BuildOps has appointed Will Lehrmann as its new Chief Product Officer, bringing in a seasoned leader with deep experience in construction technology and specialty contractor solutions.
Lehrmann joins BuildOps after nearly 12 years at Procore Technologies, where he served as Vice President of Product Management and Head of Product for Specialty Contractors. He most recently held a senior product leadership role at MaintainX.
The move comes at a pivotal time for commercial construction, as contractors face growing workloads across sectors like data centers, healthcare facilities, and infrastructure upgrades—while simultaneously dealing with labor shortages and increasing operational complexity.
Expanding Toward Autonomous Construction Operations
At BuildOps, Lehrmann will oversee the company’s product vision and roadmap, with a focus on advancing its AI-native platform into what the company describes as “autonomous operations.” This approach goes beyond traditional software systems that simply track activity, aiming instead to predict, recommend, and execute tasks in real time.
"Will built the product playbook for specialty contractors at the company that defined the category," said Alok Chanani, Co-Founder and CEO of BuildOps. “He knows this customer better than almost anyone in the industry. We're not hiring a product leader who needs to learn the trades — we're hiring one who's spent his entire career in them.”
BuildOps’ platform is designed to unify project management and service operations into a single system—an area where many contractors currently rely on fragmented tools. By integrating these workflows, the company aims to provide greater visibility and efficiency across job sites, dispatch systems, and financial processes.
Focus on AI Built Specifically for the Trades
Lehrmann emphasized the importance of purpose-built solutions tailored to the unique needs of commercial contractors, rather than adapting generic enterprise tools.
"I've spent my career building products for the people who keep our world running," said Will Lehrmann, Chief Product Officer of BuildOps. “BuildOps has something I haven't seen before: a platform built from the ground up specifically for commercial contractors, with the focus and the data to make AI actually work for them. That's the next frontier for this industry, and it's why I'm here.”
The company refers to its evolving platform as a “system of action,” highlighting its goal of enabling software to actively assist in decision-making and operations rather than simply recording project data.
Strengthening Leadership Amid Rapid Growth
Lehrmann’s appointment follows a period of rapid expansion for BuildOps, which has raised more than $225 million in funding and achieved a $1 billion valuation. The company continues to scale its leadership team, recently adding executives with experience in enterprise software and construction technology.
"The trades deserve AI that's built for them — not generic tools retrofitted from someone else's industry," Chanani added. “Will's job is to make sure every capability we ship understands how a contractor actually runs a business, from the dispatch board to the job site to the invoice.”
Today, BuildOps serves over 1,000 commercial specialty contractors across North America, including firms in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and refrigeration sectors.
Additional Insights: The Shift Toward Intelligent Construction Platforms
The hiring reflects a broader transformation in construction technology, where companies are moving beyond digitization toward intelligent, AI-driven systems. As projects grow more complex and labor constraints persist, contractors are increasingly seeking tools that can automate workflows, improve decision-making, and optimize resource allocation.
BuildOps’ strategy aligns with this trend, positioning its platform as a next-generation solution designed specifically for the operational realities of the trades. With Lehrmann leading product development, the company is aiming to accelerate innovation and deliver more predictive, data-driven capabilities to its growing customer base.
In the long term, such advancements could redefine how construction businesses operate—shifting from reactive management to proactive, AI-supported execution across the entire project lifecycle.
Originally reported by BUILDOPS in Construction Dive.
