Director - Construction Operations

About the role

TDS Telecom is seeking a Director of Construction Operations to lead the Internal Construction Crew's fiber-optic construction program. This role requires strategic and operational leadership across underground, aerial, and joint trench teams, ensuring projects are delivered safely, on time, on budget, and to high quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of all field construction operations, including underground, aerial, and joint trench teams.
• Work cross-functionally with senior leaders to develop company targets for service address completions and on-time project delivery.
• Establish and communicate department conduit, strand, and fiber footage production goals based on company targets.
• Partner with state-level ICC managers to develop weekly and monthly build plans, monitor adherence to schedule, and ensure production forecasting is accurate and actionable.
• Lead resolution of large scale, high-impact escalations, risks, and issues.
• Ensure ICC leaders have the tools, authority, and support needed to execute effectively.
• Develop and manage capital and operational budgets for field construction.
• Oversee allocation of labor, equipment, and (at times) subcontractor resources.
• Review budget-to-actuals and adjust deployment strategies to stay within fiscal targets.
• Provide monthly forecasts, updates, and executive summaries of spend performance.
• Oversee adherence to safety, quality, and compliance standards across all construction operations.
• Drive accountability for procedure adherence and compliance through all levels of the ICC team.
• Work cross-functionally with other department leaders and safety and quality teams to align safety performance indicators, review root-cause investigations, and implement corrective actions.
• Drive cross-functional coordination between engineering, permitting, and construction functions to remove barriers and maintain schedule integrity.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to resolve design conflicts, permitting delays, and field deviations.
• Oversee project readiness reviews to ensure materials, locates, and access permissions are secured before deployment.
• Develop and mentor ICC field leadership at all levels.
• Provide coaching on leadership development, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making.
• Champion a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) OR 4+ years professional work experience.
• 8+ years of experience in telecommunications industry as it relates to planning, operations, engineering, supervision, utility construction, or project management functions.
• 8+ years in a supervisory role or equivalent leadership experience.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale field construction operations and deliver measurable production results.
• Deep understanding of outside plant construction, safety, and restoration standards.
• Strong financial and operational acumen.
• Working knowledge of PC hardware and software as applied to engineering and analyses including databases, spreadsheets, GIS, AutoCAD, project management or workflow tools, and emerging geo-spatial applications.
• Ability to travel and lead teams across multiple markets.
• Proven ability to communicate complex issues effectively to varied audiences, among them senior executives.
• Must be able to distill complex information to its most salient points for key decision makers.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to build relationships.
• Ability to think creatively and to instill this thought process throughout the team.

Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Generous Vacation & Paid Sick Leave
• Seven Paid National Holidays & One Floating Holiday
• Paid Parental Leave (6 weeks after 12 months of employment)
• Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance
• Employee Assistance & Wellness Programs
• TDS Service Discounts
• Education Assistance
• Paid Volunteer Time