Director of Pool Construction

For over 30 years, Dex by Terra has designed and built exceptional outdoor living spaces for residential and commercial clients across New England. From our base in Hudson, Massachusetts, we create patios, pool decks, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, pergolas, and complete backyard environments. In 2025 we expanded into pool construction and have seen strong growth, supported by an established pipeline of residential and commercial projects. We are now seeking a proven leader to scale and solidify our Pool Division into a high-performing, premier operation targeting 80–100+ pools per year.POSITION OVERVIEWDex by Terra is seeking an entrepreneurial, strategic, and highly autonomous Director of Pool Construction to fully own, build, and scale our rapidly growing Pool Division. The Director will have complete end-to-end accountability for the division’s profitability, operating strategy, sales pipeline, subcontractor networks, and team leadership — running the division like a company within a company.This is a senior leadership role. The ideal candidate will step back from daily field troubleshooting to focus on systemic division growth, rigorous margin management, process optimization, and leadership development — transforming a high-potential startup division into a streamlined, highly profitable, and fully integrated component of Dex by Terra’s all-inclusive backyard luxury packages.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES1. Divisional Leadership & Strategy (“Owner Within an Owner”)P&L Accountability: Take complete financial ownership of the Pool Division. Monitor, analyze, and optimize profit margins against a target of 20–30% per job to ensure the division meets corporate financial benchmarks.Strategic Growth: Drive the division’s business development and build an annual volume plan toward 80–100+ pools per year, integrating pool sales seamlessly into Dex by Terra’s broader electrical, plumbing, and landscaping offerings.Operational Autonomy: Act as the primary decision-maker for the division, resolving high-level operational bottlenecks and reducing dependency on corporate upper management. Hold final authority on change orders.2. Sales Alignment & Business DevelopmentSellable Product Criteria: Define what the division sells, what it doesn’t, and how work is priced for profitability.Deal Feasibility Review: Review deals with sales and design before contracts are signed to prevent field-level expectation gaps and overselling.Pipeline & Reporting: Report division performance, pipeline, and risks to ownership on a regular cadence and flag issues early.3. Operational Efficiency & Margin ControlSubcontractor & Vendor Management: Establish, negotiate, and manage robust relationships with outside vendors to sub out specialized phases (e.g., excavation, plastering) where internal execution is unprofitable.Labor & Resource Optimization: Design and enforce structured, tiered staffing and labor models to protect margins, correcting inefficiencies such as misallocating high-cost labor to low-skill tasks.Process Standardization: Establish SOPs from project onboarding through final handover — including pre-construction kickoff and a verified PM-to-field hand-off — to ensure scheduling predictability and cost control.4. Team Management & CulturePM Oversight: Direct, mentor, and hold accountable the division’s Project Manager(s) and field leadership, ensuring execution matches corporate quality and safety standards.Client Relations: Serve as the senior escalation point for client relations, ensuring the team handles communications with elite professionalism and composure.Culture & Leadership: Model a calm, collaborative, professional leadership style. Cultivate an environment of accountability, professional development, and emotional intelligence across all field and office personnel.5. Division Growth & New Revenue StreamsService / Maintenance Division: Build out a service and maintenance division (openings, closings, and ongoing service) as a complementary, recurring-revenue stream.Capacity Planning: Develop the headcount plan, hiring ladder, and apprentice pipeline required to scale capacity ahead of demand.QUALIFICATIONSRequired10+ years of progressive leadership experience in construction operations, luxury landscaping, or residential pool construction managementExtensive pool construction experience, with strong preference for gunite expertiseDeep understanding of construction finance — P&L management, unit-cost auditing, and labor allocation metricsProven ability to manage or lead construction projects and client relationshipsExperience in estimating, pricing, or business development within constructionPreferredProven experience running an independent division or mid-sized business entityExperience helping scale a pool operation toward 80–100+ pools per yearStrong sales fluency — able to evaluate and shape deals, not just execute themAbility to operate both strategically and hands-onExperience in both residential and commercial construction environmentsWillingness to relocate or travel within the region as neededLeadership ProfileCalm, composed, and authoritative leadership — able to manage diverse teams, defuse high-pressure situations, and mentor staff effectivelyStrong background in negotiating, vetting, and managing construction subcontractors and suppliersExceptional verbal and written communication, with executive-level professionalism across clients, vendors, crews, and ownershipCOMPENSATION & BENEFITS Base Salary: $150,000+ (commensurate with experience)Performance Bonus: Tied to revenue growth, project volume, and division profitabilityVehicle: Company vehicle or vehicle allowanceBenefits: Health and dental insurance Time Off: Paid time off and company holidays