Recruiter Notice: We respectfully ask external recruiters and staffing agencies not to submit candidates. We only accept direct applications.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 ResponsibilitiesP&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
Required Skills & Experience- 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 CompetenciesAs a senior leader at Kelso, the SVP of Construction is expected to demonstrate Kelso's six 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)
