Ambassador Group

Operations Director

Ambassador Group  •  $80k - $180k/yr  •  Vail, CO (Onsite)  •  2 months ago
Apply
AI can make mistakes so check important info. Chat history is never stored.

Job Description

This organization is a high-end builder of architecturally sophisticated spaces, delivering exceptional work across luxury custom homes, multifamily properties, commercial interiors, and other complex projects in the Vail Valley. Known for elevated craftsmanship, operational rigor, and strong client partnership, it brings thoughtful leadership and disciplined execution to every phase of construction.

The position is a director-level, regional leader responsible for ensuring projects are executed with disciplined excellence across budget, schedule, quality, and communication. This role owns the operating cadence that makes delivery predictable and enables scalable growth by setting standards, reviewing the critical work products, coaching project leaders, and stepping in to unblock execution when needed. Today, much of the operational glue runs through ownership. This role exists to stabilize and systematize delivery so the business can grow without sacrificing quality or client experience, and so that leadership time can shift further from day-to-day project ops toward building the pipeline and investing in the team.

  • Join a growing builder that invests in systems, not chaos. You’ll help tighten cadence and compliance across projects as the company scales and get to help shape the next generation of systems to drive operational excellence.
  • Work directly with company leadership in a high-trust environment, stewarding luxury details, complex coordination, and clients who expect proactive communication.
  • Partner with multiple on-site superintendents, each of whom typically lead 1–2 architecturally sophisticated custom projects with $3–$20 MM budgets in the Vail Valley.


Key Outcomes

1. The Delivery “Operating Cadence” Runs Reliably Across Projects
Project operations are consistent and predictable across active jobs in the region (exact span varies with workload and team capacity).

  • Drive disciplined execution of the core delivery system, including RFIs + RFI log, submittals, and PCAs / Project Cost Adjustments (cost-plus change communication)
  • Ensure monthly schedule updates, monthly budget updates tied to draw packages, and weekly client updates with photos happen consistently
  • Set expectations, implement review gates, and ensure follow-through so the system runs without heroics
  • Own cadence compliance: meeting rhythms, logs, review gates, and documentation quality standards

2. Margins Are Safeguarded With Tight Financial Oversight, Billing Accuracy, and Early Risk Detection

Draws are clean, billing aligns with real progress, and cost/scope/schedule risks are surfaced early with clear actions.

  • Review draw packages and billing for alignment to progress and scope; prevent premature or inaccurate billing
  • Catch misallocations and budget drift; drive corrective action with PMs/supers and accounting/admin partners
  • Flag scope gaps, procurement risks, and schedule threats early, with options and tradeoffs for resolution
  • Escalate to ownership when variance threatens client trust, delivery commitments, or major financial outcomes

3. Schedules Are Trusted, Followed, and Adjusted When Appropriate
Schedules function as true management tools, not artifacts—guiding sequencing, commitments, and proactive constraint removal.

  • Ensure schedules are realistic, current, and actively used with lookaheads and constraint management
  • Keep clients, architects/designers, subs, and internal teams aligned on schedule expectations and changes
  • Lead day-to-day escalation resolution when projects drift on schedule or coordination

4. Stakeholders Are Aligned Through Clear, Proactive Communication and Strong Meeting Leadership
Clients and partners experience steady communication and confidence in how the work is being run.

  • Run (or strongly support) OAC and other client-facing meetings, ensuring decisions, owners, and follow-ups are documented
  • Maintain alignment across clients, architects/designers, subcontractors, and internal teams—especially when conditions change
  • Escalate client relationship risk and unresolved decision bottlenecks that threaten trust or progress

5. Quality and Craftsmanship Match Architectural Intent
Work reflects Coleman’s standards; issues are resolved early; rework declines over time.

  • Drive standards and early issue resolution across teams so quality is consistent, not personality-dependent
  • Partner with PMs/supers to surface and resolve coordination and design issues before they become field failures
  • Recommend/align with ownership on high-stakes tradeoffs that affect finish-level scope and client commitments

6. The Team Gets Better As a Result of You Coaching, Setting Standards, and Stepping in When Needed
Project leaders become more autonomous and effective; operating standards rise across the region.

  • Mentor PMs and superintendents on documentation quality, cadence discipline, client management, and accountability
  • Provide direct feedback and coaching; review critical outputs and raise the bar over time
  • Step into stuck or under-resourced situations to unblock execution (player-coach), while avoiding becoming the permanent bottleneck
  • Escalate issues requiring directional guidance vs. day-to-day guidance, preserving autonomy while protecting outcomes

Qualifications

Experience

  • Demonstrated success leading complex construction delivery with high client expectations (luxury custom residential strongly preferred; multifamily/commercial/TI experience a plus)
  • Strong fluency in both field execution realities and project management discipline (budget, schedule, documentation, client communications)
  • Experience operating in cost-plus and/or high-change environments preferred, including disciplined change communication
  • Proven ability to coach and develop project leaders while driving consistent operating standards across multiple active jobs

Technical Skills

  • Strong command of construction sequencing, coordination, and quality control in detail-heavy projects
  • Competence running (and improving) operating cadence artifacts: RFIs/logs, submittals, PCAs, schedules, budgets/draws, and client updates
  • Comfort operating within modern construction documentation workflows and digital tooling. Current stack includes Construction Online for project management, Dropbox, Microsoft 365, and Adobe.

Soft Skills

  • Systems-minded operator who builds repeatable processes and drives adoption without becoming a bottleneck
  • Organized and disciplined; comfortable operating within structured systems rather than ad-hoc improvisation
  • Clear, calm communicator with clients, architects/designers, subs, and internal teams; strong meeting leadership and follow-through
  • High accountability and steady temperament; able to step in, unblock execution, and make practical tradeoffs under pressure
  • Strong coaching instincts and emotional intelligence; able to raise standards through expectations, feedback, and accountability

Credentials

  • Valid driver’s license and insurable driving record required
  • Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
  • This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.


Compensation & Benefits

  • Base Salary: $80,000 – $180,000+ DOE
  • Bonus: Discretionary bonus opportunities based on performance
  • Insurance: Health, Vision, and Dental
  • PTO: Flexible PTO policy designed to support work-life balance while meeting project responsibilities.
  • Holidays: 7 holidays
  • Cell Phone Reimbursement: $100/mo
  • Mileage Reimbursement: Mileage reimbursement at the current IRS standard mileage rate.

Employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a background check, motor vehicle record verification, and drug screening, where permitted by law.

Ambassador Group

About Ambassador Group

Hiring in construction is not a paperwork task.

It’s a legacy decision.

Ambassador Group is a construction executive search boutique for (mostly) West Coast SMEs. We partner with owners, COOs, and operations leaders at firms between 25–200 employees who care more about the right leader than the fastest hire.

Our clients build custom residential, commercial, industrial, and specialty projects. They come to us when they’re tired of rushed headhunting, shallow vetting, and leaders who look good on paper but can’t carry the culture.

We call our work professional matchmaking over rushed headhunting. Instead of blasting job boards, we quietly approach off-market construction leaders who are already delivering results. We slow down early, so you can move faster and with more confidence later.

Roles we most often place:

• Senior Project Managers

• Superintendents and General Superintendents

• Operations and Division Leaders

• Estimating and preconstruction leaders

Our process mirrors a well-built project. Clear definition of the role and culture. A disciplined structure for sourcing, interviewing, and debriefing. A thoughtful finish with onboarding and integration support. No shortcuts. No guessing.

We stay involved after the “yes.” We check in at 30, 60, 100 days, and one year to support both sides of the relationship and make sure the match holds under real-world pressure. Most clients work with us again and again as they grow.

If you’re a construction leader who wants humble, hungry, and emotionally smart people on your team—and you’re ready to treat hiring as seriously as your projects—let’s talk. Book an exploratory call and we’ll walk through your upcoming leadership needs and where your current process is helping or hurting you.

Industry
HR & Recruiting
Company Size
11-50 employees
Headquarters
Nationwide
Year Founded
2017
Social Media