Vice President of Operations

Voda Cleaning & Restoration of Rochester is the first Voda franchise in New York State, controlling all three Greater Rochester territories—a market of roughly 1.1 million people and nearly 300,000 owner-occupied homes. We provide water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage restoration, biohazard and trauma cleanup, reconstruction, and specialty cleaning services for residential and commercial clients. As an IICRC Certified Firm, EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, and New York State Licensed Mold Remediation Contractor, we offer 24/7 emergency response capabilities.

About the role

The Vice President of Operations is the senior operational leader of the company, working directly with ownership to establish, direct, and scale the business. This is a build-it role, not a maintenance role, where you will own day-to-day operational decisions and be accountable for the company’s performance and growth. The role is designed to grow with the company, with a potential path to Chief Operating Officer as the organization scales.

At this early stage, the role is hands-on: you will work alongside the field team in production when needed, including inspections, project management, and field activities like demolition, extraction, remediation, and cleaning. As the company grows, the role will shift toward greater leadership and strategic responsibility.

Responsibilities

• People
  • Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop the production team.
  • Build the pipeline for future technicians, project managers, and operational leaders.
  • Establish clear expectations and accountability throughout the operation.
  • Build a culture centered on professionalism, urgency, teamwork, safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.
  • Lead from the front and work alongside the team when production demands it.
• Operations
  • Direct daily operations and resource planning across restoration, reconstruction, specialty cleaning, and residential, commercial, and large-loss projects.
  • Coordinate crews, schedules, equipment, subcontractors, materials, and project priorities.
  • Ensure safe, efficient, profitable, and compliant execution in accordance with IICRC Standards, OSHA regulations, company procedures, and applicable law.
  • Oversee warehouse organization, purchasing, vendor coordination, fleet, equipment readiness, and inventory.
  • Inspect projects, identify operational issues early, and ensure work is completed to company standards.
  • Participate directly in field production when staffing levels or project demands require additional support.
  • Build scalable processes and operating systems as the company grows.
• Financial Performance
  • Own operational profitability, gross margins, and EBITDA performance.
  • Manage labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and other job costs.
  • Oversee estimating standards, job costing, documentation, billing readiness, and collections.
  • Review project performance and identify margin leakage or operational inefficiencies.
  • Identify and implement improvements that increase productivity, capacity, and profitability.
• Growth
  • Work directly with ownership to establish and execute the company’s growth strategy.
  • Build and maintain relationships with referral partners, commercial clients, property managers, adjusters, vendors, and industry contacts.
  • Help shape account development and commercial sales initiatives.
  • Identify new revenue streams, service offerings, geographic opportunities, and target markets.
  • Help determine when additional technicians, project managers, equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure should be added as demand grows.
• Customer Experience
  • Serve as the primary operational liaison for clients from project award through completion.
  • Maintain proactive and transparent communication throughout the project.
  • Resolve customer concerns quickly and professionally.
  • Ensure documentation, workmanship, communication, and job-site professionalism consistently represent the company well.

Requirements

• 7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience in restoration, construction, specialty cleaning, or a closely related service industry.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing field operations, project management, estimating, job costing, and production teams.
• Applicable IICRC certification(s).
• Xactimate proficiency.
• NYS Mold Supervisor License or the ability to obtain one.
• Strong working knowledge of industry standards, safety requirements, regulations, and legal guidelines.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, coach, develop, and hold field employees accountable.
• Proven ability to build processes and structures that increase speed, consistency, efficiency, and profitability.
• Strong financial understanding, including labor utilization, job costing, gross margin, and operational profitability.
• Ability to make decisions independently and operate effectively in a fast-changing environment.
• Valid New York State driver’s license.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Hands-on expectations

This is not a desk-only executive position. You will spend time in the office building systems, managing people, reviewing financial performance, and planning capacity, but you will also be on job sites. Until production volume supports additional field hires, the VP of Operations, owner, and field technicians will work together to complete the work. This includes:

• Inspecting and managing projects.
• Participating in production work such as water extraction, equipment setup and movement, demolition, mold remediation, contents handling, and cleaning.
• Frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, climbing, reaching, and working in varying weather and job-site conditions.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or move up to 100 lbs when required.
• Travel between job sites throughout the Greater Rochester service area.

Pay

$119,600–$140,400 annual base salary, depending on experience. Performance bonus tied to company revenue and profitability.

Benefits

• Take-home company vehicle.
• Health insurance.
• 401(k) with 100% match up to 4%.
• Paid time off.
• Company phone, desktop, laptop, and tablet.
• Direct access to ownership.
• Significant authority over day-to-day operations.
• Real influence over the systems, team, culture, and operating model of the company.
• Potential path to Chief Operating Officer as the organization scales.