GM of Commercial Sales and Operations

General Manager Of Commercial Sales And Operations

A top client is searching for an experienced General Manager (GM) of Commercial Sales and Operations located in Chicago, IL. As the GM of Commercial Sales & Operations you are responsible for driving profitable growth, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction across the company's commercial division. This leader oversees sales strategy, project execution, estimating, and field operations, ensuring alignment between revenue generation and delivery performance.

As the GM of Commercial Sales and Operations, you are responsible for:

Revenue Growth & Sales Leadership

Develop and execute commercial sales strategy (general contractors, municipalities, industrial clients, etc.)

Lead, coach, and scale the commercial sales team

Build and maintain key client and partner relationships

Identify new market opportunities and verticals

Oversee bid strategy, pricing, and competitive positioning

Estimating & Pre-Construction Oversight

Ensure accurate, competitive, and profitable estimates

Standardize bid processes and tools

Monitor pipeline health, bid-hit ratios, and backlog quality

Collaborate with sales to qualify high-value opportunities

Operations & Project Execution

Oversee project management, scheduling, and field operations

Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to quality standards

Improve labor productivity and resource allocation

Implement best practices for safety, installation efficiency, and material usage

Financial Performance & P&L Ownership

Own full commercial division P&L

Drive margin improvement through pricing discipline and cost control

Manage forecasting, budgeting, and financial reporting

Optimize working capital (inventory, AR, project cash flow)

Team Leadership & Development

Build a high-performance culture across sales and operations

Recruit, train, and retain top talent

Establish clear accountability and performance management systems

Customer Experience & Quality

Ensure a consistent, high-quality customer experience from bid to project completion

Resolve escalated client issues

Maintain strong reputation in the commercial market

Process Improvement & Scalability

Implement systems and KPIs to improve visibility and decision-making

Drive continuous improvement across sales, estimating, and operations

Leverage technology (CRM, ERP, project management tools)

Perform other related duties as assigned

To be successful in the role, you must possess:

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of industry experience and leadership success will be considered.

10+ years of progressive leadership experience within commercial construction, specialty trades, industrial services, or related industries, with direct responsibility for both sales and operations performance.

Proven experience leading commercial construction or specialty trade business units with annual revenues ranging from $15M $100M+, including multi-crew, multi-branch, or regional operational oversight.

Demonstrated success managing full P&L responsibility, including gross margin performance, forecasting, labor planning, pricing strategy, cost controls, and EBITDA improvement initiatives.

Strong commercial sales leadership experience, including managing strategic accounts, developing pipeline and backlog forecasting, overseeing bid strategy and pricing, and driving profitable year-over-year revenue growth.

Experience overseeing operational execution in project-based environments, including crew productivity, scheduling, project management, process improvement, safety accountability, and ERP/CRM reporting systems.

Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams, including experience managing managers across sales, operations, estimating, and project management functions, while driving KPI-based accountability and organizational change initiatives.

Proven builder mentality with experience scaling operations, implementing process improvements, and creating structure in fast-paced, growth-oriented environments while maintaining operational discipline and a bias toward action.

Strong financial and operational acumen, including the ability to interpret financial statements, manage forecasting, understand labor productivity and operational impacts on EBITDA, and drive profitable business performance.