Job title: Subcontracts Operations Coordinator
Location: Houston, Texas (77086)
Type: Full-time, office-based
Reports to: Installation Operations Manager
Hardman Signs is a national leader in architectural signage and graphics. We design, manufacture, install, and service high-impact signage solutions for commercial properties, multi-family housing, healthcare facilities, parking garages, and more.
Job Summary
The Subcontracts Operations Coordinator keeps outside installation work permitted, insured, and on the schedule. The role sits between project award and the field. It secures sign permits, vets third-party installers, and lines both up with the master installation schedule so crews are not standing on a job without paperwork.
This is a coordinator role in Installation Operations. It is not a project manager seat and not a sales seat. The person owns the permit file and the subcontractor file. They do not own the client, the estimate, or the internal crew schedule.
Essential Duties
- Research municipal sign codes and site restrictions. Build and submit permit packages, including drawings and engineering when the city requires them. Track every application until it is approved, rejected, or needs a revision.
- Identify, vet, and schedule third-party installers and specialty vendors. Confirm each company is licensed for the work and holds current insurance before they are released to a job.
- Collect certificates of insurance, track expiration dates, and pull a sub off a job if coverage lapses.
- Serve as the company contact for city permit staff, inspectors, landlords, and property managers on sign-permit and access issues. Attend a variance or zoning hearing when a project cannot move without it.
- Work with the Installation Operations Manager so permit approvals and outside-crew dates match the master installation schedule. Flag slips early enough to resequence the work.
- Keep permit numbers, approval dates, subcontractor assignments, and insurance status in the project file so Production, Installation, and Accounting can see the status without chasing it.
Requirements
- Two to four years in the sign industry, municipal permitting, or construction coordination. Time spent submitting permits or managing subcontractors counts. A project-manager title is not required.
- Able to read site plans, sign drawings, and structural sheets well enough to catch a missing dimension, setback, or engineering note before the package goes to the city.
- Solid Excel. Comfortable learning the permitting portals and the scheduling system the installation team uses.
- Clear with city reviewers, landlords, and outside crews. Writes status updates a field lead can act on.
- Will stop a sub from going to a site when the permit or the insurance is not in hand.
Physical Requirements
Most of the work is at a desk. Site visits and trips to permitting offices are part of the job and may include uneven ground, stairs, and municipal buildings. Reasonable accommodation may be made for a qualified person with a disability.
What We Offer
Competitive pay · 401(k) with company match · Paid time off · Medical, dental, and vision · Life and disability insurance
Skills Required
- Two to four years of experience in the sign industry, municipal permitting, or construction coordination
- Experience submitting permits or managing subcontractors
- Ability to read site plans, sign drawings, and structural sheets
- Ability to identify missing dimensions, setbacks, or engineering notes
- Solid Microsoft Excel skills
- Ability to learn permitting portals and installation scheduling systems
- Clear written and verbal communication with city reviewers, landlords, and outside crews
- Ability to stop subcontractors from visiting a site when permits or insurance are missing
What We Do
Hardman Signs is a Houston-based, full-service architectural signage and graphics company serving businesses across the United States. It develops customized signage and branding solutions, managing projects from design and engineering through fabrication and installation. The company offers interior and exterior sign types, national sign-program services, signage consulting, and maintenance capabilities designed to help organizations express their identity and build consistent brands across locations.
