Operations Manager
Full-Time | Onsite | Santa Maria, CA
Signs of Success is looking for an Operations Manager to lead execution across our signage projects.
This is a hands-on, in-shop leadership role for someone who can connect design intent, construction requirements, fabrication, site conditions, and field installation. You will move work from sales or estimating handoff through design submittals, permitting, buyouts, production readiness, installation, punch, billing readiness, and closeout.
Our work requires practical construction judgment and technical problem-solving across design, engineering, fabrication, and installation. Projects involve active jobsites, existing buildings, access constraints, permitting requirements, engineered attachment details, and timelines that affect shop production and field work.
You will work across sales, estimating, design, project management, purchasing, permitting, production, installation, vendors, contractors, and ownership to keep priorities clear, risks visible, and projects moving.
What You'll Do
- Own post-sale execution from handoff through closeout
- Lead kickoff and risk reviews to identify scope gaps, permit needs, buyouts, production risks, and installation concerns early
- Set priorities based on deadlines, lead times, permits, install windows, manpower, and field constraints
- Partner with sales, estimating, and design/PM teams to clarify handoffs, scope questions, technical details, and risks
- Maintain visibility into design status, production readiness, materials, and shop priorities that affect deadlines
- Oversee buyout tracking, permit tracking, install coordination, project updates, and closeout follow-through
- Manage installation coordination including site readiness, crew planning, equipment, install packets, photos, and resets
- Track RFIs, change orders, punch items, and unresolved issues until assigned and moving
- Support hiring, onboarding, safety training, role clarity, performance follow-up, and process improvement for operational roles
What Makes You Successful
- You quickly see what needs attention first across many active projects
- You verify status instead of relying on vague updates
- You communicate clearly across departments, vendors, customers, contractors, and ownership
- You read plans, specs, schedules, and technical documents well enough to spot risks
- You understand how design, engineering, fabrication, field conditions, safety, and installation schedules affect each other
- You are professionally assertive, practical, organized, and calm under pressure
- You create accountability without unnecessary conflict and bring solutions when escalating problems
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in project-based operations, specialty construction, signage, architectural products, or field operations
- 3+ years of leadership responsibility for employees, coordinators, field teams, support staff, or project teams
- Experience managing workflows through purchasing, permitting, design coordination, production coordination, installation, punch, and closeout
- Ability to read plans, specifications, drawings, schedules, or technical documents
- Working knowledge of schedules, purchasing, lead times, vendors, change orders, RFIs, punch lists, closeout, and installation readiness
- Proven ability to establish expectations, hold people accountable, verify status, and drive follow-through
- Comfort with spreadsheets, cloud tools, project systems, and dashboards
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction Management, or a related discipline
- Experience in signage, specialty construction, custom fabrication, commercial interiors, millwork, manufacturing, or field service
- Experience with Smartsheet, Excel, QuickBooks, Bluebeam, Procore, permitting, buyouts, safety training, or safety tracking
Benefits: medical, dental, 401(k), PTO, paid holidays, and gym membership.