Field Operations Manager Jobs in California

A-1 Testing exists because Founder Matt Wied didn’t want to continue down a career path of only doing the status- quo. When he was presented with an opportunity to acquire A-1 over 7 years ago, he knew his dream of finding a way to provide for his family and provide jobs to others was now right in front of him. That opportunity has turned A-1 into a premier contractor for underground utility, septic, and sewer related services across Truckee, Tahoe, and Northern Nevada.

We are on an aggressive growth trajectory, and we are looking for a bi-lingual Field Operations Manager who is ambitious, goal-oriented, has a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit to join our team.

This is a newly created role for the company and is more than just running a crew and digging holes. It is a high-visibility and high-ownership position designed to work alongside Matt in a true leadership capacity. In our mind, we are still a young company and that means the systems and structure are still being built, not inherited. The person who steps into this role won't be handed a finished playbook, but they will help us write it.

If you want to help A-1 continue to be built on purpose and have a real hand in shaping what it becomes in its next chapter, then keep reading.

Who We Are

A-1 Testing was built on a simple belief: a business can take care of its people and still do outstanding work for its customers. We've earned our reputation the old-fashioned way, job by job, by doing what we say we'll do.

When it comes to our culture and leadership approach, Matt puts it simply: “I always wanted to work for a great boss, so I want to be one.” A-1 hasn't lost a single employee since day one, and that's not luck. We are proud of being the kind of employer people in the trades actually want to work for, paying above industry and giving people real opportunities to grow and create a meaningful career.

What This Role Actually Is

The Field Operations Manager is what will make A-1's promise for delivering exceptional service a reality every day. You're the one showing up before the crew, setting the direction for the day, and closing the loop at the end of it so nothing falls through the cracks between the field, the office, and the customer.

Here's the honest version: A-1 is already great at first impressions, strong starts, quick response, and real expertise. But with rapid growth, we have found ourselves falling short in the details of our operations and we want to fix that. This gap is exactly what this role exists to close, and it's why Matt needs someone who owns the finish line as much as the start.

A great day in this role looks like: job briefing the crew before the trucks roll, a crew working with clear direction, a quality check signed off before anyone leaves the site, and a customer who feels like they're in good hands. You made that happen because you own it, start to finish.

You're just as comfortable grabbing a shovel as you are coaching a crew member through a tough conversation, and you can talk a customer through what's happening on their property without missing a beat.

If you get this right, Matt can spend his week on sales, estimating, and growing the pipeline so that everyone can share in the success of the company.

What You'll Own

• Daily job briefings, crew assignments, and on-site quality checks before anyone leaves
• Customer-facing point of contact on active jobs, professional and direct
• Sign-off on completed work before it goes to billing
• Permits and inspections with city, county, and utility districts (NTPUD, TSD, IVGID, Washoe, etc.)
• Crew coaching, conflict resolution, and performance conversations, in English and Spanish
• Weekly crew meetings and weekly safety meetings, run on a real cadence
• Complete job folders (materials, hours, photos, issues) delivered to the Operations Coordinator daily
• Real-time flagging of material costs, delays, and scope changes, before they become surprises
• Building and refining the SOPs the crew actually uses, not just the ones on paper
• Tracking jobs, documentation, and materials in Housecall Pro
• Contributing field-level updates at the weekly ops meeting

Where This Role Can Take You

This isn't a ceiling. It's a foundation.

This role exists so Matt can step back from day-to-day field ownership and focus on growing A-1, and the person who takes it on shares in that growth. On top of a competitive salary, you’ll also have the opportunity to earn a performance bonus and it is tied to things you'll actually be doing to add value. You won’t increase your earning potential with busy work, but through achieving real metrics that impact the bottom line and future of the company.

If you come in, take ownership of the field, build the systems this company needs as it scales, and prove you can run it, there's a real path to more. We're not going to promise you a title or a timeline we can't back up. We are promising that the person who builds this role up will be rewarded for it.

You're the Right Fit for This Role If…

• You've led a field crew for 2+ years (foreman or equivalent) and you know what it's like to be the one people look to
• You're bilingual in English and Spanish, and you can coach and correct in both
• You have underground infrastructure experience (water/sewer/septic/excavation) or a closely adjacent trade (landscaping, plumbing, civil construction, utilities)
• You hold a CDL, or you're willing and able to get one within your first year with our support
• You'd rather fix a problem than explain why it happened
• You bring your own ideas to the table, even knowing not all of them will get used
• You can read a job site and a person's mood equally well
• You want to help build the SOPs, not just follow ones someone else already wrote
• You're comfortable being just as hands-on with a shovel as you are running a weekly meeting
• Quiet feedback doesn't rattle you. You know silence isn't the same as a bad sign

This Might Not Be the Job For You If…

• You want a desk and a clear line between "my job" and "not my job"
• You need someone checking in on you daily to know you're on track
• You'd rather wait for a finished process than help build one
• Getting dirty, dealing with septic systems, or working outside in the snow is a dealbreaker
• You want credit without ownership when things go sideways

What Working With Matt Looks Like

Matt is generous and genuinely cares about his people, but he expects a lot. He wants someone who owns outcomes and fixes problems instead of explaining them away, who brings their own ideas to the table even if he doesn't always take them, and who shows up and gets it done without needing polish to prove it.

Respect is non-negotiable, for customers and crew alike, and follow-through matters more to him than a strong start. Don't wait for him to notice a problem or tell you what to do every step of the way. He's not always the most specific with praise, but he notices the work and genuinely appreciates it, so quiet from Matt isn't a bad sign. What drives him is wanting people to go beyond the status quo, because he knows firsthand what it's like to work for someone who didn't care, and he's building A-1 to be the opposite of that.

What Other Details You Should Know

• Status: Full-Time, Exempt
• Work Location: Reno, Tahoe & Truckee, CA with daily travel across the service area
• Pay: $85,000–$95,000 per year (DOE), + performance bonus earning potential
• Reports to: Owner
• You'll need to be able to travel daily between the office, job sites, and supply houses, and safely operate a vehicle in snow and ice

Bonus Points If You Have These Qualifications:

• Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM)
• Prior experience operating a septic truck
• Prior experience using Housecall Pro (or similar software Jobber, Service Titan, etc.)
• Prior experience operating heavy equipment (skid steers, excavators, trenchers)

How We Set You Up to Win

We know what it feels like to start a role and have to guess what success looks like. That's not how this works. You'll have clear expectations from day one, a 90-day check-in built around specific, defined markers of success, and an Owner who notices the work even when he's not saying much about it.

What Makes Working At A-1 Different

This isn't a role where you clock in, follow a list, and clock out. A-1 is being built by people who care about doing the work right, and the person in this seat has real influence over how that happens, in the field, with the crew, and in front of every customer we serve.

The right person doesn't just fill this role. They help write A-1's next chapter.

How Our Interview Process Works

• Apply with your resume and answer all the screening questions in full
• If there's a fit, we'll reach out to schedule a brief phone interview and have a casual conversation
• Finalists will be invited to a personal interview with the Owner
• You'll hear from us within 1-2 weeks after your interview with a decision, either way
• We'll conduct reference checks on the final candidate and make an offer if it's a match

A-1 Testing is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment in employment. We consider applicants without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex/gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age 40 and over, sexual orientation, reproductive health decision-making, military or veteran status, or any combination of protected characteristics, any perception that an individual has such characteristics, or association with a person who has or is perceived to have such characteristics.

Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Experience:

• Underground utilities: 2 years (Required)
• Crew management: 2 years (Required)

Language:

• English/Spanish (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Truckee, CA 96162 (Required)

Work Location: In person