Operations Manager in Houston, Texas at Hays Electrical Services

Operations Manager
Location: Houston, Tx
Employment Type: Full-Time

With over 19 years of experience, Hays Electrical Services is a nationally recognized electrical
contractor delivering high-quality, safe, and reliable electrical solutions across commercial, industrial, and
specialty markets. Licensed in multiple states and trusted by leading general contractors, Hays is built on
a foundation of safety, excellence, drive, communication, and client focus.
Our mission is simple: to make ourselves indispensable to our customers. We achieve this by
investing in our people, continuously improving our processes, and delivering results that set the
standard in the electrical contracting industry.

Position Summary
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of the Company's 5K Specialty Systems division, encompassing fire alarm, security, and structured cabling systems installed under Division 27 and Division 28 scopes across new construction, retrofit, and end-user projects. This position oversees Project Managers, Assistant Project Managers, and Project Coordinators, and owns full P&L responsibility for the department, including job costing and associated G&A costs. The Operations Manager develops and executes operational strategies that maximize project profitability, establishes project planning policies, leads monthly project controlling activities, and ensures the workforce is trained and staffed to execute current and upcoming workload. This role requires a strong technical and financial background combined with proven leadership,business management, and customer relationship skills.

Key Responsibilites

• Lead the daily operations of the department, overseeing Project Managers, APMs, and Project Coordinators.
• Own full P&L responsibility for the department, including job costing accuracy and gross margin performance.
• Manage and control G&A costs associated with the department.
• Review and approve job cost reports, WIP schedules, and monthly financial forecasts with PMs.
• Analyze job cost variances (budget vs. actual) and drive corrective action on underperforming jobs.
• Participate in pre-sales activity, ensuring adequate labor, material, and pricing assumptions in bids.
• Review proposals prior to submission for constructability, staffing feasibility, and cost adequacy.
• Establish and maintain project planning policies, procedures, and templates.
• Lead monthly project controlling activities: job cost reviews, schedule updates, and change order logs.
• Ensure contract compliance across scope, billing terms, retainage, and closeout documentation.
• Directly manage, mentor, and develop Project Managers, APMs, and Project Coordinators.
• Build and maintain a training and development program for the field and project management team.
• Forecast staffing needs and partner with HR/recruiting to hire ahead of anticipated workload.
• Balance workload distribution across PMs based on project complexity, size, and experience level.
• Ensure projects comply with NFPA 72, NEC, local AHJ requirements, and manufacturer specifications.
• Ensure permitting, inspection, and final acceptance testing across fire alarm, security, and cabling scopes meet standards.
• Drive consistent documentation practices: as-builts, test/inspection reports, and closeout packages.
• Resolve escalated project issues that exceed PM authority, including schedule and scope disputes.
• Maintain strong relationships with general contractors, developers, end-use customers, and AHJs.
• Ensure department-wide adherence to company safety policies and OSHA requirements.
• Ensure licensing, certification, and continuing education requirements remain current across the team.
• Act as the primary liaison between operations and sales/estimating, finance, HR, and procurement.
• Provide regular reporting to leadership on department performance, backlog, staffing, and risk items.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Departmental gross margin % vs. budget
• Job cost variance (budget vs. actual) across active projects
• On-time project completion rate
• Change order capture rate
• Labor utilization / overtime %
• Overbilling exceeds underbillings
• Safety incident rate
• Accounts receivable aging
• Budget adherence

Qualifications & Skills
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in low voltage systems (fire alarm, security/access control, structured cabling).
• 3+ years in a project management or operations leadership role.
• Proven experience owning P&L, job costing, and departmental budgets.
• Strong working knowledge of Division 27/28 scopes and applicable codes (NFPA 72, BICSI/TIA, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing a team of PMs/APMs/Coordinators.
• Experience with construction project management and job costing/ERP software.
• Strong financial acumen — able to read and act on job cost reports and margin analysis.

Preferred
• NICET certification (Fire Alarm Systems), or working toward certification.
• Experience across new construction, retrofit, and service/end-user project types.
• Prior experience at a specialty/low-voltage subcontractor (vs. general contracting).
• Experience building or refining standardized project controls in a growing organization.

Why Join Hays Electrical Services?
At Hays Electrical Services, you’re joining a team that values professionalism, accountability, and growth.
As part of our Marketing and Communications team, you’ll play a hands-on role in capturing and sharing
the work, people, and culture that power our continued success.

Benefits Include:
• Competitive salary based on experience
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous paid time off and company holidays
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a supportive, fast-paced environment

Hays Electrical Services, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any status protected by applicable law. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.