Construction Operations Manager Jobs in Edison, NJ

The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operational performance of a commercial specialty contracting branch focused on waterproofing, façade restoration, concrete repair, and building-envelope services. 

This role provides leadership across project management, field operations, scheduling, manpower planning, safety, quality control, procurement, and project financial performance. The Operations Manager works closely with the General Manager, Project Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, estimating team, safety department, and administrative staff to ensure projects are properly planned, staffed, executed, and closed out. 

The ideal candidate has strong experience managing multiple commercial construction projects, leading both office and field teams, and improving operational performance through accountability, planning, communication, and disciplined project controls. 

Supervisory Responsibilities 

• Lead, coach, and develop Project Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, and other operational personnel. 

• Support the recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, and training of operations and field employees. 

• Establish clear expectations, responsibilities, and performance goals for direct reports. 

• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide timely coaching and corrective feedback. 

• Assist with disciplinary actions and employee performance matters in accordance with company policies. 

• Develop future leaders and promote internal advancement whenever feasible. 

• Ensure operational teams are appropriately staffed to meet current project demands and planned growth. 

• Build a culture centered on safety, quality, accountability, teamwork, responsiveness, and continuous improvement. 

Key Responsibilities 

Operational Leadership 

• Oversee the daily operations of commercial waterproofing, façade restoration, concrete repair, and building-envelope projects. 

• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with contract requirements and company standards. 

• Provide direction and support to Project Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, and field crews. 

• Coordinate operational priorities across project management, field operations, estimating, safety, accounting, and administration. 

• Lead regular operations meetings to review project status, schedules, manpower, costs, billing, change orders, risks, and client concerns. 

• Establish and maintain consistent operational processes, procedures, documentation, and accountability. 

• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans. 

• Support branch growth by ensuring operational capacity, systems, staffing, and resources are aligned with business objectives. 

Project Management Oversight 

• Review project scopes, contracts, budgets, schedules, specifications, drawings, estimates, and execution plans. 

• Ensure proper project handoff from estimating and business development to operations. 

• Confirm that Project Managers and field leaders understand scope, pricing assumptions, exclusions, schedule requirements, risks, and client expectations. 

• Monitor project performance using job-cost reports, work-in-progress reports, schedules, production data, billing status, and margin forecasts. 

• Ensure projects are properly staffed and supported with the required materials, tools, equipment, subcontractors, and access systems. 

• Review project risks, delays, field conditions, productivity issues, and potential cost impacts. 

• Assist Project Managers with complex client, contract, subcontractor, supplier, schedule, and field issues. 

• Ensure RFIs, submittals, change orders, notices, daily reports, safety documents, and project correspondence are completed accurately and on time. 

• Monitor change-order development, pricing, approval, tracking, and billing. 

• Ensure punch lists, warranties, closeout documents, and final billing are completed promptly. 

Field Operations and Workforce Planning 

• Coordinate manpower planning across all active and upcoming projects. 

• Ensure Superintendents and Foremen have appropriate staffing levels based on project schedules and production requirements. 

• Monitor labor productivity, overtime, crew performance, and field utilization. 

• Support the recruitment, retention, training, and development of field personnel. 

• Conduct regular jobsite visits to evaluate safety, quality, productivity, organization, and project progress. 

• Ensure field teams receive clear instructions, updated plans, approved materials, and accurate scope information. 

• Coordinate equipment, fleet, tools, scaffolding, aerial lifts, swing stages, rigging systems, and other access requirements. 

• Help resolve manpower shortages, material delays, equipment issues, and field coordination challenges. 

• Ensure company equipment, vehicles, tools, and assets are properly maintained, tracked, and utilized. 

Financial and Job-Cost Management 

• Monitor project budgets, gross margins, labor costs, material costs, subcontractor expenses, and equipment utilization. 

• Review job-cost reports, work-in-progress schedules, forecasts, committed costs, and projected final margins. 

• Hold Project Managers accountable for accurate financial forecasting and timely cost updates. 

• Identify underperforming projects and develop recovery plans. 

• Review billing, underbilling, overbilling, collections, receivables, and cash-flow concerns. 

• Ensure project invoices, subcontractor payments, purchase orders, and cost coding are accurate and timely. 

• Partner with accounting and finance teams to resolve financial discrepancies and improve reporting accuracy. 

• Support annual budgeting, revenue forecasting, backlog planning, and operational expense management. 

• Assist the General Manager with branch-level financial analysis and operating performance. 

Safety and Quality Control 

• Promote and enforce a strong safety culture throughout the operations team. 

• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, company safety policies, project-specific requirements, and client standards. 

• Partner with the safety department to improve training, inspections, documentation, and incident prevention. 

• Review safety incidents, near misses, claims, and corrective actions. 

• Ensure proper planning for fall protection, scaffolding, rigging, aerial lifts, suspended access, silica exposure, and respiratory protection. 

• Conduct or participate in jobsite safety and quality inspections. 

• Ensure installed work complies with project specifications, approved details, manufacturer requirements, and company quality standards. 

• Support mock-ups, testing, inspections, and consultant or manufacturer reviews. 

• Address recurring quality issues and implement corrective training or process improvements. 

Client and Stakeholder Management 

• Maintain strong working relationships with property owners, property managers, general contractors, consultants, engineers, architects, subcontractors, and suppliers. 

• Support Project Managers with client communication, project updates, issue resolution, and difficult conversations. 

• Participate in preconstruction meetings, progress meetings, client reviews, and project closeout meetings. 

• Ensure client concerns are addressed promptly and professionally. 

• Help maintain client satisfaction, repeat business, referrals, and long-term account relationships. 

• Escalate significant project, contractual, financial, or client risks to the General Manager. 

Required Skills and Qualifications 

• Strong experience in commercial waterproofing, façade restoration, concrete repair, building-envelope services, or related specialty construction. 

• Proven experience overseeing multiple commercial construction projects simultaneously. 

• Strong leadership experience managing Project Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, field crews, subcontractors, and vendors. 

• Thorough understanding of project management, scheduling, procurement, manpower planning, field operations, and project closeout. 

• Deep understanding of job costing, work-in-progress reporting, financial forecasting, billing, and project margin management. 

• Ability to identify operational and financial risks and develop corrective action plans. 

• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations, construction safety requirements, fall protection, scaffolding, lifts, rigging, and suspended access. 

• Ability to analyze project schedules, productivity, labor performance, and financial reports. 

• Strong communication, leadership, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills. 

• Ability to hold teams accountable while maintaining a positive and collaborative work environment. 

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. 

• Ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced construction environment. 

• Experience with construction accounting, estimating, scheduling, customer relationship management, and project management software preferred. 

• Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills are a plus. 

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, business administration, or a related field preferred. 

• Equivalent construction management and leadership experience may be considered in place of a degree. 

• Minimum of five years of construction operations, project management, or field leadership experience preferred. 

• Prior experience as an Operations Manager, Senior Project Manager, Project Executive, Division Manager, General Superintendent, or similar construction leader strongly preferred. 

• Direct experience in commercial waterproofing, concrete repair, façade restoration, or building-envelope construction strongly preferred. 

• OSHA 30 certification preferred. 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.