The Exterior Skin General Foreman is a working field leader within DPR's Division 7 Self-Perform Work group, responsible for directing craft crews installing insulated metal panels, rainscreen systems, sheet metal flashing and trim, architectural louvers, and expansion joints. This is a hands-on role — the General Foreman is expected to put bags on and lead installation from the wall, not from the trailer — while also planning the work, sequencing crews, and owning safety and quality outcomes for the exterior skin scope.
The position sits between the craft workforce and DPR's project leadership, partnering daily with superintendents, project engineers, and project managers, and is intentionally structured as a career path role: strong performers will be developed toward Exterior Skin Superintendent within the SPW Division 7 organization.
Crew Leadership and Development
- Lead and direct one or more exterior skin crews, working alongside them on installation while maintaining accountability for daily production.
- Assign work, set daily and weekly production goals, and hold crews accountable to quality and safety standards.
- Train and develop installers new to the metal panel trade, including craft cross-training internal DPR carpenters and other self-perform trades into exterior skin work. In an open-shop market, building skill in-house is the primary pipeline, not an alternative to it.
- Mentor foremen and lead installers, building the bench of future Division 7 field supervision.
- Support recruiting and hiring efforts by identifying and referring qualified craft from the metal panel and building envelope industry into DPR's direct-hire workforce.
- Build and retain a stable open-shop crew — interview, onboard, evaluate, and advance craft directly, without a hall to backfill from.
Planning and Sequencing
- Develop installation work plans, crew loading plans, and detailed schedules for the exterior skin scope, and integrate them into the overall project schedule.
- Prepare site logistics plans for large-production panel jobs — laydown, staging, delivery sequencing, hoisting, and access.
- Establish and enforce inventory control methods for large material packages, including panel receiving, staging, and damage tracking.
- Track production and code labor and equipment accurately, working closely with the Project Manager and the Division 7 SE SPW Lead.
Technical Execution and Quality
- Read, interpret, and work from contract drawings, shop drawings, exterior envelope details, and specifications; identify conflicts and constraints before they reach the wall.
- Direct and verify layout and control — panel and girt layout, module control lines, elevation benchmarks, and coordination with structure and rough openings.
- Enforce manufacturer installation requirements, fastening patterns, engineering/attachment criteria, and warranty conditions across all installed systems.
- Own quality control for the exterior skin scope: mock-ups and first-work-in-place reviews, in-progress inspections, punch management, and closeout documentation.
- Provide accurate field measurements for ACM and break metal fabrication, and verify shop-fabricated material against field conditions before release.
- Coordinate and document field changes, RFIs, and detail deviations through the project engineering team.
Systems-Specific Oversight
- Insulated metal panels (IMP): vertical and horizontal exterior IMP; interior vertical IMP assemblies typical of data center work; joint engagement, panel alignment, sealant and fastening.
- Rainscreen assemblies: single-skin metal panel on Z-girt/hat sub-framing and ACM/MCM rainscreen, air/water barrier interface protection, drainage and ventilation continuity.
- Sheet metal flashing and trim: copings, reglets, counterflashing, sills, transitions, and break metal fabrication and installation; joint treatment and slip conditions.
- Architectural louvers: anchorage, sub-framing, opening tolerances, and coordination with mechanical and structural scopes.
- Expansion joints: exterior wall and roof-to-wall joint systems, continuity at transitions, splices, and terminations.
- Envelope continuity: ensure transitions between the above systems and adjacent scopes maintain the designed air, water, thermal, and vapor control layers.
Safety Leadership
- Set and hold the safety standard in the field, personally and through the crew — DPR is a safety-first organization and the General Foreman is the front line of that commitment.
- Develop the exterior skin site-specific safety plan and present and defend it to DPR's safety leadership.
- Lead pre-task planning, JHAs, daily huddles, and stretch-and-flex; ensure hazards are identified and controlled before work starts.
- Own fall protection planning, lift plans, leading-edge and elevated work controls, material handling, and rigging practices for panel and sheet metal work.
- Stop work when conditions are unsafe, and coach rather than discipline as the first response.
Equipment and Procurement
- Manage and track exterior skin equipment across Southeast projects, including Omni/rough-terrain lifts, Wood Manufacturing panel lifting devices, custom saws, and specialty tooling.
- Maintain tool and equipment inventories, preventive maintenance, and inspection records; move equipment between projects to match demand.
- Procure break metal fabrication, fasteners, sealants, and expendables for projects across the region.
Coordination
- Coordinate daily with the GC's superintendent, other trades, and DPR project staff on access, sequencing, hoisting, and interface conditions.
- Participate in pull planning, look-ahead schedules, and constraint removal meetings.
- Communicate production status, manpower needs, material issues, and schedule risk clearly and early to the PM and SPW Lead.
- Support estimating and preconstruction with constructability input, production rates, and lessons learned from completed work.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- 5+ years of hands-on experience installing exterior skin systems — metal panel, rainscreen, sheet metal flashing, and related envelope assemblies.
- Minimum 3–5 years in a lead installer, foreman, or general foreman capacity, directing crews on complex building envelope projects.
- Demonstrated experience across multiple system types: IMP (vertical and horizontal), single-skin panel on sub-framing, and ACM/MCM rainscreen. Interior IMP experience is a strong plus.
- Proven ability to read and interpret architectural drawings, envelope details, shop drawings, and specifications, and to translate them into field layout and installation direction.
- Verifiable track record of completed projects the candidate personally ran
- Ability to plan and sequence work, manage material and equipment, and track production against a schedule.
- Strong communication skills with both craft and management audiences; able to run a huddle and sit in a coordination meeting with equal effectiveness.
- Willingness and ability to personally perform installation work alongside the crew.
- Current OSHA 30 (or ability to obtain), plus applicable competent-person, fall protection, and equipment operator certifications.
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel regionally as described below.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
- Experience on data center, healthcare, higher education, or life sciences projects with aggressive schedules and high production volumes.
- Experience leading craft in an open-shop (non-union) environment, including direct hiring, retention, and in-house skill development.
- Ability to source and retain craft talent through industry relationships, referrals, and local trade networks across the Southeast.
- Comfort with field technology: tablets, model viewers, digital plan sets, production tracking tools, and electronic quality/safety checklists.
- Cross-scope versatility within Division 7 (waterproofing, firestopping) to remain productive during exterior skin gaps in the regional workload.
- Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.
- Coaching and mentorship orientation — a genuine interest in developing the next group of exterior skin leaders.
- Problem-solving temperament: comfortable making sound field decisions with incomplete information and escalating appropriately.
TRAVEL AND WORK CONDITIONS
Travel within the Southeast United States is a requirement of this position. The role is project-based and follows the work.
- Preferred home base is South Florida or Nashville, with regular travel to active Division 7 projects across the Southeast region.
- Assignments are typically multi-month in duration; a candidate should expect to be away from home for extended stretches, with per diem and travel support provided in accordance with DPR policy.
- Weekly travel between multiple active jobsites should be expected when supporting more than one crew.
- During periods of reduced Southeast exterior skin volume, short-term assignments in other DPR markets (e.g., Texas) may be required.
- Work is performed primarily outdoors and at elevation, in all weather conditions, on active construction sites. The role requires climbing, working from lifts and scaffolds, and lifting and handling panel and sheet metal materials.
- Occasional off-hours, night, or weekend work is required to meet schedule commitments.
DPR Construction is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and commercial markets. Founded in 1990, DPR is a great story of entrepreneurial success as a private, employee-owned company that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar family of companies with offices around the world.
Working at DPR, you'll have the chance to try new things, explore paths and shape your future. Here, we build opportunity together—by harnessing our talents, enabling curiosity and pursuing our collective ambition to make the best ideas happen. We are proud to be recognized as a great place to work by our talented teammates and leading news organizations like U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, Fast Company and Newsweek.
Explore our open opportunities at www.dpr.com/careers .
