National Underground Group
Location: National (Field-Based / Remote HQ) | Reports to: Chief Executive Officer | Type: Full-Time, Executive Leadership | Travel: Approximately 30%
National Underground Group (NUG) is seeking an entrepreneurial, business-building executive to drive strategic growth, revenue diversification, and long-term value creation across the company. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Senior Director of Growth & Innovation will identify, evaluate, and launch new revenue streams beyond traditional locating services, positioning NUG as a leading provider of underground infrastructure, utility, and technology-enabled field services.
The anchor initiative is a new Utility Asset Mapping & Digital Infrastructure practice — helping electric, gas, telecom, and water utilities modernize their underground infrastructure records through high-accuracy GNSS/GPS data collection, GIS integration, and digital asset management. This is a ground-floor opportunity: rather than stepping into an established organization, the Senior Director will build one — setting strategy, establishing client relationships, standing up operational capability, and recruiting technical talent — and then use that platform to launch NUG’s next generation of higher-margin, recurring-revenue services. The role carries a defined path to Vice President.
What You’ll Do
Growth Strategy & Revenue Diversification
- Develop and execute a 3–5 year growth strategy focused on revenue diversification, with Utility Asset Mapping & Digital Infrastructure as the anchor practice.
- Reduce company dependence on one-call ticket volume by building recurring revenue models and higher-margin service offerings.
- Identify and evaluate new service lines, acquisitions, partnerships, and market opportunities across gas, electric, telecom, water, and municipal utilities.
- Lead expansion into adjacent markets, including:
- High-accuracy GNSS utility asset mapping and GIS services
- Subsurface utility engineering (SUE), in partnership with NUG’s existing SUE and survey teams
- Ground penetrating radar (GPR)
- Utility inspection and condition assessment
- Construction as-builts
- Damage prevention consulting
- Indirect assessment technologies
- Leak detection
- Pipeline integrity-related data collection and analysis
- Analyze market trends and customer needs, and build business cases and financial models for new ventures.
- Set annual growth targets, sales plans, and revenue forecasts, and own the practice’s budget, financial forecasting, and margin performance.
Business Development & Client Leadership
- Meet with utility executives to understand their asset management and GIS modernization initiatives.
- Establish strategic relationships with utilities, municipalities, engineering firms, contractors, and government agencies.
- Serve as executive sponsor for key utility clients and present strategic solutions to engineering and operations leadership.
- Build long-term relationships with asset management, engineering, GIS, and operations leaders, and identify opportunities for multi-year enterprise mapping programs.
- Support proposal development and major pursuits.
- Represent NUG at industry conferences including Esri UC, UTC Telecom, CGA, APGA, AGA, and regional utility associations.
Utility Asset Mapping Practice Development
- Design scalable field collection workflows for survey-grade GPS mapping.
- Develop QA/QC standards for spatial accuracy and data integrity, and standardize deliverables across utility clients.
- Lead development of services including GPS Asset Inventory, Underground Utility GIS Verification, Utility Network Readiness, As-Built Validation, and Facility Record Modernization.
- Recommend capital investments in equipment and software.
- Own vendor and technology-partner relationships — including Esri, GNSS/LiDAR OEMs, and mobile GIS platforms — including licensing negotiations and platform selection.
Innovation & Technology Leadership
- Evaluate emerging technologies that improve field productivity and customer value, including mobile LiDAR, GNSS, AI-assisted feature extraction, digital twins, mobile GIS platforms, remote sensing, and reality capture.
- Champion adoption of AI, automation, mobile workforce tools, and digital workflows across NUG.
- Lead pilot programs and innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization.
- Advance next-generation offerings including Pipeline Traceability, Digital Twin Development, AI Quality Assurance, and Utility Data Governance.
Operational Excellence & Delivery
- Recruit, hire, and develop a national team of field crews, GIS professionals, and project managers, building clear career paths for technical talent.
- Establish productivity standards, KPIs, and performance dashboards for new service lines.
- Partner with operations leadership to scale new offerings efficiently and improve utilization, profitability, and productivity across business units.
- Ensure projects are delivered safely, on schedule, and within budget.
- Coordinate closely with NUG’s utility locating, SUE, surveying, and engineering teams.
- Support the integration of acquisitions and newly launched service lines.
- Anchor all field and mapping programs to state one-call/811 damage-prevention requirements and, where applicable, PHMSA and NERC CIP obligations — reinforcing NUG’s safety-first mission.
Leadership, Culture & Governance
- Report directly to the CEO, and present growth strategies, business cases, and results to the CEO, ownership, and executive leadership.
- Provide regular business reviews covering pipeline, revenue, delivery quality, and team growth.
- Partner cross-functionally with NUG’s operating and functional leaders to align growth initiatives with enterprise priorities.
- Lead cross-functional teams, mentor emerging leaders, and foster entrepreneurial thinking.
- Build a culture of accountability, customer service, continuous improvement, and innovation.
How Success Will Be Measured
- New revenue generated from diversified service lines, including Utility Asset Mapping & Digital Infrastructure.
- Percentage of revenue derived from non-one-call services.
- EBITDA growth and practice margin performance.
- New customer acquisition and multi-year program wins.
- Strategic partnership development.
- Innovation project ROI.
- Safe, on-schedule, on-budget project delivery.
- Employee engagement and retention.
- Market expansion success.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, GIS, Surveying, Geography, Construction Management, or related field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in utilities, utility services, engineering consulting, GIS/geospatial services, infrastructure, or construction, including significant leadership responsibility.
- Demonstrated success building, launching, or scaling a new business line, practice area, or revenue stream.
- Experience leading strategic planning and business development initiatives.
- Proven ability to manage P&L or direct budget responsibility and deliver growth.
- Experience managing enterprise GIS or utility asset management programs.
- Strong understanding of underground utility infrastructure, damage prevention, GIS, and asset management.
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams.
- Excellent communication and executive presentation skills.
- Willingness to travel approximately 30%.
Nice to Have
- Experience with Esri ArcGIS Enterprise and Utility Network.
- Experience implementing GPS asset collection programs.
- Hands-on or program-level experience with mobile LiDAR or reality-capture platforms.
- Experience evaluating or integrating acquisitions.
- Knowledge of PHMSA pipeline regulations.
- Familiarity with electric or gas utility operations.
- An existing network of utility executive relationships (asset management, GIS, or operations leadership).
- PMP certification.
- GISP certification.
- Professional Surveyor or Professional Engineer license (preferred but not required).
Compensation & Benefits
The base salary range for this position is $175,000–$220,000, with industry-leading benefits, including health, dental, 401(k), and a competitive bonus structure that rewards performance and success.
Equal Opportunity Employer
National Underground Group and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should apply online at www.nationalu.com/careers
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, GIS, Surveying, Geography, Construction Management, or a related field
- 10+ years of progressive experience in utilities, utility services, engineering consulting, GIS/geospatial services, infrastructure, or construction
- Significant leadership responsibility
- Demonstrated success building, launching, or scaling a new business line, practice area, or revenue stream
- Experience leading strategic planning and business development initiatives
- Proven ability to manage P&L or direct budget responsibility and deliver growth
- Experience managing enterprise GIS or utility asset management programs
- Strong understanding of underground utility infrastructure, damage prevention, GIS, and asset management
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams
- Excellent communication and executive presentation skills
- Willingness to travel approximately 30%
- Experience with Esri ArcGIS Enterprise and Utility Network
- Experience implementing GPS asset collection programs
- Hands-on or program-level experience with mobile LiDAR or reality-capture platforms
- Experience evaluating or integrating acquisitions
- Knowledge of PHMSA pipeline regulations
- Familiarity with electric or gas utility operations
- Existing network of utility executive relationships
- PMP certification
- GISP certification
- Professional Surveyor or Professional Engineer license
What We Do
Since 1947, National Underground Group, formerly known as Hoffman Southwest Corp., has provided a full spectrum of services to maintain healthy underground infrastructures. Today, through our family of businesses, Pro-Pipe, Tri-State Utilities, Accumark, Pipe Vision and Benchmark, National Underground Group is focused on providing underground infrastructure solutions to municipalities, utilities, government agencies, construction companies and engineering firms throughout the U.S.
