Field Operations Manager

Rice Lake West•Crested Butte, CO

7d•$160,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Field Operations Manager provides portfolio-level leadership for Rice Lake West construction operations across Colorado. The role plans and coordinates field personnel, materials, equipment, commodities, and technical field support so project Superintendents can safely and successfully execute their projects. It supports multiple active and upcoming locations, anticipates constraints, aligns resources with project priorities, and promotes consistent field practices from early planning through startup and closeout. The position works in partnership with Project Managers, Superintendents, Field Engineers, Safety, Quality, Equipment, Procurement, and executive leadership. Project Superintendents retain day-to-day control of their assigned sites; the Field Operations Manager provides cross-project planning, coaching, escalation support, resource balancing, and operational oversight. The role works in office and active construction-site environments and requires regular travel among Colorado project locations. It involves field observation and leadership support, with the ability to navigate construction sites and wear required personal protective equipment.

Requirements

Extensive progressive field construction experience, including leadership of complex civil, industrial, water, wastewater, or related infrastructure work.
Demonstrated success planning and supporting multiple concurrent projects or a major project with numerous work fronts and field teams.
Strong working knowledge of underground utility construction, excavation and temporary earth support, structural concrete, process piping, and mechanical equipment installation.
Experience coordinating manpower, construction equipment, materials, commodities, subcontractors, and vendor support against project schedules.
Ability to read and interpret plans, specifications, schedules, submittals, RFIs, shop drawings, and contract requirements.
Working knowledge of construction safety requirements and demonstrated commitment to safe field execution.
Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, conflict-resolution, and organizational skills.
Ability to travel regularly among project locations throughout Colorado and attend project needs outside normal business hours when conditions require.

Nice To Haves

Experience with large-scale municipal water and wastewater treatment projects, including work in active operating facilities.
Knowledge of commissioning, startup, performance testing, owner training, punch-list management, and project closeout.
Field survey and construction layout knowledge, including control, elevations, coordinates, and verification of installed work.
Experience serving as a General Superintendent, Area Superintendent, Field Operations Manager, or comparable multi-project field leader.
Bachelor's degree in construction management, civil engineering, or a related field; equivalent field experience will be considered.
OSHA 30-hour training, competent-person credentials, and other relevant safety or technical certifications.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain a forward-looking field resource plan across multiple Colorado projects, including staffing, field leadership assignments, equipment, materials, commodities, and specialty support.
Evaluate schedules, work plans, procurement status, and milestones to identify labor, equipment, access, sequencing, and material constraints.
Recommend allocation or reassignment of field leaders, craft personnel, survey support, and shared equipment according to risk, schedule, workload, and project priorities.
Coordinate mobilization, demobilization, and transitions between projects while preserving continuity, project knowledge, and accountability.
Support workforce forecasting, recruiting priorities, succession planning, and development of field leadership capacity.
Lead or facilitate constructability reviews, field planning sessions, site logistics planning, and major work-package reviews for complex water and wastewater facilities.
Provide practical guidance on underground utilities, deep excavation, shoring and dewatering, structural concrete, process piping, equipment installation, tie-ins, bypasses, shutdowns, and work within operating facilities.
Review means and methods, sequencing, temporary works, access, lifting needs, survey control, and interface points to improve safety, quality, productivity, and schedule certainty.
Assist teams with work plans, method-of-procedure documents, site logistics plans, shutdown plans, lift plans, look-ahead schedules, and recovery plans.
Visit project sites routinely to observe execution, coach field leadership, confirm readiness, and help remove operational barriers.
Participate in preconstruction and startup activities, including scope review, schedule development, staffing and equipment plans, procurement strategy, site logistics, and risk identification.
Support planning for testing, commissioning, startup, owner training, punch-list completion, demobilization, and final closeout.
Help coordinate vendor and subcontractor field activities, including deliveries, installation readiness, startup support, and resolution of field conflicts.
Capture and distribute lessons learned, productivity information, and successful field practices to improve future estimating, planning, and execution.
Coach, mentor, and support Superintendents and other field leaders while reinforcing responsibility for safety, quality, schedule, cost, documentation, and team performance.
Establish consistent expectations for short-interval planning, daily coordination, field reporting, material readiness, equipment utilization, housekeeping, and completion tracking.
Facilitate cross-project coordination meetings and communicate resource needs, emerging risks, and recommended actions to operations leadership.
Partner with Safety and Quality personnel to reinforce company requirements, regulatory compliance, inspections, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.
Promote Rice Lake West's core values of loyalty, safety, integrity, quality, value, relationships, and employees in decisions and daily leadership behavior.