We are seeking a Concrete General Superintendent to lead Rise Construction's entire concrete field operation: managing our superintendents and foremen, setting the standard across every job, and building the crew that lets us take on more work without losing quality.
Location: Des Moines metro office. Project work within a 3 to 4 hour driving radius of Des Moines.
Direct reports: Concrete superintendents and field foremen
1. ABOUT US
RISE Construction is a general contractor built on a simple but rare belief: the best projects happen when your contractor thinks like a partner, not a vendor.
We specialize in complex projects that demand more than a standard playbook. We've converted failing restaurants into housing, brought buildings back to life that communities had written off, and saved clients serious money before a single nail was driven, because we know how to look at a property the way an owner does. That's not a metaphor. Our team has deep roots in real estate ownership, and that perspective changes everything about how we approach a project.
We're not a company that just executes. We think strategically, we get creative, and we're honest with our clients about where the real leverage is.
We're looking for people who take the work personally. If you own your scope, solve problems nobody handed you a playbook for, and hold a standard higher than what you can get away with, you'll fit right in here.
2. WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
Concrete is the foundation of nearly every project we touch, and it's the scope with the least margin for error. We've grown to the point where no single person can be on every job, and we're not willing to let quality become a function of which site ownership happened to visit that week.
This role exists to make the standard travel. We need someone who can put the right people on the right jobs, teach the superintendents and foremen under them how we expect work to go in, and catch problems on a site they weren't standing on. Someone who makes the operation less dependent on any one person, including themselves.
To be clear about the shape of this job: we have our estimating covered. This is a field leadership role. We're looking for someone who takes work that's already been sold and builds the team and the systems that get it built right.
3. THE OPPORTUNITY
You will run concrete for this company. Not one job, not one crew. The whole operation, with the authority to staff it, structure it, and set the standard it works to.
What that looks like in practice:
- You lead a field organization of 8 to 15 across 3 to 5 active jobs, through the superintendents and foremen who report to you
- You decide who runs what, and you build the bench so we can take on more work
- You own the concrete standard across every project, and you're accountable for production and cost, not just quality
- You report directly to ownership and have a real voice in how the company grows
- Performance bonus tied to the outcomes of the whole concrete operation, so when the division wins, you win
4. WHAT YOU'LL DO
Leading the Field Organization:
- Assign superintendents, foremen, and crews across active jobs based on scope, schedule, and who's ready for what
- Develop the people under you. Coach superintendents into stronger leaders and identify foremen ready to move up
- Set and enforce the Rise standard for how concrete work goes in, and make sure it holds on jobs you aren't standing on
- Participate in hiring, and make the call on who stays and who doesn't
- Run regular job walks across all active concrete work, auditing quality, safety, and progress against plan
Operations & Accountability:
- Own production and labor cost across the concrete division, and report on both to ownership
- Allocate equipment, and manage supplier and ready-mix relationships across all jobs, not one at a time
- Resolve escalated issues your superintendents can't solve on their own, whether that's a plan conflict, a subcontractor problem, or a schedule collision
- Partner with the estimating team on constructability, means and methods, and post-bid handoff so what we priced is what we build
- Serve as the senior concrete voice with owners, engineers, and inspectors
Quality & Compliance:
- Set the standards your team enforces: mix design, slump, air content, temperature, cure, tolerances
- Own concrete quality on public and private work across the portfolio. Know the spec, keep the documentation defensible, and be the person who answers when an inspector has a question
- Build and maintain the pre-pour checklists, documentation practices, and closeout process the whole team uses
- Enforce OSHA and Rise safety standards across every concrete site
5. THE REALITY OF THE JOB
We'd rather tell you this up front than have you find out in month three.
You will not be sitting at a desk, and you will not be standing on one job all day either. Expect significant windshield time moving between active sites. Pours start early, and even though you're not running every one, the early problems are the ones that reach you first. Weather runs the calendar, not the other way around, and when it moves you're the one resequencing crews across multiple jobs. You'll be outside in Iowa summers and Iowa winters. During the busy stretch, Saturdays happen. Some jobs will put you 3 to 4 hours out.
The hardest part of this job is not the concrete. It's holding a standard through other people. If you'd rather do it yourself than teach someone to do it right, this role will frustrate you.
In exchange, we don't nickel-and-dime you on time. When the jobs are in good shape, take the time you need. We measure this role by whether the work got built right and whether the team got better, not by hours logged.
6. THE MINDSET REQUIRED
- Builds Leaders, Not Just Slabs: You measure yourself by whether your superintendents are getting better. The best version of this job is one where the jobs run right when you're not there
- Owns the Whole Number: Quality, schedule, and labor cost across the division are all yours. You don't get to be proud of a beautiful slab that lost money
- Translator Between Field and Office: Your job is to make sure the crews know exactly what good looks like before they start, and that ownership and the client know exactly where every job stands before they have to ask
- Plans Ahead: You're thinking about next month's manpower this week, because you can't hire a foreman the morning you need one
- Holds the Line Without Being There: You set standards that survive your absence, and you follow up in a way that people respect instead of resent
- Team Builder: You treat subcontractors and crews with respect and hold them to a high standard at the same time
7. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-Haves:
- Experience as a concrete superintendent, and experience leading other superintendents or foremen. You've managed through people, not just directed a crew
- Track record running multiple concrete jobs at once
- Deep familiarity with commercial concrete including flatwork, foundations, footings, and structural applications
- Working knowledge of public bid work: city or county specs, submittals, and the inspection process
- Ability to read and interpret civil, structural, and architectural drawings and specifications
- Comfort with labor cost and production tracking. You can tell ownership why a job is running over before they ask
- Strong communication skills. You can talk to an owner, an engineer, and a concrete crew in the same day
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record
Nice-to-Haves:
- Bilingual English/Spanish
- Background in tilt-up or structural concrete
- Experience hiring and building out a field team from a small base
- OSHA 30
We care more about what you've actually done than how many years you've been doing it. If you have the skills and the drive, we want to talk.
8. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
- Base Pay: $90,000 to $130,000 [dependent on experience]
- Bonus: Performance-based bonus tied to concrete division profitability and execution
- Flexible Time Off: At Rise, we operate on a flexible time-off model built on mutual trust. As long as your targets are on track and your teammates and clients are supported, you have the flexibility to take time off as needed.
- Paid Holidays: Rise observes seven paid holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (and the Friday after), and Christmas Day.
- Growth: As Rise scales, this role scales with it. Compensation and title will reflect your impact
Health, dental, and vision insurance are included. See the benefits list below.
9. HOW TO APPLY & WHAT TO EXPECT
We keep our process straightforward and respectful of your time.
To apply:
- Submit your resume on Indeed
Our process:
- Step 1: Resume review. We aim to respond within 3 business days
- Step 2: In-person interview at our office
We're excited to meet people who are as passionate about quality work as we are. We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Des Moines metro, with project travel within a 3 to 4 hour radius
Pay: $90,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
