Operations Director - Vermont Frames & Foam Laminates of Vermont

Client: Vermont Frames & Foam Laminates of Vermont

Position Title: Vermont Frames Operations Director

Website: Foam Laminates of Vermont - Vermont Frames

Location: Starksboro, VT, occasional travel to tradeshows and jobsites across the east coast

Reports to: Owner

Hours: Monday – Thursday 7AM-5PM, Friday flexible, usually 5 hours

Anticipated hiring range: $120,000 - 135,000/year with potential for a performance bonus

About Vermont Frames & Foam Laminates of Vermont

For 50 years, we have been refining and honing our handcrafted timber frame structures to give an enduring sense of strength and safety for our clients’ homes, barns, and commercial projects. Our specialty is traditional Timber Frames that will stand strong and beautiful for centuries, and the Structural Insulated Panels that enclose them, keeping our clients warm and dry. We are proud to be one of the last remaining companies to offer on-site raising and installation of the timbers and panels using our own in-house crew. This allows us to take full accountability for the entire value chain from design to fabrication to installation for the project's above-ground structure, avoiding confusion and miscommunication among multiple subcontractors. Our team prides itself on building the right way for our clients, our build partners, and our environment. This is an exciting time for us, as we currently have the strongest backlog of timber frame and SIP projects in company history.

Role Description

The Vermont Frames Director of Operations will be responsible for the overarching success of the Design-Fabrication-Install operation. The right person will seamlessly balance ~10-20 concurrent projects in various stages of our three-phase process. They will also leverage 15+ years of experience to assess thoughtfully fixed-bid estimates submitted in response to ~800 annual requests for proposals from homeowners, builders, and architects across the Northeast. They will be able to earn the trust and confidence of three teams that they will manage, while leading them to overcome operational challenges and stresses/

A strong candidate will be a highly motivated leader with a proven track record of managing multiple competing priorities, handling challenging and sensitive client communications, and meeting deadlines. They will also possess a deep and thorough understanding of the relationships and interwoven dependencies between our timber frames, SIPs, and the other components of the home, to ensure that our approach complies with and aligns with the needs of the larger building project.

They will also be able to advise homeowners, builders, architects, engineers, and team members on building science best practices, ensuring all stakeholders are properly educated about the trade-offs and compromises inherent in creating a custom residential home or project.

They will understand the nuances of building in the northeast, including a rough familiarity with varying code requirements across state lines, seasonal weather fluctuations, and their ramifications for the build schedule. Working knowledge of OSHA requirements, ICC Codes, Vermont Residential Building Energy Standard (RBES), and other state and federal construction codes are essential.

This position will require a deep understanding of operational best practices for a production-oriented carpentry shop.

A strong candidate will be able to answer questions over the phone/zoom from jobsite foreman, timber shop foreman, and other 3rd parties who call with questions about their projects, even when those questions are only tangentially related to the timber frame or panels themselves.

Because many factors in a successful project are outside our control, a successful candidate will be adept at dynamically and frequently adjusting long-lead material orders and team schedules to adapt to ever-changing project timelines for a total of ~50-60 projects annually that stretch across seven states.

The Vermont Frames Operations Manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of the timber frame and SIPs operations.

• Sales Support
• Review ~20 Estimates per week as drafted by our two in-house Estimators, usually within ~24 hours, with High Priority Estimates reviewed within hours, and unusual or complex Estimates examined in more detail, before they go to customers, to ensure they accurately reflect our current pricing and the requested scope of work.
• Review and approve contracts before they go to clients for signing to ensure that the projects we commit to are properly scoped and contracts are properly written to set expectations appropriately. The end result must be a great value to our clients, while also ensuring the project is profitable for the company.
• Ensure the Customer Relationship Management tool (Monday.com or equivalent) are kept constantly up to date to provide the Accounting team and Owner with a sense of the sales pipeline, which contracts have been won, lost, which proposals have been sent out, which are awaiting more work, etc.
• Project Management
• Plan for and coordinate schedules for Timber Frame & SIPs Projects to ensure we deliver on our contractual commitments
• Schedule Design team tasks and work to create well-drafted shop drawings, based upon 3rd party Architectural drawings, on time, to enable client signoff far enough in advance of production to allow for 8-12 week turnaround times on long lead timbers and other materials.
• Schedule Timber Shop team workload to account for timber order arrivals, and with enough time to enable highly specialized timber framers to hand craft timbers into precisely cut timber frame kits ready to be shipped to jobsites around the country.
• Schedule the Field Team, including our crane and telehandler, to mobilize to jobsites across the northeast on a weekly basis to install roughly one timber frame and SIPs package every one-to-two weeks.
• Update Project Management Software (Monday.com or otherwise) daily to keep the Owner apprised of the status of the various projects the company is committed to and the overall workload and health of the company
• Ensure Job site visits are conducted by competent personnel to plan for and confirm site readiness for timber frame installation
• Support the Accounting team in ensuring that payments are received from customers on time, and that any accounts receivable or accounts payable issues are resolved satisfactorily
• Optimize and improve upon existing production processes.
• Logistics & Safety
• Develop Fall Protection Plans for each job (Timbers and SIPs projects), tailored to the risks and dangers of each project and job site.
• Order Timber Frame-related materials to ensure materials are delivered in time for production to begin, and work with the Accounting Team to ensure prompt payment
• Schedule Timber deliveries to job sites with shipping companies to ensure installation on customer sites begins on time
• Plan Field Team logistics, including reserving hotel rooms and working with the Accounting Team to provide per diem to ensure the Field Install Team has quality room and board provided for them.
• Ensure the company exceeds all relevant quality control and industry standards
• Staffing
• In coordination with the Field Team Foreman, assign employees ,on a weekly basis, to install / kit install projects

The Vermont Frames Director of Operations will also work very closely with the Foam Laminates Operations Manager. Constant close communication will be required to keep both sides of the company coordinated and operating in sync with each other so that timber frames and SIPs are ready on time and installed correctly.

Ultimately the Vermont Frames Director of Operations is responsible for ensuring the smooth working order and profitability of the company. Customers should receive prompt responses to inquiries, within 2-5 business days. Proposals and Estimates should be sent out within 5 business days of receipt of an ‘Request a Quote’ form submission or phone call. Follow up on sent estimates and Proposals should occur at least monthly on all non-dormant leads. Materials should be ordered on time, and manufacturing and support teams should be have their questions and requests for support answered promptly.

This means the Operations manager should be available by cell phone 7 days a week. While it is our goal to respect personal time and weekends, and to minimize after hours phone calls, if a foreman or the owner is calling you after hours, it is almost certainly urgent and the call should be answered or returned if missed. 

#VermontFrames

Gallagher, Flynn, & Company, LLP has been retained to conduct this search. While we appreciate all interest in this exciting opportunity, only candidates most closely aligned with our search will be contacted.

Disclaimer: What is listed above is representative of the position's responsibilities but is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Responsibilities may change during employment at the company's discretion. Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP, and our client do not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.