Vice President, Operations & Strategic Initiative - Construction

Employment Resource Group, Inc.An EOS company; Dubuque (IA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Employment Resource Group, Inc. seeks a senior leader to turnaround an established regional office in the Midwest. You will stabilize performance, rebuild backlog, and strengthen client and community relationships from the ground up.

The role emphasizes trust-based leadership, coaching a team of project managers, and strategic ownership of the office's future. The successful candidate will spend most time in-market, collaborating with executives to forecast finances and drive growth, with

Qualifications

• Ten+ years in senior leadership roles within commercial construction.
• Experience running multi-location or multi-service-line operations at regional scale.
• Proven ability to grow client relationships and market share.

Responsibilities

• Own client, architect, and engineering relationships across the market.
• Provide hands-on leadership, coaching, and resource support to regional teams.
• Translate market opportunities into actionable strategy through data-driven analysis.
• Partner with executive leadership on financial forecasting, planning, and long-range growth.
• Uphold accountability and drive process improvements and organizational effectiveness.
• Align day-to-day operations with short- and long-term goals.
• Maintain profitability and service delivery standards across units and markets.

Skills

Leadership

Client relationships

Financial fluency

Executive communication

Strategic planning

Change management

Job description

At this organization, leadership doesn't just tolerate new ideas, it actively invites them. Decisions are made collaboratively, and long-tenured leaders describe a culture built on flexibility, mutual respect, and a genuine willingness to try a better way when one presents itself. With deep roots in the communities it serves and a reputation built on long-standing relationships, this is a company where people are trusted, heard, and given real room to lead.

Dream Job

This is a rare opportunity to step into a senior leadership seat and lead the turnaround of an established regional office, stabilizing performance, rebuilding backlog, and strengthening client and community relationships from the ground up. The right candidate will spend the majority of their time in the market, building the kind of trust-based relationships that turn one-time clients into long-term partners, while also coaching a team of experienced project managers who need a steady, accountable leader. For someone ready to move beyond project-level leadership into true strategic ownership, this role offers the chance to shape the future of an office and become a visible, trusted part of the company's next chapter.

Position Overview

This is not a remote position. The successful candidate will be based primarily out of the company's regional office within the broader Midwest, with an active, visible presence expected across the operation, client base, and surrounding market. This role carries responsibility for:

• Owning the strength of client, architect, and engineering relationships across the market.
• Providing hands-on leadership, coaching, and resource support to regional operational teams to drive consistent performance improvement.
• Translating market opportunities into actionable strategy through data-driven analysis and insight.
• Partnering with executive leadership on financial forecasting, planning, and long-range growth strategy.
• Upholding accountability and operational excellence, leading process improvement and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
• Aligning day-to-day operations and business development activity with the company's short- and long-term strategic goals.
• Maintaining consistent profitability and service delivery standards across the business units and markets served.

Qualifications

• At least ten years in senior leadership roles within commercial construction.
• A track record of running multi-location or multi-service-line operations at a regional scale.
• Comfort operating at the intersection of operations and business development, with a history of growing client relationships and market share.
• Established credibility with owners, developers, architects, engineers, and other industry stakeholders.
• Solid financial fluency, covering budgeting, forecasting, and profitability management.
• Experience driving organizational change and standardizing processes across teams.
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across leadership, operations, and business development functions.