Director of Operations - Electrical

We are 27 (and growing) market-leading operating companies that deliver unmatched HVAC, mechanical, refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical solutions. We are actively building the nation’s preferred technical service partnership for commercial MEP+ ecosystems, empowering industrial, commercial, and institutional clients—including Fortune 500 companies and other industry leaders across the United States—with reliable, innovative service. Learn more about us at www.kelso-industries.com .

Please note: We do not use agencies or third-party recruiters and do not accept unsolicited resumes from them.

Position Summary

YES, LLC and ENETK, LLC are seeking a high-performing electrical construction and automation professional to serve as Operations Manager in Dickinson, North Dakota. This position will provide operational leadership across both companies, including electrical construction, industrial automation, instrumentation, controls, programming, panel fabrication, and commissioning services.

The Operations Manager will oversee project execution, manpower planning, financial performance, safety, quality, customer satisfaction, and the development of project managers and field leaders. This role is an important part of the companies’ succession-planning strategy and is intended for an individual capable of growing into a senior leadership position.

The ideal candidate will have a strong electrical construction background, understand industrial projects from preconstruction through commissioning, and be able to coordinate effectively between electrical, controls, instrumentation, engineering, and field-construction teams.

Operations Manager. This role is part of our succession planning strategy and is intended for individuals ready to grow into senior leadership roles within the organization. The ideal candidate will lead projects from preconstruction through commissioning with a strong focus on cost control, schedule, and client satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Provide day-to-day operational oversight for YES and ENETK projects, personnel, and resources.
• Translate company goals into clear operating priorities, project expectations, and measurable results.
• Establish consistent project-management and operational processes across both companies.
• Coordinate the electrical, instrumentation, automation, programming, panel-fabrication, and commissioning teams.
• Identify operational constraints and resolve issues affecting safety, labor productivity, schedule, quality, or customer satisfaction.
• Provide leadership with accurate reporting on project performance, staffing requirements, risks, and operational priorities.
• Support the President in succession planning, strategic initiatives, organizational development, and long-term growth.

Project Oversight and Execution

• Oversee projects from turnover and kickoff through construction, commissioning, closeout, and warranty.
• Hold project managers and field leaders accountable for scope, budget, schedule, documentation, and customer commitments.
• Conduct project kickoff meetings, regular project reviews, forecasting meetings, and closeout reviews.
• Review project plans to verify that labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, engineering, and commissioning resources are properly coordinated.
• Ensure project teams understand contract scope, exclusions, deliverables, milestones, and notice requirements.
• Identify project risks early and establish corrective-action plans before they affect cost, schedule, or customer relationships.
• Coordinate work between YES and ENETK when projects include both electrical construction and controls or automation scopes.
• Ensure projects are properly staffed and that field teams receive timely information, materials, equipment, and management support.
• Oversee project closeout, including punch lists, testing records, as-built drawings, O&M manuals, training, final billing, retainage, and warranty obligations.

Financial Performance

• Review project budgets, labor performance, committed costs, cost-to-complete forecasts, and projected margins.
• Ensure project managers provide accurate and timely monthly forecasts and explanations of significant cost or margin variances.
• Monitor labor productivity and take corrective action when projects are exceeding estimated hours or falling behind schedule.
• Partner with the Controller and Accounting team in the preparation and management of the monthly Work-in-Progress (WIP) schedule, ensuring project forecasts, costs-to-complete, percent-complete calculations, revenue recognition, billings, and projected margins are accurate and supported by current project information.
• Monitor billing, cash flow, retainage, collections, and underbilling or overbilling conditions in coordination with Accounting.
• Ensure change orders, T&M work, back charges, delays, and additional scope are identified, documented, priced, and submitted promptly.
• Assist in developing annual operating budgets, revenue forecasts, backlog projections, and staffing plans.

Manpower and Resource Planning

• Develop long-term manpower plans across YES and ENETK based on backlog, project schedules, and upcoming opportunities.
• Lead recurring manpower and project-scheduling meetings with project and field leadership.
• Balance resources across projects to meet customer commitments while controlling overtime, travel, and labor inefficiencies.
• Identify future staffing needs and participate in recruiting, interviewing, selection, and onboarding.
• Ensure employees are properly licensed, trained, qualified, and assigned work appropriate to their experience and capabilities.

Preconstruction and Estimating Support

• Participate in bid reviews, project-selection decisions, risk assessments, and go/no-go evaluations.
• Review estimates for scope completeness, labor assumptions, schedule requirements, subcontractor coverage, and operational feasibility.
• Ensure effective turnover from estimating and business development to project management and field operations.
• Verify that electrical, controls, instrumentation, programming, commissioning, and panel-fabrication responsibilities are clearly defined.
• Support customer presentations, proposal development, scope clarification, and contract negotiations as needed.

Safety, Quality, and Compliance &