[Hiring] Senior Vice President of Construction @Kelso Industries

Role Description

The Senior Vice President of Construction is responsible for driving performance, growth, and integration across a large portfolio of construction-focused operating companies within a rapidly expanding MEP roll-up. This executive owns a $1.4B P&L generated by 35+ operating companies across five divisions, ensuring consistent execution, strong financial results, and a unified operating model. The SVP sets strategy, scales systems and processes, leads integration of newly acquired businesses, and builds a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• P&L Ownership & Operational Leadership
  • Lead and manage the construction portfolio’s $1.4B P&L, ensuring predictable financial performance across 35+ operating companies.
  • Directly oversee 5 Divisional Vice Presidents, with responsibility for expanding leadership capacity as the business grows.
  • Drive operational excellence, margin improvement, and disciplined project execution across all construction divisions.
• Growth Strategy & Organic Expansion
  • Develop and execute strategies to achieve consistent organic growth across all construction operating companies.
  • Identify new market opportunities, service line expansions, and operational enhancements that drive year-over-year revenue and EBITDA growth.
• Profitability & Continuous Improvement
  • Identify and implement initiatives to increase profitability through improved processes, labor productivity, project controls, and cost management.
  • Champion continuous improvement methodologies and standardization across all construction businesses.
• Financial Partnership & Forecasting Accuracy
  • Partner closely with Finance to improve budgeting, forecasting, and financial visibility.
  • Enhance CRM utilization, pipeline management, and backlog reporting to increase forecasting accuracy and operational planning.
• Standardization & Best Practices
  • Establish and enforce enterprise-wide best practices for project management, estimating, scheduling, safety, procurement, and operational reporting.
  • Build scalable operating procedures that unify historically decentralized businesses.
• M&A Integration Leadership
  • Lead construction-focused operating companies through the post-acquisition integration process, ensuring smooth transitions, cultural alignment, and rapid adoption of enterprise standards.
  • Evaluate construction capabilities and risks during diligence for future acquisitions.
• Enterprise Scaling & Support Function Alignment
  • Partner with functional leaders (Finance, HR, Accounting, Safety, IT) to design and scale support structures that meet the needs of a rapidly growing, multi-division business.
  • Ensure operating companies receive consistent, high-quality support as the enterprise expands.
• Culture/Safety Leadership
  • Maintain and build upon Kelso’s incredible culture by ensuring that employees feel valued, respected and motivated to give their best every day.
  • Keep relentless focus on Kelso’s core values—Partnership, Innovation, Excellence, and Safety—and ensure that all leaders stay true to them.
  • Champion a world-class safety culture across all job sites and operating companies.
  • Partner with the corporate safety function to ensure compliance with safety standards, regulatory requirements, and proactive risk mitigation practices.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a very large P&L (hundreds of millions to >$1B).
• Significant M&A integration experience, ideally across multiple acquisitions.
• Deep construction industry expertise, preferably within mechanical, electrical, or plumbing sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to standardize operations across decentralized or multi-site businesses.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience in a rapid-growth or private-equity-backed environment.
• Entrepreneurial background or experience working within an acquired company.
• Strong change-management capability and comfort operating in dynamic, evolving environments.

Leadership Competencies

• Growth Mindset — Learns, adapts, and grows through curiosity and resilience.
• Decisiveness — Makes timely, informed and effective decisions to move forward.
• Builds People — Invests in the development of others through coaching and mentoring.
• Collaboration — Builds trust and partnerships to achieve shared success.
• Communication — Turns ideas into action through clear, authentic messaging.
• Emotional Intelligence — Leads with self-awareness, empathy, and calm under pressure.

Success Metrics

• Improved profitability and margin consistency across all divisions.
• Increased accuracy of forecasting, budgeting, and pipeline visibility.
• Successful integration of newly acquired companies with minimal disruption.
• Adoption of standardized operating procedures across all construction businesses.
• Sustained organic growth across divisions.
• Strong safety performance and reduced incident rates.
• Scalable support functions aligned with enterprise growth.

Other Details

• Location: SLC, UT or another major hub-airport city.
• Reports To: Chief Operating Officer.
• Travel: 30–40%.
• Direct Reports: 5 Divisional Vice Presidents (with continued expansion expected).

Benefits

• Growth Opportunities: Develop new skills, take on exciting challenges, and advance your career in meaningful ways.
• Company Culture: You’ll thrive in an environment that supports your growth, values your contributions, and makes work fulfilling and enjoyable.
• Impact: Your work directly contributes to meaningful outcomes, allowing you to see the difference you make and feel a sense of purpose every day.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits: You’ll be rewarded fairly for your contributions while enjoying perks that enhance your financial security, health, and overall well-being.