Vice President of Operations – Fiber Engineering & Permitting

RedLine Design, Inc.

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona 85257 Job Type: Full-time Work Arrangement: In-person, Scottsdale office; no remote or hybrid arrangement Compensation: $175,000–$210,000 base salary, depending on experience Bonus: Performance-based annual bonus opportunity up to 25% of base salary Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

About the Opportunity

RedLine Design is looking for an experienced telecommunications operations leader to run our Arizona operation and lead the teams supporting our growing fiber-optic engineering and permitting workload.

Direct leadership experience in fiber-optic outside plant (OSP) operations is required, including responsibility for engineering/design and permitting delivery. General operations management experience without this industry background does not meet the requirements of this position.

We are looking for someone who understands how a fiber project moves from preliminary routing and field collection through engineering, agency and utility approvals, quality review, and construction-ready deliverables—and has experience managing the people, budgets, and schedules behind that work.

This is an opportunity to help build and lead an expanding operation, develop strong department leaders, and work directly with company ownership and executive leadership.

About RedLine Design

RedLine Design, Inc. is a telecommunications engineering and professional services company supporting fiber-optic and broadband deployment across multiple states.

Our services include aerial and underground OSP engineering, field walkouts and data collection, pole attachment engineering and permitting, public right-of-way permitting, utility coordination, private-property easements, CAD/GIS production, and project management.

We support telecommunications providers, utilities, government agencies, and tribal governments. Our work connects field conditions, engineering requirements, and permitting approvals so clients receive accurate, coordinated deliverables that support construction.

What You Will Be Responsible For

Lead the Arizona operation and its department leaders.

Oversee day-to-day execution across underground and aerial engineering, fielding, pole attachments, ROW permitting, easements and survey coordination, CAD/GIS, production support, and project management. Establish clear responsibilities and reporting relationships, develop managers, and resolve competing priorities across departments.

Keep work moving from field collection through client delivery.

Establish consistent handoffs between fielding, engineering, permitting, QA/QC, and project management. Identify incomplete field information, design backlogs, permit dependencies, and other constraints before they affect delivery. Ensure each department understands what it must deliver, to whom, and by when.

Build staffing plans around workload and production capacity.

Translate contract backlog, project quantities, delivery dates, and forecasts into realistic staffing and resource plans. Balance assignments across projects and departments. Recommend hiring, training, or organizational changes based on actual capacity, productivity, and upcoming commitments.

Manage operating costs and project profitability.

Partner with the CFO, COO, and department leaders on operating budgets, job costing, labor efficiency, billable utilization, and project margins. Review actual costs against estimates, forecast the cost of remaining work, and address overruns early. Use production results to improve future estimating and pricing.

Hold teams accountable for schedules and quality.

Lead weekly operational reviews focused on completed work, remaining commitments, staffing, financial performance, and unresolved issues. Track meaningful production measures such as fielded footage and poles, completed design packages, permit submissions, and client deliverables. Maintain quality controls that reduce avoidable rework, incomplete submissions, and return trips.

Support project management and client commitments.

Ensure project managers receive reliable production updates, completion forecasts, and escalation support from department leaders. Work through scope changes, staffing conflicts, schedule risks, and major client issues. Keep the COO informed of material operational and financial concerns before they become emergencies.

Build an operation that can grow without losing control.

Develop practical procedures, reporting systems, management routines, and leadership capacity that support expansion. Evaluate systems and automation that improve visibility and reduce unnecessary administrative work. Help establish an operating model capable of supporting the company’s long-term goal of $50 million or more in annual revenue.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive operations or delivery-management experience, with direct responsibility for fiber-optic telecommunications or OSP infrastructure projects.
• At least five years leading managers, directors, or multiple departments within a fiber/OSP engineering, permitting, or integrated telecommunications infrastructure operation.
• Demonstrated responsibility for OSP engineering/design and permitting delivery—not solely sales, customer installations, network maintenance, or general business administration.
• Working understanding of aerial and underground fiber deployment, field-data collection, design production, pole attachment processes, ROW permitting, utility coordination, easements, and construction-readiness requirements.
• Experience managing operating budgets, staffing forecasts, labor costs, project schedules, production performance, and profitability.
• Experience leading approximately 75–150 employees, directly and indirectly, or a comparably complex organization with multiple managers and technical teams.
• Demonstrated ability to develop department leaders, establish accountability, improve processes, and resolve cross-department delivery problems.
• Ability to work full-time in person at our Scottsdale, Arizona office and travel periodically to project locations and client meetings.

Candidates should be able to explain which departments they led, what financial responsibility they held, and what measurable improvements they delivered.

Preferred Experience

Experience leading a telecommunications engineering or professional-services business is especially valuable, including responsibility for billable production, project margins, staffing utilization, and delivery across multiple clients or markets.

Additional preferred experience includes fiber-to-the-home deployment; state DOT, municipal, utility, and tribal coordination; publicly funded broadband projects; and scaling a technical services operation beyond $20 million in annual revenue.

A bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, business, construction management, or a related discipline is preferred. An MBA is a plus. Demonstrated industry leadership and operating results will carry significant weight.

Familiarity with OSP field-collection, CAD/GIS, pole-analysis, and project-reporting systems is helpful. This position leads the people and processes using those systems; it is not a production designer or individual technical-contributor role.

What Success Looks Like

Our department leaders know what they own. Staffing plans reflect the work we have committed to deliver. Project managers receive dependable updates without chasing individual employees. Engineering and permit packages move through a consistent quality process. Leadership has an accurate view of schedule risk, remaining costs, and project profitability.

Performance will be measured through on-time delivery, budget adherence, gross margin, utilization, production output, rework, permitting deficiencies, staffing forecast accuracy, and leadership effectiveness. Specific targets will be established with executive leadership and reviewed quarterly.

Why RedLine

We are looking for a leader who wants to help build something—not simply maintain an existing department.

This position offers the opportunity to shape our Arizona operation, develop its leadership team, improve how work moves through the company, and contribute directly to RedLine’s growth. You will work closely with the COO, CFO, and ownership, with clear operational responsibility and the opportunity to make meaningful improvements.

We value people who understand the work, communicate directly, support their teams, and follow through on commitments.

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary is $175,000–$210,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications, with eligibility for a performance-based annual bonus of up to 25% of base salary.

Company-sponsored benefits and paid time off are offered in accordance with company policies. Relocation assistance may be considered for a highly qualified candidate.

Mandatory Scottsdale Office Requirement

This is a full-time, in-person position in Scottsdale, Arizona. Remote and hybrid arrangements are not available. Candidates outside the area must be willing to relocate before beginning work.

How to Apply

Submit your résumé and a brief summary of your relevant fiber/OSP operational leadership experience. Include the departments and workforce you led, the operating budget or services revenue you were responsible for, and an example of an improvement you delivered in profitability, production, quality, or project completion.

Please distinguish responsibility for engineering and professional-services operations from the total construction value of projects you supported.

Pay: $175,000.00 - $210,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person