Construction Executive Recruiter for Phoenix and Arizona Builders

Captains Club is a Gilbert, Arizona executive search firm that recruits COOs, Presidents, VPs of Operations, and General Managers for owner-operated and PE-backed construction, specialty trade, and AEC firms in Phoenix and across Arizona. If you own or back a contractor and need a construction executive recruiter in Phoenix, start with a confidential consultation.

Construction leadership search, based in the East Valley

Captains Club runs construction executive search from its base in Gilbert. The team works with owners across the Phoenix metro and throughout Arizona and runs executive search across the Western U.S. Most clients are owner-operated and PE-backed businesses in the $10M to $100M revenue range.

Founder Daniel Cheetham leads every search himself. He visits your business on-site, meets the owner and the leadership team, and builds the mandate before any candidate is approached. Captains Club takes on no more than five to six searches at a time, so each one gets his full attention. You can meet Daniel and the firm.

For the general local page, see Phoenix executive search. For how Arizona owners approach a senior hire, read the Arizona and Phoenix executive search guide.

Construction seats we fill

Each of these seats carries authority over how work moves from estimate to closeout.

• COO. Owns operations across the project portfolio: scheduling, field leadership, project controls, and the systems that protect margin between bid and closeout.
• President. Runs the whole business, often so the founder can step back from daily decisions. Owns the P&L, the backlog, and the leadership team.
• VP or Director of Operations. Leads the project managers and superintendents, sets the standard on safety and schedule, and keeps WIP reporting honest.
• General Manager. Runs a division, region, or self-perform group with full accountability for results.
• EOS Integrator. Runs the day-to-day for a construction company already on EOS, working beside a Visionary owner.

If you are deciding between seats, the President vs. COO guide and the founder's guide to hiring a COO help you choose before you search.

Why construction executive hires are different

A senior operator in a construction company has to earn credibility in two rooms at once. Superintendents and PMs judge a new leader by whether they understand the field. Owners and investors judge the same person on margin and backlog. A leader who is strong in only one room tends to struggle in the other.

The seat usually sits inside one of these situations:

• Throughput-constrained. Backlog is strong and the company can't build it fast enough. Project managers are stretched, the owner is still the escalation point on every job, and margin fades between estimate and closeout.
• Post-transaction. A PE firm or new owner has closed, and the business needs an operator who can hold the team together and execute the plan from Day One. Captains Club can match the search to the investor's deal timeline, before or right after close. See the pre-close operator search guide.
• Founder still in the seat. The owner built the company on relationships and judgment and wants to step back without losing either. This is often the first true second-in-command hire, and sometimes the start of a succession plan.

Each situation calls for a different profile. Defining the seat first takes most of the risk out of the hire. For owner transitions, see the succession planning guide.

How Navigating Talent™ tests a construction leader

Every search runs through Navigating Talent™. Three lenses carry the evaluation.

Head is behavioral fit. Before meeting your leadership team, Daniel sends each member a behavioral assessment, then shares a team-dynamics report with the group. Candidate profiles are mapped against the decision traits of the hiring manager and the leadership team. A COO who decides fast may clash with an owner who checks every number. You see that before an offer goes out.

Heart is intrinsic drive and values. What motivates the candidate, what they care about most, and whether they want this seat for reasons that fit your company and your crews.

Helm is hard skills and real prior experience. Has this person run jobs, led project teams, and owned a P&L at a comparable scale? Captains Club looks for proof in the track record, beyond the title on a résumé.

Horizon, a look at the candidate's outside relationships, comes in when those relationships matter to the seat. Finalists arrive with a written profile covering strengths, risks, and tradeoffs. Full process detail is on What we do.

Results you can check

The Results page publishes these numbers:

• 94% 12-month stick rate
• 9.6 Net Promoter Score
• 100% Aptive Index Certified

Every placement also carries a six-month replacement guarantee. If the hire doesn't work out, Captains Club picks up the search where it left off. Client and candidate testimonials are on the Results page.

Who we work with

Captains Club works with commercial general contractors, specialty trade contractors (electrical, mechanical, concrete, roofing, and similar trades), field services firms, and AEC firms. Fit is judged by the leadership mandate. The strongest engagements involve a true second-in-command who will carry cross-functional operating responsibility beside an involved owner or an investor group.

Owners usually come to us from one of the situations on Who we serve: legacy-minded owners planning what comes next, visionary founders hitting a ceiling, and search fund principals who need a leader from Day One.

Work truck and upfitter leadership is a separate practice focus, covered in the work truck executive search guide. To hire, see upfitter and work truck recruiting.

Construction executive search FAQs

Do you recruit construction executives in Phoenix?

Yes. Captains Club is an executive search firm based in Gilbert, Arizona that recruits senior leaders for construction, specialty trade, and AEC firms in Phoenix, across Arizona, and throughout the Western U.S.

What construction roles do you fill?

COO, President, VP or Director of Operations, General Manager, and EOS Integrator seats for owner-operated and PE-backed construction firms of roughly $10M to $100M in revenue.

How is executive search different from a construction staffing agency?

A staffing agency fills field and project roles in volume. Executive search is a dedicated engagement for one leadership seat, with a defined process to assess fit, drive, and real prior experience before you meet finalists.

How do you evaluate a construction leader?

We use Navigating Talent™, which looks at Head (behavioral fit), Heart (intrinsic drive and values), and Helm (hard skills and real experience running jobs, teams, and a P&L).

What results do you publish?

Our Results page shows a 94% 12-month stick rate, a 9.6 Net Promoter Score, and 100% Aptive Index Certified, plus client and candidate testimonials.

Can you run a confidential search to replace a current leader?

Yes. Captains Club regularly runs confidential searches, including searches to replace an executive who is still in the seat. Call 480-347-9000 or book a consultation through our Contact page.