Construction · VP of Operations
Construction VP of Operations search
We recruit the operations leaders who connect the executive suite to the field across every project you're running.
The role
The bridge between the executive team and the field
The CEO wants to see how operations are performing without getting pulled into the detail. The field wants support and clear priorities. The VP of Operations stands in the middle and keeps both moving.
It's also the seat that develops your next project executives and senior PMs, so this hire shapes your bench for years.
Why it's hard
Why this role is hard to fill
- They need deep field experience. People who've run dozens of jobs won't follow someone who hasn't run one.
- They also have to think at the portfolio level: people across projects, risk across markets, and the pipeline ahead.
- They lead strong-willed, experienced people who've done it their way for years.
- They manage up and down at once, and can't become the bottleneck in either direction.
What we look for
What a strong VP of Operations looks like
We test for four things, in interviews and in references from the people they've led.
- They've run a portfolio of projects, which is a different job from running one big one.
- They build systems that outlast them, so the operation doesn't depend on their memory.
- They set the tone on safety and hold it under schedule pressure.
- They develop project leaders and can show you who they've grown.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We sit down with the CEO and the leadership team to map the current operation, the problems this person walks into, and who they'll lead.
Mapped search
We approach operations leaders running multi-project, multi-market work today, most of whom aren't looking.
Mutual-fit assessment
We assess portfolio experience, field credibility and leadership, and we include time with your field leaders as well as your executives.
Onboard & follow through
We help define the scope and authority of the role in the offer, then stay in touch through the first 90 days.
Questions
VP of Operations search: common questions
A VP of Operations usually runs project delivery across the portfolio and reports to a CEO or COO. A COO usually owns the whole operation and partners with the CEO on strategy. We work out which seat you need in the Bullseye Meeting.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Ready to hire a VP of Operations?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.