Job Description
Job Description
Superintendent - Underground Wet Utilities
San Francisco Bay Area, CA (jobsite-based)
About the Opportunity
Our partner, a family-owned underground utility contractor with 35+ years in Northern California, is looking for a Superintendent to lead its entire field operation. This seat opened when their longtime superintendent of roughly 30 years retired. They aren't looking for someone to keep the seat warm - they want a field leader who will raise the bar on how crews plan, communicate, and install, and who will help the company grow.
Your day is spent on the road and on jobsites, not behind a desk in a yard. You'll move between two to three active projects across the Bay Area, typically in places like Hayward, Fremont, Santa Clara, and San Jose. If you live in the East Bay or near the jobs, there is no expectation that you report to the yard every morning.
About the Company
Our partner self-performs pipeline excavation and installation for domestic water, storm drainage, sanitary sewer, natural gas, and underground fire water systems, along with related excavation, grading, and paving. They've completed hundreds of projects across retail, commercial, institutional, and public works, working with top general contractors, owners, and municipalities. It's a close-knit team of roughly two dozen people, with about 18 in the field across three crews, and the company is actively modernizing through EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System).
What You'll Do
- Oversee three to five projects at a time ($400K to $2.5M), typically two to three with crews on site
- Make sure every job has its production plan, manpower, and materials in place before the day starts
- Run the look-ahead for crews and equipment, and flag to the office when the pipeline of work is getting light
- Coordinate with GC superintendents on every job, adapt to their phasing and sequencing, and hold the line respectfully on contracted scope
- Read plans and specs against the contract, catch extra work before it happens, and raise budget and change order issues early
- Lead field safety, including enforcing regulations, completing jobsite safety reporting, and driving toward zero lost-time accidents
- Inspect work against plans and specs so nothing gets redone
- Coach and develop the four foremen who report to you, and keep daily logs and status reports flowing back to the office
What You Bring
- Around 10 years combined as a foreman and superintendent (or general foreman) in underground wet utilities
- Hands-on knowledge of water, sewer, storm drain, gas, and fire water installation - not grading or mass excavation alone
- Ability to read and interpret civil plans and specifications
- Experience running multiple crews and jobsites at the same time
- Comfortable with computers for daily logs, reporting, and GC documentation
- Bilingual in English and Spanish
Nice to Have
- Private commercial experience as a subcontractor to general contractors (strongly preferred; public works backgrounds welcome)
- Union or non-union background - both are welcome
- Operations experience beyond the field
- Ideas for better ways to communicate job information and improve installation procedures
Who Thrives Here
You've come up through the ranks in underground wet utilities and know the nuts and bolts of the work. You can stand toe to toe with a GC superintendent, stay respectful, and still protect your company. You'd rather teach a foreman how to solve a problem than solve it for them every time, and you lead by explaining, not yelling. You think two moves ahead on crews, equipment, and materials, and you want your ideas to matter.
What's in It for You
- Lead all field operations with a direct line to ownership and no layers of management in between
- Work from jobsites across the Bay Area rather than a daily yard commute
- Competitive base salary with annual bonus potential
- Company pickup or vehicle allowance (your choice) and fuel card
- Union or company benefits and paid time off
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