Operational Excellence Lead

About Shepherd Electric Supply Since 1892, Shepherd Electric Supply has been the first call when complex, time‑critical electrical challenges need to be solved and reliability truly matters. We move materials accurately and on time so contractors stay on schedule, projects stay on track, and customers never have to wonder if we’ll come through. Our success comes from people who take pride in doing things the right way — safely, accurately, and with care for teammates and customers alike. Why This Role Matters Reliability is not a slogan at Shepherd — it is a system. Every system needs someone who closes the loop between when something goes wrong and when we can prove it will not happen again. We run on a continuous improvement loop called ShepOS, the Shepherd Operating System, with four pillars that keep Shepherd reliable as we scale toward $1billion in revenue by 2030. Operational Excellence Lead The role that names patterns, drafts the plays that need to exist, and makes sure the loop actually closes. The position coach watches the film where the UET pillar meets Playbooks & Plays and ensures that the same broken pattern does not open into the next quarter. Key Outcomes Own the daily, weekly, and monthly cadence of Shepherd’s operational error reviews – triage volume, surface patterns, and route the highest‑impact issues to the right person with a clear close target. Partner with the Business Process Optimizer to maintain and evolve the UET dashboard that gives leadership real visibility into where the operation is breaking and where it is healing. Hold the close‑the‑loop discipline that turns “reliable” into a measurable outcome – every customer‑impacting pattern gets traced, addressed, and prevented from recurring. UET Playbook Serve as the named owner of Shepherd’s UET playbook – define how errors are categorized, escalated, and closed across the company. Own its versioning, quality gates, and evolution as the operation grows. This playbook supports the system itself and lives permanently with this role. Identifying and Drafting New Plays When error patterns trace back to a specific functional playbook, identify the play that needs to exist and draft it. Route drafts to the Playbook Owner – the functional leader who is the named subject‑matter expert and decision‑maker for that playbook. They sign off and own adoption with their team. This role drives the cadence and the close date while influencing without taking ownership away. Training That Reinforces the Plays Partner with Playbook Owners to turn each Shepherd Standard into something teams can actually run – not just a document on the shelf. Build the training infrastructure – formats, cadence, materials – so adoption looks consistent across branches and is not dependent on each owner’s individual style. Co‑deliver when it strengthens the play, step back when the Playbook Owner is ready to lead. When a new play is drafted to address a recurring error pattern, training is part of that play’s definition of done. Manager Accountability Through Visible Data Build and maintain the structural data that makes manager performance against our playbooks visible. Trends per branch, per role, per playbook section roll up to leadership‑visible metrics. When a Playbook Owner does not engage with a documented gap after the target close date, the role escalates. The accountability mechanism is structural, not personal – the data tells the story, and this role makes sure leadership sees it. Coaching Managers on the Error Conversation Coach managers across all six branches on how to read UET data with their teams – how to lead a UET review meeting, how to talk about errors without blame, and how to use the data to develop people instead of punish them. This is coaching delivery, not curriculum design. What Success Looks Like First 30 days – spent time in every branch, met Playbook Owners, completed a full pass through Q1 UET data, and delivered a 90‑day plan with named priorities and target close dates. First 60 days – UET playbook v1 drafted and reviewed; at least two new plays drafted; training plans attached; branch managers have a defined cadence for reviewing UETs. First 90 days – UET playbook in active use across all six branches; leadership has clear visibility into error trends and closure loop maturity; measurable downward trend in repeat error patterns. Year One and beyond – tighten the loop, spot patterns that lead to systemic redesign, build the continuous improvement muscle of the entire company, and scale Operational Excellence. Qualifications & Requirements 5+ years of experience in operations, supply chain, process improvement, quality management, or a closely related field. Demonstrated track record of leading process improvement work where you had to influence people you did not directly manage. Strong analytical capability – comfortable working in data, identifying patterns, and translating findings into actionable recommendations. Excellent written and verbal communication – able to write an executive‑level one‑pager that is acted upon. Comfort with structured friction – hold peers and senior leaders accountable to commitments without making it personal. Bias toward action and follow‑through – do not let commitments drop. Strongly preferred experience in distribution, wholesale, or industrial supply. Experience with Eclipse ERP (or SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or comparable ERP). Experience with Power BI or comparable BI/visualization tools. Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement training. Experience designing or delivering operational training in partnership with subject‑matter experts – turning a process document into something a team can run. What This Role Is Not Does not own the functional playbooks themselves – functional leaders do. Does not own performance management decisions or disciplinary action – people managers do. Does not design leadership development, career growth programs, or product/vendor education – operational training is always tied to a specific Shepherd Standard and error pattern. Does not own Eclipse data infrastructure – our Business Process Optimizer does. The Shepherd Compass Vision – To be the first call for complex, time‑critical challenges. Mission – To deliver reliable, responsive, above‑and‑beyond execution. Values – Keep Our Promises – deliver consistently and anticipate challenges; reliability is our standard. Stay Hungry – remain curious and constantly look for smarter, better ways to serve. Grow Together – stay loyal to team members, customers, and suppliers to build trust and progress. Own It – take responsibility and follow through to build trust without excuses. Go Above & Beyond – it’s the heart of how we show up, pushing beyond minimum expectations. Why Join Shepherd Electric Supply Competitive compensation with opportunity for growth. Medical, dental, and life insurance. Prescription drug coverage. Paid vacation and personal time. 401(k) with employer match. Stable organization with over 130years of industry leadership. Culture where reliability is noticed, ownership is rewarded, and people come first. Work Shift and Hours Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm (or depending on business needs). Compensation Details Expected base salary: $125,000 annually. Equal Opportunity Employer Shepherd Electric Supply is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. #J-18808-Ljbffr