Director of Installation

Kion Group AG; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 188,000; Full time

Job summary

KION Group AG, through its Dematic and related brands, seeks a Director of Installation to lead the Modifications & Upgrades function across North America. The role drives safe, on-time, on-budget execution of complex warehouse automation projects and partners with PM, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Customer Service to deliver exceptional outcomes.

The position requires 10+ years in installation/field operations leadership and 5+ years of leading dispersed teams, with a Bachelor's

Qualifications

• Experience leading installation and field operations in industrial settings.
• 10+ years in installation/field operations leadership.
• 5+ years leading managers across dispersed teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, or related field.
• PMP, OSHA, Lean, Six Sigma desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of installation activities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Ensure installation work meets schedules, budgets, safety, and quality standards.
• Lead planning, resource allocation, and subcontractor utilization.
• Drive safety performance and near-miss reporting.

Skills

Leadership

Safety culture

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Advanced degree

PMP/Lean Six Sigma

Job description

The Director, Installation leads the Installation function for the Modifications & Upgrades (M&U) business within Lifecycle Solutions & Services (LSS). This role is responsible for the safe, efficient, and profitable execution of field installation activities across a large portfolio of warehouse automation and material handling projects throughout North America. The Director provides leadership for a geographically dispersed team of Installation Managers, Site Managers, and installation professionals responsible for delivering customer projects that include equipment upgrades, system expansions, controls modernization, retrofits, capacity enhancements, and complete system replacements. The role ensures projects are executed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with quality and customer satisfaction objectives. This position serves as a key member of the LSS leadership team and partners closely with Project Management, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Customer Service organizations to deliver successful customer outcomes and achieve business objectives. This role reports directly to the Vice President Mods & Upgrades

We offer: Career Development Competitive Compensation and Benefits Pay Transparency Global Opportunities Learn More Here: https://www.dematic.com/en-us/about/careers/what-we-offer/ Dematic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The base pay range for this role is estimated to be $150,400-$188,000 at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined by various factors such as work location, education, experience, knowledge, and skills.

Tasks and Qualifications:

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of Installation Managers and field leaders.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear performance expectations and support employee development, succession planning, and talent retention.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and workforce capability development.

Installation Execution

• Provide strategic oversight of installation activities across multiple concurrent customer projects.
• Ensure installation work is completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets, safety requirements, and quality standards.
• Monitor project execution metrics and drive corrective actions when required.
• Lead installation planning, resource allocation, labor forecasting, and subcontractor utilization.

Safety Leadership

• Champion a safety-first culture throughout all job sites.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, OSHA regulations, and applicable local standards.
• Lead safety performance reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive near-miss reporting, corrective actions, and proactive risk mitigation.

Financial Performance

• Manage installation labor budgets, productivity targets, and project financial performance.
• Drive effective labor utilization and cost control strategies.
• Partner with Project Management to improve forecasting accuracy, cost-to-complete visibility, and overall project profitability.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, and business planning activities.

Customer Satisfaction

• Act as the executive escalation point for installation-related customer issues.
• Build strong relationships with customer stakeholders and site leadership teams.
• Ensure successful project cutovers and minimize disruption to customer operations.
• Drive customer satisfaction and operational excellence across all projects.

Operational Excellence

• Standardize installation processes, tools, reporting, and best practices across the organization.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, productivity, quality, and customer outcomes.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for installation operations.
• Leverage lessons learned and field feedback to improve future project execution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Service organizations to ensure successful project delivery.
• Support sales and estimating teams during project development and customer pursuits.
• Participate in strategic business planning and organizational initiatives.
• Provide installation expertise for project reviews, risk assessments, and executive decision-making.

Required

• Experience executing complex automation, material handling, warehouse, manufacturing, or industrial installation projects.

Preferred

• Experience with automated warehouse, fulfillment, distribution center, or material handling systems.

Required

• Experience managing subcontractors and union/non-union labor environments.
• 10+ years of experience leading installation, construction, project execution, field operations, or industrial services organizations.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing managers and geographically dispersed teams.

Required

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, Business, or related field.

Preferred

• Advanced degree in Engineering, Business, or Operations Management.
• PMP, OSHA, Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent certifications.

KION brands keep the world moving – globally, regionally, and locally. KION is the Supply Chain Solutions Company. With over 42,000 employees in more than 100 countries, we enable smart, sustainable, and reliable supply chains worldwide - wherever goods are stored, moved, or delivered. KION offers its customers the full spectrum of solutions to make their supply chains future-ready. Our international brands, Linde Material Handling, STILL, and Baoli and our regional brands, Fenwick and OM, stand for outstanding technological innovation, intelligent automation and service excellence in forklift trucks and warehouse equipment. Dematic complements this expertise with state-of-the-art automation technology and AI-supported software solutions that optimize intralogistics across warehousing, production, and distribution. Whether locally or globally – we offer exciting career opportunities in an innovative environment shaped by our core values: Integrity, Collaboration, Courage, and Excellence. Together, we create the magic of supply chain solutions. Join our team – Push it forward.