Position Overview:
As the CEO of a specialty construction contractor, you'll oversee every aspect of the company's operations, growth, and success. This position is ideal for high-performing individuals with demonstrated sales and business development success who are seeking their first CEO role. It offers a unique opportunity to lead, innovate, and drive meaningful impact while owning the overall success of the business.
We believe our CEOs are the cornerstone of our success. In this role, you will have the autonomy to bring your vision to life, acting as both the leader and owner of your business. Your Board of Directors will work alongside you both at a strategic level and in addressing day-to-day tactical challenges. In addition to guidance; we provide hands-on support, equipping you with the resources, tools, and mentorship to excel as a first-time CEO.
Company Overview:
At Salt and Soil Capital, we're redefining private equity: we are operators first, investors second. Our mission is to acquire and grow Canadian businesses from retiring owners by driving meaningful operational improvements that unlock extraordinary growth. As a team of dynamic, hands-on entrepreneurs, we deeply understand the grit and vision it takes to build something remarkable because we've walked that path ourselves.
If you're a high-performing individual passionate about impactful work, ready to take the reins, and eager to grow alongside a team that values collaboration and bold action, Salt and Soil Capital is your opportunity to lead, learn, and build something extraordinary.
Responsibilities:
· Sales and Business Development: Keep the sales pipeline full through every season. Win work from general contractors, engineering consultants, owners and property managers, and land larger projects alongside a steady base of small and medium jobs.
· Hands-On Technical Credibility: Learn the technical side of the work first-hand, on site and alongside the crews. Knowing the details of the work is how you'll earn the trust of field crews and site supervisors, and the confidence of clients and consultants.
· Develop and Articulate Strategic Vision: Set the company's short-, medium- and long-term strategy with the Board, choose which markets and projects to pursue and which to say no to, and keep the team aligned around a clear set of company values. Review the plan often and adjust it when the market changes.
· Client Relationships: Take over and grow senior relationships with the company's repeat clients, and protect its reputation for quick responses and practical problem-solving.
· Contracts, Pricing and Risk: Lead complex proposals and contract negotiations, review pricing on large bids, and oversee holdbacks, change orders and disputes. Decide which risks to accept, which to price in, and when to walk away.
· Financial Oversight: Assume full P&L responsibility, tracking job budgets, profitability, cash flow, collections and work in progress. Set and monitor KPIs that flag a project going off track early.
· Operational Management: Work with the operations team to schedule crews and equipment across multiple job sites, keeping work safe, on time, on budget and to quality. Be visible on site and keep the office and the field connected.
· Health and Safety: Maintain current safety program that satisfies WorkSafeBC and demanding clients and lead the company's response to any serious incident.
· Leadership and Team Development: Recruit, develop and retain field leaders, technicians and estimators; build backup for critical roles; and address performance issues fairly. Lead an experienced team through the ownership change, respecting what they have built.
· Stakeholder Communication: Prepare and deliver executive briefings, presentations, and reports for the Board of Directors and investors, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making.
Qualifications:
· Five to ten years of experience in a high-performance organization (management consulting, investment banking, corporate rotation program, law firm, construction or engineering firm, etc.).
· A track record of excellence (corporate, academic, athletic, arts, etc.).
· Demonstrated ability to drive sales growth
· Construction industry experience (for example with a general contractor, a specialty trade contractor or an engineering consultancy) is a plus but not required.
· A professional engineering designation (P.Eng.) or engineering degree is a plus but not required.
· Prior P&L responsibility is a plus but not required.
Abilities and Traits:
Leading a small business is unlike any role in the corporate or professional worlds, however the abilities and traits required to be successful can be developed and demonstrated in many different environments:
· Grit. You will face many setbacks and failures in this role and the only way to win is to keep picking yourself up after falling.
· Act like an owner. You bear ultimate responsibility for company results. There are no excuses, so you do whatever needs to be done.
· Willing to get your hands dirty. This is not an ivory tower; working shoulder to shoulder on menial, low-level tasks is the key to developing authentic leadership.
· Curious. You will be exposed to thousands of situations that are new to you. Asking for help and learning from others is the only way to survive.
· Take action. Our world is full of uncertainty and we never have a complete picture. Success comes from making a decision and then driving forward.
· Leadership. People are at the core of everything we do; being able to work with, and deliver results through, a wide range of people is paramount. Leave your ego at the door.
· Integrity. Full stop.
Benefits:
We are looking to invest in an outstanding individual for the long term (7-10 years or more) and have designed a comprehensive package that is personally, professionally, and financially rewarding including:
· Meaningful, autonomous work that makes a difference in the lives of our employees and customers.
· Incredible mentorship and personal development investments in your career.
· Compensation via equity buy-in and options to align incentives and drive performance; base salary of $150,000
· Comprehensive benefits plan.
· Full relocation expense coverage.
Other Considerations:
This is an in-office role, based in Vancouver. Your schedule will be irregular and driven by business needs.
How to Apply:
This is a unique position and we look forward to getting to know you and your personal story. We have designed our proprietary assessment process in collaboration with leading industrial psychology researchers to give us insight into how you lead in a small business context. Throughout the process, we want to respect your time so the longest stages come last, when only a few candidates remain. Every step on our side is done by real people, not AI. A member of the Salt & Soil team reads every application, watches every video, and runs every conversation live.
· Online assessment (week of November 16, 20 minutes): a general reasoning and work-style test. It is not a technical or coding test.
· Video introduction (week of November 16, about 1 hour): record a short video of yourself addressing the team on the first day the transition is announced. We do not expect you to be a great actor, videographer, set designer, or perform your own stunts! Taking a video on your phone in your living room is expected.
· Information webinar (November 20, 2 hours): after signing an NDA, you’ll hear about how Salt and Soil operates, how the business works, and how compensation is structured. Nothing in this stage is scored.
· Virtual panel interview (week of November 23, about 3 hours): with Salt & Soil's Managing Directors, covering your background, motivations, and how you approach real problems and hypothetical situations a CEO faces.
· Case study (due December 4, about 20 hours): a practical exercise built on the company's real data. We are less focused on the specific numbers and more interested in how you think through a problem, where you apply judgment, and how you communicate uncertainty.
· In-person day in Vancouver (week of December 7, about 12 hours): present your case, meet the team, visit a job site, and talk about the role and your longer-term goals.
· References and decision: by December 18, 2026
· Start date: Q1 2027
Apply at saltandsoil.ca/careers-and-blog/ceo-vancouver by November 15, 2026. Send your résumé and answer one question: Why would you make an excellent CEO of a Vancouver specialty construction contractor?
