Floe - Founding Field Operations Lead at 43North in Gates, NY

About Floe:

Floe is a rapidly growing startup that has developed the smart, cost-effective, and eco-friendly solution for managing hazardous ice and snow on roofs and around the building envelope. Compared to existing solutions, our automated system safely and effectively addresses dangerous buildup while reducing operating costs by >40% and carbon emissions by >99%.

Originally spun out of MIT and Yale and tested with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Floe has been validated at dozens of sites in some of the world’s harshest winter environments. Our technology is trusted by major national retailers, state governments, and large commercial and residential property owners across the US and Canada.

As we scale rapidly and expand into new verticals, we are building a team of talented, mission-driven people who value impact, precision, and integrity. Our team thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment and has an excellent results-oriented track record. We are eager to recruit individuals who are driven, thoughtful problem-solvers and who bring diverse perspectives to our mission.

About the Role:

Floe is entering an exciting new phase of growth, transitioning from successful initial installations to scaled deployments across North America. We are seeking a Founding Field Operations Lead to support and scale our installation and deployment efforts nationwide. This role is highly hands-on and field-oriented, working directly with contractors, customers, and internal teams to ensure systems are installed correctly, perform as intended, and can be deployed consistently at scale.

You will serve as a technical and operational resource for installers, helping guide deployment decisions in real-world conditions, troubleshooting issues on-site, and ensuring installations meet Floe’s performance and quality standards. This role will also help build the infrastructure required for scalable deployment, including installation documentation, QA workflows, training programs, and contractor enablement resources.

As Floe grows, you will help transform installations into a more repeatable, well-documented process that contractors can execute more confidently and independently across regions.

The ideal candidate is pragmatic, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in the field. You are credible with contractors, confident on job sites and rooftops, and capable of translating technical requirements into clear, actionable guidance. You are also organized and documentation-minded, able to capture lessons learned and turn them into playbooks, training materials, and scalable processes.

This role requires regular travel to job sites across the U.S. and Canada, including short-notice trips when needed.

Responsibilities:

Field Deployment & Installation Support

• Travel nationally to support installations, site assessments, and deployment planning, including occasional short-notice travel.
• Serve as an on-site resource for contractors and partners during installations, ensuring systems are deployed correctly and aligned with Floe standards.
• Validate system functionality, troubleshoot issues, and support commissioning and performance checks.
• Conduct site visits to review existing installations, support adjustments, and resolve deployment challenges.
• Provide guidance on mounting approaches, routing, fasteners, aesthetics, and installation best practices in collaboration with the internal engineering team, contractors, vendors, and partners.

Installation Standards & Quality Assurance

• Further develop and maintain installation playbooks, SOPs, checklists, and commissioning protocols.
• Support the development of internal QA frameworks to verify installations meet performance and safety requirements.
• Review installation documentation submitted from sites nationwide and provide feedback or corrective guidance to contractors as needed.
• Establish documentation standards for photos, videos, and install data to ensure quality and consistency across deployments.

Contractor Enablement & Training

• Help identify, vet, and onboard installation partners in new regions.
• Support the development of installer training programs, certification frameworks, and partner onboarding resources.
• Collaborate with marketing and operations to develop training materials, manuals, videos, and multimedia content.
• Conduct in-person and virtual training sessions for contractors, partners, and internal teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with engineering, sales, and operations to ensure installation approaches align with product capabilities and customer expectations.
• Support pre-install planning and site evaluations for enterprise customers.
• Provide structured field feedback to inform product improvements, installation simplification, and future system design.

Deployment Systems & Process Development

• Contribute to the development of tools and platforms used to log installation data, track performance, and verify quality.
• Help define workflows for documentation, verification, and remote QA of installations.
• Capture field learnings and translate them into repeatable processes that improve deployment speed and reliability.

Qualifications:

• 6–10+ years of experience in roofing, solar, construction, building envelope, HVAC or mechanical systems, field engineering, or related deployment-heavy environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting installations or managing field deployments of technical or infrastructure-related systems.
• Strong understanding of job site dynamics and ability to work effectively with contractors, installers, and field teams.
• Comfortable working on rooftops and active construction sites.
• Ability to identify installation risks and recommend practical, field-ready solutions.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills; able to create SOPs, manuals, and structured processes.
• Experience training contractors, technicians, or partners is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with construction drawings, installation schematics, and field documentation practices.
• Willingness to travel frequently and respond to time-sensitive deployment needs.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving startup environment.
• Able to operate independently and manage multiple workstreams in parallel.
• Creative and solutions-oriented, with the ability to adapt deployments in the field and provide structured feedback to the engineering and marketing teams.
• Strong communication skills and ability to represent Floe professionally with customers, contractors, and partners.

Preferred:

• Background in commercial roofing, solar installation, building envelope consulting, or field applications engineering.
• Experience with QA processes, commissioning workflows, or installation audits.
• Exposure to building systems or technology-enabled infrastructure solutions.
• Experience developing training content, videos, or technical documentation.
• Strong network of contractors and roofers across North America.

This is a hybrid position based in Buffalo, NY, with the ideal candidate residing in Western New York, but we are open to a candidate working remotely, preferably in NYS. Compensation for this role will be commensurate with experience, skills, education, and location.

How to Apply:

Please send a resume and a short note describing your interest and relevant experiences to both nick@43north.org and recruiting@floesafe.com. If available, please also include 1–2 examples of projects, installation documentation, training materials, or other resources you developed.

Floe Inc is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. The company shall not discriminate against any applicant because of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity (except where gender is a bona fide occupational qualification), national origin, age, disability, military/veteran status, marital status, genetic information, or any other factor protected by law. We are committed to equal employment opportunity in all decisions related to employment, promotion, wages, benefits and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment or engagement.