VP of Utility Operations; Bird Electric)

Date: Oct 9, 2026

Location: Hickory, NC, US

Company: Black & Veatch Family of Companies

Together, we own our company, our future, and our shared success.

As an employee-owned company, our people are Black & Veatch. We put them at the center of everything we do and empower them to grow, explore new possibilities and use their diverse talents and perspectives to solve humanity's biggest challenges in an ever-evolving world. With over 100 years of innovation in sustainable infrastructure and our expertise in engineering, procurement, consulting and construction, together we are building a world of difference.

Company :Bird Electric Enterprises

Opportunity Type :Staff

Project Only Hire :No

Bird Electric Enterprises, LLC, a Black & Veatch company, is a U.S. self-perform electrical construction services provider supporting critical infrastructure customers. Bird's utility capabilities include overhead and underground distribution construction and maintenance, transmission construction and maintenance, and emergency restoration. Bird is combining its entrepreneurial field heritage with stronger enterprise systems, talent and the broader capabilities of Black & Veatch.

Bird Electric is seeking a proven electric utility construction executive to strengthen its Utility business, install disciplined and scalable ways of operating, deepen strategic customer relationships and lead responsible, profitable growth. This is a consequential operating assignment for an executive who has advanced through increasingly responsible roles in electric transmission and distribution construction and understands how to translate field execution into predictable safety, quality, schedule, margin and customer outcomes.

• Serve as the senior operating executive accountable for the safe, profitable and disciplined performance of Bird Electric’s Utility business.
• Lead overhead and underground distribution, transmission construction and maintenance, and emergency restoration across multiple geographies, customers and project types.
• Work directly with customers, project teams and field leaders; intervene decisively when work is off plan and verify corrective-action closure.
• Build management systems, processes, procedures, leadership capability and operating rhythms required to run an efficient and profitable multi-state utility construction business.
• Use established utility-market credibility and relationships to deepen current accounts and originate qualified opportunities aligned with Bird’s risk tolerance, capabilities and geographic strategy.
• Partner with Black & Veatch to improve project delivery, activate EPC capabilities and bring integrated solutions to customers.

Safety, Quality and Field Leadership

• Champion a visible, field-led safety culture with HSE leadership and ensure high-risk work is properly planned, staffed, supervised and controlled.
• Maintain a frequent presence at project sites, offices, yards and customer locations; remove constraints and verify closure.
• Ensure compliance with Bird work methods, customer construction standards, OSHA requirements and contractual quality requirements.

Electric T&D Operations and Project Execution

• Provide executive oversight of overhead and underground distribution, transmission construction and maintenance, and emergency restoration.
• Direct the full project lifecycle from opportunity qualification and estimating through preconstruction, mobilization, execution, commissioning/turnover, billing and closeout.
• Apply advanced construction management practices for scope, schedule, cost, labor productivity, equipment, procurement, change control, risk, quality and document management.
• Install work-ready…