Vice President of Field Operations

Position Title: Vice President of Field Operations

Department: Field Operations (Safety, Superintendents, Steel Division, Carpentry Division, Equipment/Transportation, Service Division)

About Our Company

Based in Grand Rapids Michigan, Veneklasen Construction has been building great structures since 1976. Veneklasen Construction focuses on all the important things, like taking great care of our customers to help them achieve their vision while at the same time taking care of our employees, our community, and the environment. Here, people are our priority. We have been recognized as one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work for fourteen years and were named a National Best and Brightest Company in 2023. We are a growing medium-sized general contractor with a historically strong base of operations in Michigan and a growing national presence.

Position Summary

Manage all Field Operations supported by Trade Supervisors, Superintendents, and Foremen, striving for quality, efficiency, and consistency, all while continuing to develop the brand with our customers. The Vice President of Field Operations will guide employee development by identifying skills, delegating tasks appropriately, and motivating employees to provide outstanding client service.

Contacts

Frequent contact with trade partners, superintendents, estimators, project managers, office staff, customers, clients, and members of the public

Functions, Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership and Field Operations:

• Lead and manage trade Supervisors, Superintendents & Foremen through coaching and mentoring initiatives.
• Drive all aspects of quality, efficiency, productivity, cleanliness & consistency (including crew size and makeup) throughout all projects by leveraging Supervisors and Foremen.
• Ensure execution of project goals by way of bi-weekly forecasting, estimate reviews, and monthly billings.
• Resolve job site issues efficiently and effectively.
• Review and approve personnel timecards on a weekly basis.
• Conduct coordination and planning meetings with divisional leaders and field teams.
• Conduct one-on-one meetings with all direct reports.
• Review and approve personnel monthly expense reports and credit card charges.
• Forecast and maintain superintendent project assignments on a weekly basis.
• Forecast and manage divisional manpower needs and project assignments.
• Assist with personnel functions for trade teams and Superintendents including interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, employee relations, performance reviews, and employee paid time off requests.
• Manage warranty work schedule and reporting with the assistance of the Service Manager.
• Manage transportation department processes (equipment maintenance, parts, moving, shop maintenance, and permitting).
• Communicate with Superintendents and Project Managers regarding deliveries and schedule updates.
• Ensure VC trades are competitive in the employee marketplace, as it relates to culture, compensation, and workplace environment.
• Responsible for maintaining and cultivating client relations, as well as gaining marketplace presence within the trades.
• Maintain and manage relationships with vendors/suppliers.
• Manage and forecast trade schedules and manpower through the assistance of the steel project manager and the general trades project manager.
• Review goal sheets and manhours for each division and for each project to ensure the project is on schedule and within budget.
• Assist Project Managers with the initial schedule as it relates to VC trade labor.
• Provide feedback to Project Managers on requirements for outside labor resources.
• Lead and manage Superintendents to uphold role expectations and proper job site documentation.
• Review, manage, and approve VC’s PTO schedule for superintendents, steel division, carpentry division, service division, and safety.
• Oversight of equipment, fleet management, and DOT requirements.
• Collaborate with the VP of Project Management & Estimating on project analysis, coaching, and performance feedback of the team.
• Coach and be a resource to the field teams to provide a strong knowledge of principles in construction, including design, estimating/financial, scheduling, and engineering principles.
• Analyze financial reports and understand financial performance metrics in how they affect execution and operational business.
• Influence and motivate direct reports, strong integrity and ethics, decision-making and problem-solving skills, and a results-driven mindset.

Corporate Safety:

• Lead and manage corporate safety and compliance program.
• Ensure safety standards and quality are implemented on site.
• Review and approve subcontractor safety manuals and site-specific safety plans.
• Oversee the Safety Manager (Future) and third-party safety consultants in ensuring the Company and its job sites remain hazard and accident-free by conducting periodic safety inspections.
• Oversee the Safety Manager (Future) and third-party safety consultants in ensuring compliance with all aspects of managing Site Specific Safety Plans.
• Review, update, and maintain the VC safety manual.
• Establish annual monthly safety training courses and facilitate those training courses with the assistance of VC-competent persons and third-party safety consultants.
• Set annual safety goals and review company safety procedures to ensure local, state, and federal guidelines are being followed.

Core Competencies

• Leadership - Achieving extraordinary business results through people.
• Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving - Ability to understand an idea, situation, or problem by breaking it into smaller pieces.
• Business Acumen – Understands and contributes to the organization's business strategy.
• Employee Development/Coaching - Facilitating and supporting the professional growth of others.
• Goal/Results Driven - Energetically focusing efforts on meeting a goal, mission, or objective.

Working Conditions

• Work may be performed in outside weather conditions, including rain and extreme heat, near moving mechanical parts, and includes occasional exposure to wet and/or humid conditions and to vibration.
• Travel required, determined by project location and schedule.

Education, Experience, and Knowledge

• Minimum of five years of management experience in the construction industry.
• Ability to lead, develop, and motivate a team.
• Knowledge of administration, management, construction materials, methods, and tools.
• Knowledge of safety and security issues and regulations.
• Excellent mathematical skills, including application and use in problem-solving.
• Ability to coordinate own and others’ actions, manage own time, and manage personnel resources.
• Strong understanding and expression of written and verbal English sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Sensitivity to problems; ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Bachelor or equivalent degree/experience combination.
• A high degree of accuracy and exactness is extremely important in the performance of this job.
• To accomplish work activities, the Operations Manager must be able to coordinate or lead employees at different levels of the organization.
• Must be able to work in a variety of physical positions, including sitting, standing, walking, and driving.
• Regular exposure to all weather conditions, especially hot, humid, and/or rainy spring, summer, and fall weather, combined with regular work time indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
• Assume responsibility for work outcomes and results of other workers.
• May be exposed to uncomfortable or distracting sounds or noise levels on sites of projects being managed or coordinated.
• When working on-site, will be required to wear common protective or safety equipment, such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
• Computer Skills: proficiency in using the internet to research information, as well as MS Outlook, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Project, and Procore.