Overview
The Director of Utility Field Services is a national role, responsible for the safe, consistent, and profitable execution of Shermco's Protection & Controls business. Reporting to the Vice President of Protection & Controls, this role sets direction for and leads day-to-day operations across multiple locations and converts business priorities into disciplined field execution.
The Director will lead General Managers, Area Managers, and their teams; drive safety, quality, productivity, utilization, forecasting, and customer service; and build the operating structure and workforce capability required to support profitable growth in relay protection, controls, testing, commissioning, and related substation services.
Travel is 50%. You can work remotely for this position but must live close to a major airport.
Responsibilities
• Lead day-to-day P&C operations across multiple branches and service locations in the United States and Canada.
• Translate the Vice President's strategy, budget, and operating priorities into clear plans, accountabilities, and execution rhythms for branch and operations leaders.
• Provide direct leadership to General Managers and Area Managers, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, development, succession planning, and performance management.
• Own operating execution for safety, quality, labor utilization, productivity, project delivery, customer service, and financial performance.
• Monitor and act on key performance indicators, including labor hours, revenue, gross margin, utilization, backlog, forecast accuracy, and project performance.
• Lead the operating forecast and develop the annual budget, workforce, equipment, and capacity planning.
• Ensure appropriate staffing and resource deployment across locations, balancing customer commitments, technician capability, travel, backlog, and profitability.
• Drive compliance with Shermco safe work practices, field-audit expectations, near-miss reporting, corrective actions, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Promote consistent work methods, technical quality, documentation, and accountability across P&C operations.
• Partner with technical leaders to maintain the qualified workforce, equipment, processes, and technical capability required for relay testing, protection and controls, commissioning, and related substation work.
• Support technician qualification, evaluator signoff, training, career progression, and leadership development programs.
• Maintain effective customer relationships, participate in account planning and major proposals, and resolve operational or service issues promptly.
• Coordinate with Business Development, Engineering, Safety, Finance, Human Resources, Fleet, Procurement, and other Shermco operating groups to align resources and execution.
• Identify and implement process, reporting, and technology improvements that increase visibility, scalability, productivity, and control.
• Support expansion into adjacent services and emerging markets, including apparatus testing and battery energy storage system testing and commissioning.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, construction management, or a related field; equivalent operations leadership experience will be considered.
• 15+ years of progressive field services experience, ideally in electrical services, utility services, field operations, construction, testing, commissioning, or a related technical services environment.
• 5+ years of experience in a multi-location operations leadership role.
• Experience leading managers who have direct reports and demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop operating leaders.
• Demonstrated P&L responsibility for an electrical or technical services business of approximately $40 million or greater.
• Working knowledge of relay protection and controls, electrical testing, commissioning, utility substations, or closely related services is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage labor, revenue, margin, utilization, backlog, forecasts, budgets, and project performance.
• Experience with business development, major customers, proposals, contracts, and customer issue resolution.
• Strong safety leadership and understanding of applicable electrical, field-service, and employment requirements.
• Strong analytical judgment and the ability to turn operating and financial data into timely actions.
• Excellent leadership, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to travel regularly among operating locations and customer sites.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines.
Measures of Success
• Safe execution and sustained field engagement in Shermco safety programs.
• Revenue, gross margin, utilization, productivity, and forecast performance against plan.
• Backlog conversion, project execution, technical quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Effective recruiting, retention, qualification, and development of technicians and leaders.
• Recruit 3+ techs/month; retain 90% of workforce on a TTM basis (currently at ~93.5%); and achieve a field tech/engineer department-wide average of 85% (billable hours divided by all hours, including PTO/Holiday).
• Profitable growth and successful expansion of P&C and adjacent testing and commissioning capabilities.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Pay Range
USD $215,000.00 - USD $235,000.00 /Yr.
