Vice President, Operational Excellence & Business Intelligence

Vice President, Operational Excellence & Business Integration

Introduction:
Guardian Fire Services is building one of the country’s leading platforms for fire protection and life safety. Since 2022 we have brought more than a dozen owner-operated businesses into the Guardian family, giving each the resources and stability of a national organization while preserving the local identity and legacy their founders spent decades building. Backed by Investcorp and headquartered in Nashville, we are in the early innings of a national buy-and-build strategy in a large, highly fragmented, compliance-driven industry.

Position Summary:

Guardian Fire Services is seeking a strategic, hands-on Vice President of Operational Excellence & Business Integration to drive operational performance, standardization, continuous improvement, and acquisition integration across our growing portfolio of operating companies. Reporting directly to the CEO, this executive will partner closely with branch leadership to improve operational execution, financial performance, customer experience, safety, and scalability while preserving the entrepreneurial culture of our local businesses.

This leader will play a critical role in supporting Guardian's aggressive acquisition strategy by leading post-acquisition integration efforts, implementing operational best practices, and driving consistency across the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

Operational Excellence

• Partner with branch leadership to improve operational execution, productivity, profitability, and customer service.
• Identify operational improvement opportunities across all Guardian operating companies.
• Standardize best practices while respecting local market needs.
• Improve field productivity, scheduling, dispatch, inventory management, fleet utilization, and operational workflows.
• Develop and implement operational scorecards and performance metrics.

Business Integration

• Lead post-acquisition operational integration activities.
• Develop and execute integration playbooks for newly acquired companies.
• Standardize operational processes, reporting, and business practices.
• Ensure successful integration of systems, policies, procedures, and operational workflows.
• Partner with HR, IT, Finance, Safety, and Sales during integration efforts.

Financial & Branch Performance

• Partner with branch leaders to improve branch P&L performance.
• Analyze operational KPIs and financial results to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support forecasting, budgeting, labor productivity, gross margin improvement, and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Assist branch leadership in developing action plans to improve business performance.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Lead Lean, process improvement, and workflow optimization initiatives.
• Eliminate inefficiencies and improve cross-functional collaboration.
• Develop operational standards that support long-term scalable growth.

Leadership & Partnership

• Build trusted partnerships with branch managers and operational leaders.
• Coach and develop operational leadership teams.
• Facilitate sharing of best practices across operating companies.
• Support strategic initiatives as assigned by executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, or related field (MBA preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive operational leadership experience.
• Multi-site leadership experience within industrial services, specialty contracting, construction, mechanical services, or related industries.
• Experience leading operational improvement initiatives across multiple business units.
• Demonstrated success integrating acquisitions.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing and improving branch P&L performance.
• Experience implementing operational metrics, dashboards, and accountability systems.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority.

Preferred Industry Experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is strongly preferred:

• Fire Protection
• Fire Alarm
• Fire Sprinkler

Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking with strong operational execution.
• Exceptional business acumen.
• Strong financial and analytical skills.
• Outstanding relationship-building abilities.
• Proven change management experience.
• Executive presence and credibility.
• Ability to build alignment across multiple operating companies.
• Results-oriented leadership style.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Improved branch profitability.
• Successful acquisition integrations.
• Operational standardization across Guardian companies.
• Increased productivity and operational efficiency.
• Improved customer satisfaction.
• Enhanced branch leadership capability.
• Adoption of operational best practices.
• Achievement of company growth objectives.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking a leader who can help Guardian evolve from a collection of successful operating companies into a highly integrated, best-in-class national fire protection organization. This executive will balance entrepreneurial local leadership with disciplined operational excellence, creating scalable systems and processes that support continued acquisition and organic growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, or related field (MBA preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive operational leadership experience.
• Multi-site leadership experience within industrial services, specialty contracting, construction, mechanical services, or related industries.
• Experience leading operational improvement initiatives across multiple business units.
• Demonstrated success integrating acquisitions.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing and improving branch P&L performance.
• Experience implementing operational metrics, dashboards, and accountability systems.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority.

At Guardian Fire Services, we value innovation and collaboration. Here’s what we offer:

• Competitive Pay: $$$ based on experience + 20% annual bonus + Stock Grant Eligible

• Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance options.

• Future Savings: A 401(k) plan with employer match.

• Professional Growth: Opportunities for leadership and career advancement.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous PTO and paid holidays.

We Value All Experiences

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of dedication, impact, and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We want you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for.

We also know that diversity of background and thought makes for better problem-solving and more creative thinking, so we’re dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Guardian Fire Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Guardian Fire Services is committed to an inclusive experience for all applicants and will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations in the interview process, to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.

How to Apply

If you’re ready to take the lead in shaping HR systems and processes in a growing company, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now to join Guardian Fire Services and make an impact!