Note: This position is open exclusively to candidates currently enrolled in the Hiring Our Heroes Fellows Program. Applications from individuals not participating in the program will not be considered.
Why This Role Exists
SoldFast is actively expanding its residential construction and acquisition operations. As we grow, we need disciplined, reliable people who can execute on job sites, lead small crews, and eventually take ownership of projects. This fellowship exists to identify and develop those people.
Bob, a co-founder of SoldFast with over 40 years of field experience, directly oversees our construction operations and will serve as your primary mentor throughout this program. You will work alongside him and the crew, not watching from a distance.
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Who This Program Is For
This fellowship is designed for transitioning service members who:
- Prefer physical, execution-focused work over desk-based roles
- Want to build a skilled trade career rather than pursue a business or sales path
- Are comfortable working outdoors in variable conditions alongside a field crew
- Hold themselves to a standard without being managed or reminded
- Are looking for a clear career ladder, not just a short-term experience
This program is likely NOT the right fit if:
- You require a fully structured onboarding system or daily supervision to perform
- You expect a desk, defined KPIs, or air-conditioned work from day one
- You are not comfortable with the physical demands of residential construction
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Program Overview
Participants work directly on active SoldFast job sites and gain hands-on exposure to multiple phases of residential construction, from demolition through finish work. This is a field-first program. You will use real tools on real projects and leave with foundational trade knowledge and the discipline to build a lasting career in construction.
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Responsibilities & Hands-On Exposure
This program is approximately 80% hands-on execution and 20% observation and learning. Expect to be on your feet, on site, and active every day.
- Demolition and site preparation
- Framing and structural work
- Finish carpentry and cabinet installation
- Flooring, painting, and basic plumbing
- Tool usage, safety protocols, and jobsite organization
- Full project lifecycle observation from scope to completion
- Direct participation in daily job site planning and crew coordination
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Performance Standards
We do not manage people into performing. We expect the standard to come from you. Fellows are held to the following from day one:
Attendance: On site, on time, every scheduled day; no exceptions without prior communication
Execution: Follow direction the first time; ask questions before starting, not after making a mistake
Accountability: Own your errors; do not minimize, redirect blame, or wait to be asked about a problem
Standards: Hold yourself to the same standard whether Bob is standing next to you or not
Communication: Speak directly and clearly: to Bob, to crew members, and about your own progress
Attitude: No task is beneath you; the job site runs on people who do what needs doing
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Learning Outcomes
- Understand construction workflows, sequencing, and project lifecycle
- Develop foundational and transferable trade skills across multiple disciplines
- Demonstrate the reliability and ownership required to lead a crew
- Build a direct foundation for full-time employment and career advancement
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Career Progression Pathway
SoldFast promotes from within. Fellows who demonstrate the right character and capability can expect a defined path forward:
Trades Fellow: SkillsBridge participant: executing, learning, contributing on active job sites
Crew Member: Full-time hire: accountable for daily site execution alongside experienced trades
Crew Lead: Leads a small team: sets the standard, owns the outcome, reports to Bob
Project Supervisor: Oversees full project scope: quality, timeline, people, and client experience
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Your Mentor
Bob, Co-Founder, SoldFast | Construction Operations
Bob is a co-founder of SoldFast and the direct overseer of all construction operations. With more than 40 years of hands-on field experience, Bob has built, managed, and led construction projects across residential markets.
He is not a corporate trainer. He is a tradesman who built a business. Your mentorship will be conducted in the field, in real time, on real projects, which is exactly how trades skills are built.
Bob will meet with each fellow weekly to review performance, answer questions, and provide direct feedback on development. His commitment is to give you an honest picture of where you stand and what it takes to build a career in this trade.
A Note on Our Leadership Culture: Please Read
SoldFast is in an active season of growth, and we want to be transparent with you: we do not yet have a fully defined military-style leadership framework in place.
What we do have is a genuine commitment to building one, grounded in the values of accountability, ownership, clear communication, and mission-first execution. Bob already runs his job sites with these principles. What we are building now is the language and structure to formalize and scale them.
If you join us through SkillsBridge, you will not be walking into a finished system. You will be one of the first people to help us build it. We are specifically looking for fellows who are willing to document what worked in their units, advocate for standards they believe in, and help us translate military discipline into a growing civilian construction business.
The systems you help establish here will outlast your fellowship. The crew members behind you will operate inside the culture you helped define.
“We are not asking you to conform to our culture. We are inviting you to help define it.”
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Program Details
Duration: 8 – 16 weeks (based on individual transition timeline)
Schedule: Full-time | Field-based, active job sites
Compensation: Unpaid; military pay continues under DoD SkillsBridge authorization
Direct Mentor: Bob, Co-Founder, Construction Operations (40+ years field experience)
Location: Active SoldFast residential job sites
Post-Program: Full-time employment opportunities may be available for qualified fellows
Sponsored By: SkillsBridge (Dept. of Defense) | Hiring Our Heroes (Dept. of Commerce)
The Bottom Line
We are not looking for someone who needs to be pointed at a task every morning. We are looking for the person who walks onto a job site, assesses what needs doing, and starts moving. That is how they were trained, and that is who they are.
If you have spent years holding yourself and others to a standard under real pressure, those habits belong here. Bob built his career that way. That is the culture we are building. We want you to help us do it.
