Vice President Operations

Company Overview

Our client, located in Des Moines, IA, is a specialized equipment installation company focusing on aviary systems and other agricultural equipment. Their mission is to raise the professionalism of installation workers in the agricultural sector. By investing in their crew through stable employment and opportunities for growth, they maintain a dedicated and efficient workforce with low turnover. The company’s core values emphasize teamwork, hard work, and continuous improvement, prioritizing collaboration, problem-solving, and seeking ways to enhance their services for customers.

Position Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced and strategic Vice President of Operations to lead and oversee all aspects of our operations. The VP of Operations will play a critical role in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of our installation processes, driving continuous improvement, and maintaining high standards of quality and customer satisfaction. This position requires a leader who can manage a diverse team, streamline operations, and foster long-term relationships with clients and partners.

Key Accountabilities

The primary responsibilities for the VP of Operations role include:

• Operational Leadership: Provide strategic direction and leadership to the operations team, ensuring alignment with the company’s goals and objectives.

• Process Improvement: Implement and maintain processes that enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality and customer satisfaction.

• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Project Management: Drive results on all installation projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

• Risk Mitigation: Proven experience in identifying potential risks, developing strategies to mitigate them, and ensuring continuous monitoring to minimize impact on operations.

• Client Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, understanding their needs and ensuring their expectations are consistently met.

• Compliance and Safety: Ensure all operations comply with industry regulations, safety standards, and company policies.

• Performance Metrics: Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to track operational performance and identify areas for improvement.

• Budget Management: Manage the operations budget, ensuring financial objectives are met and resources are allocated efficiently.

• Financial Acumen: Experience managing P&L, budgets, and financial performance metrics.

• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering or related field. Minimum of 10 years of experience in operations management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role. Experience in the agricultural or construction industry is a plus. Must have demonstrated, measurable success creating and executing upon strategic growth initiatives. Experience in leading operational strategy and execution will be critical to the role. MBA or other advanced degree also considered a strong plus.

The successful candidate will possess keen analytical abilities and highly-developed problem-solving skills to support and enable sound decision making. The ability to relate to people at all levels of the organization and build strong, mutually beneficial relationships inside and outside the organization to achieve results is a must.

The successful candidate must lead with high self-esteem and self-awareness, consistent communication, people developer, strong listener and open-minded, action and decision oriented. They will be a seasoned multi-tasker with the ability to ‘wear many hats’ in a fast-paced environment.