating, project management, and field operations.
• Build succession plans and create development opportunities for project managers, assistant project managers, estimators, superintendents, and emerging leaders.
• Conduct regular performance and development discussions, reinforce accountability, and address performance concerns promptly and constructively.
• Partner with Human Resources, Workforce Development, Safety, and Training to strengthen recruiting, onboarding, technical development, engagement, and retention.
• Promote collaboration between civil operations and transportation, structures, survey, equipment, accounting, safety, and shared-services teams.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of company growth and operational excellence

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, business, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• Fifteen or more years of progressive experience in heavy civil or commercial civil site construction, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple concurrent projects and managing substantial annual revenue, backlog, budgets, and teams.
• Strong working knowledge of earthwork, underground utilities, storm drainage, water and sewer systems, erosion control, concrete, surveying, and civil construction sequencing.
• Proven experience with estimating, contracts, scheduling, cost control, forecasting, change management, claims prevention, and project closeout.
• Evidence of strong ongoing relationships within the target market with a solid reputation for delivering successful projects to clients.
• Established ability to work effectively with owners, general contractors, engineers, municipalities, subcontractors, suppliers, and internal support teams.
• Strong executive communication, negotiation, leadership, decision-making, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with construction management, estimating, scheduling, financial-reporting, and productivity-tracking systems.
• Ability to regularly visit active jobsites and work outside standard business hours when project or client needs require.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to meet company driving requirements

We are a drug free workplace and equal opportunity employer.