Operations Manager Tri State Life Safety & Electric Systems Inc. Charleston, SC Job Details Full-time $149,000 - $150,000 a year 3 hours ago Benefits Health insurance 401(k) Paid time off Vision insurance 401(k) matching Qualifications Customer communication Staff supervision Construction specifications Change management Leading team collaboration initiatives Managing projects Full Job Description Tri State is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to provide operational leadership and oversight of our operations department. This is a full-time, in-office position based at our Ravenel, South Carolina headquarters in the Greater Charleston area, with normal office hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The position will report directly to the General Manager. The Operations Manager will be responsible for the overall performance, coordination, and development of Tri State's operational functions across the company. This position will directly supervise the Project Management team and provide management oversight of the Installation Manager and Support Manager, ensuring alignment, accountability, and consistent execution throughout the Operations Department. This is a key management position responsible for ensuring projects and service activities are properly planned, staffed, executed, monitored, and completed while meeting company expectations for safety, quality, schedule, financial performance, profitability, and customer satisfaction. The Operations Manager will maintain visibility into the company's workload, anticipate resource and project challenges, establish accountability, develop managers and Project Managers, improve operational processes, and ensure the General Manager has accurate and timely information regarding operational performance and risk. The Operations Manager will work closely with the General Manager and the leaders of Engineering, Sales/Business Development, and Business Administration to align operational capacity with the company's workload, financial objectives, customer commitments, and long-term growth strategy. This position requires an individual who can operate effectively at both the strategic and tactical levels capable of contributing to company-wide discussions regarding staffing, capacity, financial performance, organizational development, and long-term operational strategy while also working directly with Project Managers and operational managers to resolve project and field-level issues. While primarily office-based, the Operations Manager will oversee projects and operational functions throughout the company's service area and must be comfortable visiting active project sites and working directly with Project Managers, operational managers, field personnel, customers, contractors, and subcontractors when necessary. The position is designed to involve limited travel, primarily for strategic project visits, customer meetings, operational reviews, employee support, and situations where in-person management involvement is appropriate. The ideal candidate is a proactive operational leader who takes ownership of performance rather than simply reacting to problems as they occur. The Operations Manager will be given significant responsibility for developing a disciplined, accountable, scalable, and high-performing operations organization capable of supporting Tri State's continued growth and geographic expansion. Key Responsibilities Provide operational leadership and oversight of project, installation, service, and field operations across the company. Directly supervise, support, and develop the Project Management team. Supervise and provide leadership to the Installation Manager and Support Manager, establishing clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards for each functional area. Provide oversight of the broader Operations Department through the appropriate managers while maintaining clearly defined lines of responsibility and accountability. Ensure operational managers effectively manage, develop, schedule, and hold accountable the personnel assigned to their respective departments. Maintain visibility into active projects and ensure appropriate management attention is applied based on project size, complexity, schedule, risk, financial performance, and customer requirements. Oversee project planning, scheduling, manpower allocation, resource requirements, and operational priorities across the company. Ensure Project Managers effectively manage project scope, schedule, labor, materials, subcontractors, documentation, change management, customer communication, financial performance, and project closeout. Review project performance and identify projects at risk of schedule delays, cost overruns, margin erosion, resource constraints, quality issues, or customer dissatisfaction. Work with Project Managers and operational managers to develop and implement corrective action plans when performance does not meet established expectations. Monitor labor utilization, productivity, scheduling, overtime, manpower requirements, and resource availability across the organization. Lead workforce planning for Operations and participate in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, development, and performance-management activities. Establish and maintain standardized project-management and operational processes, procedures, reporting requirements, and best practices. Ensure projects are properly transitioned from Sales and Engineering into Operations before execution. Coordinate with Engineering to ensure drawings, submittals, technical documentation, and other project requirements support successful field execution. Coordinate with Business Administration and Procurement functions to ensure materials, equipment, subcontractors, documentation, billing requirements, and other administrative needs support project schedules and objectives. Ensure effective management and coordination of subcontractors and other third-party operational resources. Ensure operational activities comply with company policies, customer requirements, applicable codes, safety standards, and quality expectations. Provide senior operational support for escalated customer, project, personnel, or field issues when necessary. Identify and implement opportunities to improve operational efficiency, scalability, quality, profitability, consistency, and communication. Provide the General Manager with regular reporting regarding operational performance, staffing, project risks, resource requirements, financial performance, and other significant operational issues. Promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, continuous improvement, safety, quality, and customer service throughout the Operations Department. Project & Financial Performance The Operations Manager will have significant responsibility for protecting the operational and financial performance of the company's projects. Working with Project Managers, operational managers, and company leadership, this position will monitor: Project budgets and cost performance. Labor budgets, productivity, and actual labor utilization. Project schedules, milestones, and completion forecasts. Material and subcontractor expenditures. Change orders and scope changes. Project billing and completion milestones. Gross margin performance and potential margin erosion. Project backlog and resource requirements. Operational forecasts and capacity planning. The Operations Manager is expected to identify negative trends and operational risks early and work with the appropriate Project Manager, department manager, and company leadership to implement corrective actions before they materially affect project performance, profitability, schedules, or customer relationships. Leadership & Personnel Development A major responsibility of this position is developing a strong, accountable, and scalable operations organization. The Operations Manager will be expected to: Establish clear expectations and measurable performance standards for Project Managers and operational managers. Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, project reviews, and performance discussions with direct reports. Coach and develop Project Managers and operational managers to strengthen leadership capabilities, project execution, communication, financial awareness, and accountability. Identify training, development, and succession-planning needs within Operations. Address performance issues promptly, consistently, and professionally. Participate in hiring and staffing decisions for operational positions. Create consistency in how projects, employees, customers, and operational issues are managed across the organization. Qualifications Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in operations, project management, construction management, field management, or a related discipline, with demonstrated leadership responsibility. Demonstrated experience managing Project Managers, supervisors, managers, or other professional-level personnel. Experience within the electrical, low-voltage, life-safety, physical-security, fire alarm, access control, video surveillance, structured cabling, systems integration, or related construction industry strongly preferred. Strong understanding of project management, project financials, manpower planning, scheduling, resource allocation, and field operations. Demonstrated ability to oversee multiple projects, teams, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously. Strong understanding of project budgets, labor performance, cost control, change management, forecasting, and margin protection. Proven ability to establish expectations, measure performance, develop employees, and hold managers and employees accountable. Strong leadership, communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to identify operational problems and implement practical, sustainable solutions. Ability to read and understand scopes of work, contracts, project schedules, drawings, specifications, and related technical documentation. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with customers, contractors, vendors, subcontractors, field personnel, Project Managers, department managers, and senior leadership. Valid driver's license and ability to travel as business requirements dictate. Preferred Qualifications 10 years previous operations-management experience with a systems integrator, electrical contractor, security contractor, fire/life-safety contractor, or similar organization. Experience managing projects and operational personnel across multiple geographic markets. Familiarity with access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, fire alarm, structured cabling, electrical, networking, and related systems. Experience developing and managing operational KPIs and using performance data to drive organizational improvement. Experience with government, institutional, healthcare, commercial, industrial, and multi-site customers. Experience supporting a growing organization and developing processes, management structures, and operational systems capable of scaling with growth.

Job Overview Pay:

$149,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person