Vice President of Construction

Vice President of Construction

Current Hydro | Ohio River Region | Based in the Pittsburgh area

Build clean power where the rivers already run.

Current Hydro is doing something rare in American infrastructure. They build brand new hydroelectric plants at existing federal dams. The dam is already there. The water is already moving. Current Hydro adds the powerhouse that turns that flow into clean electricity, without changing how the river runs.

It is proven engineering, a growing slate of projects, and a mission that genuinely matters. Every plant delivers carbon free, baseload power to a grid that needs it, with operating lives measured in half centuries.  It is real construction, on real rivers, with 24 projects ahead and roughly $400 million under construction at any given time.

What separates them is that the demand is already secured. Their first projects are already contracted to a major data center operator, in a power market where demand has grown enough to support capital intensive baseload projects like hydro.

Behind them is Conifer Infrastructure Partners. The company is on the front end of serious growth, and they are hiring their first Vice President of Construction to help lead it.

The Role

This is the owner side leadership position, and it is a builder’s job, not a desk job. You will not inherit a department. You will build one.

Every project carries its own on-site construction manager. You lead them and you lead the program. You own owner side bid packaging and bid leveling, contracts and risk, phasing and sequencing, and you sit between construction and development on work that has not broken ground yet. As the work scales to two to three concurrent sites, you hire and lead the in house construction organization that runs it all.

You are comfortable making the call in the field and defending it in the boardroom.

Why This Role Is Different

• Ground floor, without the gamble. You are the first construction executive in a growing company, working directly with the leadership team. The dams already exist, the licenses are in hand, and the power is already under contract. All the upside of arriving early, without the usual risk.
• Real authority. You represent the owner, hold the construction managers and general contractors accountable on cost, schedule, and quality, and keep the relationship productive while you do it.
• Build your own team. The construction organization that delivers 24 projects over the next eight to ten years does not exist yet. You hire it and you lead it.
• Long term equity upside. You share in the long term value you help create.
• Performance bonus tied to what the company delivers, not just time on the job.
• Home most nights. Projects run the Ohio River corridor, concentrated near Pittsburgh, and the flagship sits about an hour from the office. Travel runs 30 to 50 percent early and trends toward 30 as the team grows. Most heavy civil leadership careers are built out of hotels. This one is not.
• Work that matters. Carbon free, baseload power with 50 plus year operating lives, delivered on infrastructure the country already owns.

The Projects

The first wave centers on the Ohio River system, where non powered federal locks and dams hold a large share of the country’s untapped hydroelectric potential.

Three projects lead: Pike Island, New Cumberland, and R.C. Byrd. The flagship, the Pike Island Hydroelectric Project, adds a powerhouse to an existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers locks and dam. Once running it will generate enough electricity to power more than 15,000 homes a year, employ hundreds of workers through construction, and operate for more than 50 years, all while river operations stay fully under Corps management.

Behind those three sit 24 projects over the next eight to ten years. This is a program, not a project.

Who You Are

• Project executive or senior construction leadership, with direct field experience owning projects start to finish.
• Heavy civil, marine, or hydropower background: dams, locks, powerhouses, cofferdams, and in water concrete at scale.
• Strong on contracts, bid packaging, procurement, and risk.
• Able to hold a construction manager or general contractor accountable while keeping the relationship productive.
• A team builder. Almost no field organization exists today, and you will build it.
• Business minded about project economics, not just schedule.
• FERC or USACE project experience is a strong plus, and so is time on the inland river system.

The Conversation

This search is being led by The Birmingham Group on behalf of Current Hydro. Every conversation is confidential, and nothing is shared without your approval.

To learn more or start a conversation, contact:

Ashley Griggs | [email protected]

Building Dream Teams | Empowering Careers

About The Birmingham Group

For over 50 years, The Birmingham Group has been a trusted construction recruiter, connecting professionals with career-defining opportunities. We specialize in helping construction firms hire top talent and advancing careers for ambitious candidates. Visit our Construction Blog or download our Construction Salary Survey for insights into today’s market.

~ All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential