Operations Director — Build & Lead a $5M Painting Company in the Sea-to-Sky

Most people applying for an operations job want a title and a stable salary.

We're looking for someone who wants to own something.

We need one person to take the reins — own the P&L, lead the team, build the systems, and run the operation so the owner can focus on growth and strategy. This is a true #2 role with real autonomy, profit-sharing, and a genuine path to equity for the right person.

We're not filling a position. We're recruiting a partner — someone who wants to build something real and do it from one of the most extraordinary places in British Columbia.

THE PATH

-**Onboarding & Integration (Months 1–6): $100,000 base + extended health.**Learn the business, meet the team, and key accounts. You're not on the sidelines — you're leading meetings, earning trust, and getting your hands dirty from day one. -**Operating & Proving (Months 6–12): $100,000 base + profit-sharing kicks in.**You're running day-to-day operations. The owner is stepping back. Your compensation grows as the business grows — because you're driving it. OTE as high as $150K+. -**Leading & Scaling (Year 1–2): $120,000+ base + climbing profit participation,**Full P&L ownership. Team expansion. Driving toward $5M. The profit pool grows with the revenue you create. -**Equity Partner (Year 2+):**For sustained performance, there's a real path to phantom equity or ownership — turning this into a true partnership. The owner is committed to building a business that runs without him. The right person will own a piece of what they help build.

WHAT THE WORK ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

Let's be direct about what you're walking into.

You'll inherit a growing company that needs more structure, not less ambition. Some processes are documented. Others live in the owner's head. You'll need to build systems while the plane is flying.

The Sea-to-Sky is a demanding market. Weather windows are real. Logistics in mountain towns are complicated. Multi-family projects run on tight GC timelines — they don't bend for you. You'll manage crews across three towns spread along a highway, coordinate subs and materials where supply chains aren't always reliable, and make judgment calls on capacity and scheduling that directly affect the bottom line.

You're inheriting a team, not starting from scratch. That means earning respect — from crew leads who've been here longer than you, from a production manager who knows the work inside out, and from property managers and GCs who have strong relationships with the owner. You have to listen, learn, and lead. In that order.

You'll also be building in a high-cost-of-living corridor. If you're relocating, go in with eyes open about what life costs in Whistler or Squamish — and why people choose to be here anyway.

If that sounds like a headache you'd rather avoid, this isn't your role. If that sounds like exactly the kind of challenge that gets you up in the morning, keep reading.

WHO BELONGS HERE

-Integritymeans when a crew lead tells you a project is done right and you can see it isn't, you have the conversation — even if it delays the schedule and costs the company money. We do the right thing when no one's watching. -Outstanding Servicemeans when a property manager calls with a concern at 4:30 on a Friday, you don't punt it to Monday. You make the call, own the issue, and follow through — because that's how you build clients who'd never dream of calling someone else. -Resiliencemeans the day three painters call in sick during your busiest week and a GC moves up a deadline by two weeks, you don't spiral. You solve. Every challenge is a gift — an opportunity to build something more durable. -Constant Improvementmeans you don't wait for someone to tell you a process is broken. You've already documented the fix, trained the team on the new way, and moved on to the next bottleneck. -Balanced Livingmeans you believe a great career and a great life aren't in competition. You're in the Sea-to-Sky because you want to ski, hike, or bike after work — not because you're running from something. -Having Funmeans you bring energy to the team, not just efficiency. A great crew meeting is productiveandsomething people look forward to.

WHY PERFORMANCE PAINTING

• Real P&L ownership and autonomy — not a middle-management title with no authority
• Profit-sharing from day one (once onboarded): 22% of net profit allocated to the team. Your comp climbs as the business climbs.
• A genuine path to equity for sustained performance
• An owner who wants to step back, not hover — this role is designed to run the business, not report to him every day
• Extended health benefits
• Work and live in the Sea-to-Sky — Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish. World-class skiing, biking, and mountain living
• A company with strong GC relationships and growing recurring maintenance contracts — $3.4M and accelerating

THE HIRING PROCESS

Here's exactly what you're signing up for — no surprises:

• Apply and complete a brief phone screen (15 minutes)
• Character and leadership assessment (written, done on your own time)
• DISC and Working Genius assessments
• In-depth performance interview with the owner (45–60 minutes)
• Discovery Day — spend a half day with the team, work through a real challenge, see the operation in action
• Reference checks and offer

READY?

If you've read all of this — the opportunity, the hard parts, the process — and you're still here, you're already different from most people who will see this posting. Most candidates will read the unselling section and move on. That's the point. We're not looking for most people. We're looking for one person who sees themselves in this opportunity and is ready to build something real.

Compensation:

$100,000 - $150,000+ per year

Responsibilities:

• Own the P&L — manage revenue targets, job costing, margins, and cash flow with a clear line of sight to $5M+ by 2027
• Deliver projects predictably — ensure 90–95%+ of jobs complete on time and on budget with rework/callbacks under 5%
• Build and develop a high-performing team — hire, train, and retain estimators, PMs, crew leads, and office staff so the business doesn't revolve around any one person
• Own scheduling and resource optimization — plan production across multiple crews, coordinate subs and materials across three markets, and make smart tradeoffs between speed, quality, and margin
• Drive systems and accountability — implement and improve CRM and job management systems, build scoreboards and KPI tracking, and turn recurring problems into documented processes
• Lead communication up and across — keep the owner informed with honest reporting on financial performance, team health, and operational issues; no surprises

Qualifications:

Required:

• Proven operations leadership experience in construction, trades, or a comparable field-based service business
• Real P&L accountability — has managed margins and cash flow, not just schedules
• Track record of developing people who have grown stronger under their leadership
• Willingness to live in or relocate to the Sea-to-Sky corridor
• Legally authorized to work in Canada

You do NOT need:

• Painting industry experience — we're hiring for leadership and operational talent
• A degree or formal credential — results matter, not credentials
• Years of experience in a big company — experience running a $2M–$10M service operation is directly applicable

About Company

Performance Painting is the commercial painting partner GCs and property managers in the Sea-to-Sky call when the job matters and the timeline is real. We work across Whistler, Pemberton, and Squamish — on multi-family new construction, large-scale interior and exterior projects, and recurring property maintenance contracts.

We're on a $3.4M run rate heading into 2027 with a clear line of sight to $5M+, and we're building the team and systems to get there without anyone burning out along the way.

The culture here is straightforward: we do the right thing, we take care of clients like they're the only ones, we don't quit when things get hard, and we actually enjoy the work. We're based in one of the most desirable places in British Columbia for a reason — balance isn't a perk here, it's a value.

If you want to build something that lasts in a place most people only visit, this is where you do it.