Director of Civil Operations; Earthwork & Utilities

Job Title: Director of Civil Operations (Earthwork & Utilities)
Employment Type: Full-time, Exempt
Reports To: Owners
Comp: $135,000–$175,000 base + executive bonus; truck allowance; benefits
Location/Travel: Fort Smith HQ with regional day travel

Architect and run the operating system for Royal Ridge's civil business. Own the forecast, bidding discipline, manpower/equipment plans, and cadence that delivers on cost, schedule, safety, and quality. Lead senior supers and PMs; upgrade processes (precon handoff, change order velocity, cost-to-complete, WIP) and scale the division from ~$15–$20M to the next tier.

• Strategy & Planning
  :
  Annual ops plan, capacity modeling (crews/equipment), CAPEX planning, vendor partnerships.
• Precon Governance
  :
  Bid/no-bid, target margins, risk registers, VE options, win themes; final sign-off on estimates.
• Delivery Excellence
  :
  Standardize look-ahead planning, constraint removal, earned value, and production tracking.
• Financial Leadership
  : WIP reviews; cash-flow/SOV; pay apps; CO capture; revenue recognition; divisional P&L.
• Talent & Org
  :
  Build a high-performing leadership bench (PMs/supers/estimators); training roadmap; performance management.
• Safety & Quality
  :
  Safety culture ownership; QC plans; utility conflict coordination; inspections.
• Client Development
  :
  Executive relationships with municipalities, GCs, and developers; nurture repeat work.

• 12+ years heavy civil/site utilities with 5+ years in multi-project leadership or operations director/DM role.
• Proven track record running $15M+ annual portfolios, improving bid-hit rates, and lifting margins.
• Strong financial acumen: WIP, cost codes, production rates, and CAPEX/overhead management.
• Systems: HCSS/Heavy Bid, Heavy Job, Bluebeam, MS Project/Primavera; strong Excel.

• PE or CM degree a plus; OSHA 30; T&E Competent Person; PMI-ACP or Lean/Last Planner exposure.

• Base $135k–$175k DOE;
  Executive Bonus up to 30% on margin, backlog growth, CO capture, safety, and client NPS.
• Vehicle program, fuel, mobile tech; full benefits & 401(k) match; PTO/holidays.

• 90 days
  :
  Assess people, projects, and pipeline; publish "Operations Playbook v1".
• 180 days
  :
  Implement standardized handoff + weekly production dashboards; increase CO velocity and labor productivity by 5–8%.
• 365 days
  :
  Deliver plan margin; grow backlog to 10–12 months; reduce rework by 25%.