Director, Operational Excellence

sunbeltrentals; Fort Mill (SC); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunbelt Rentals is hiring a Director, Operational Excellence to lead our Operational Excellence function, driving performance, growth, and customer experience through identification, piloting, and scaling of high-impact initiatives across 1,400+ locations. This builder's role combines strategic thinking, execution, and field credibility under the VP, Operational Excellence.

You'll lead a small senior team, translate new technology into practical field tools, and partner with senior operations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, plus 10-15 years of progressive experience in operations, operational excellence, strategy, or project/portfolio management within a multi-site or geographically distributed business.
• Demonstrated track record of turning financial/operational data into business cases that moved the needle on real performance metrics across multiple locations or markets.
• Experience designing, piloting, and scaling operating model changes across a multi-site network - cost reduction, logistics/service redesign, shared services, or process re-engineering.
• Comfort operating at both altitudes: building the analytical case for change and getting into the field to build the solution yourself.

Responsibilities

• Partner with operations leadership across the organization to surface and prioritize the biggest operational opportunities - logistics performance, service and maintenance performance, process gaps and other high impact opportunities.
• Drive measurable improvements in productivity, asset utilization, customer experience, and profitability through operational initiatives and operating model enhancements.
• Personally lead the scoping, design, and in-market piloting of top initiatives, iterating rapidly on field feedback before scaling - this is hands-on work, not just oversight.
• Partner closely with local and regional operations leadership to ensure solutions are practical, scalable, and grounded in real-world, on-the-ground realities.
• Quantify operational and financial impact, developing clear, fact-based recommendations that support executive decision-making.
• Act as an early, hands-on evaluator of new technology and platforms, shaping rollout and change management plans so new tools and processes get adoption from operations team.
• Own the initiative pipeline end-to-end, from prioritization through handoff to enterprise execution teams, staying engaged as initiatives scale.
• Lead, coach, and grow a small, high-caliber team, including managers who bring direct, hands-on operating experience into the group.

Skills

Operational excellence

Strategic thinking

Portfolio management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Description Summary

Position Objective:

Sunbelt Rentals is hiring a Director, Operational Excellence to lead our Operational Excellence function, driving operational performance, growth, and customer experience through the identification, piloting, and scaling of high-impact operational initiatives across our multi-site North American network. This is a builder's role: you and a small, senior team (Analysts and field-facing Managers) will scan the landscape across 1,400+ locations, get into branches and markets, design and run pilots hands-on, and package validated playbooks for enterprise-wide rollout. Success in this role requires equal parts strategic thinking, operational execution, and field credibility. You'll also be a key translator of new technology and new ways of working into operational reality the field can actually use - reporting directly to the VP, Operational Excellence and working daily with senior operating leadership.

You’ll have a unique opportunity to influence how Sunbelt operates at scale - helping shape the future of field operations, service delivery, logistics, and technology adoption across more than 1,400 locations, while partnering directly with senior leadership on some of the company's most important strategic priorities.

Position Responsibilities

• Partner with operations leadership across the organization to surface and prioritize the biggest operational opportunities - logistics performance, service and maintenance performance, process gaps and other high impact opportunities.
• Drive measurable improvements in productivity, asset utilization, customer experience, and profitability through operational initiatives and operating model enhancements.
• Personally lead the scoping, design, and in-market piloting of top initiatives, iterating rapidly on field feedback before scaling - this is hands-on work, not just oversight.
• Partner closely with local and regional operations leadership to ensure solutions are practical, scalable, and grounded in real-world, on-the-ground realities.
• Quantify operational and financial impact, developing clear, fact-based recommendations that support executive decision-making.
• Act as an early, hands-on evaluator of new technology and platforms, shaping rollout and change management plans so new tools and processes get adoption from operations team.
• Own the initiative pipeline end-to-end, from prioritization through handoff to enterprise execution teams, staying engaged as initiatives scale.
• Lead, coach, and grow a small, high-caliber team, including managers who bring direct, hands-on operating experience into the group.

Requirements

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, plus 10-15 years of progressive experience in operations, operational excellence, strategy, or project/portfolio management within a multi-site or geographically distributed business.
• A demonstrated track record of turning financial/operational data into business cases that moved the needle on real performance metrics across multiple locations or markets.
• Experience designing, piloting, and scaling operating model changes across a multi-site network - cost reduction, logistics/service redesign, shared services, or process re-engineering.
• Comfort operating at both altitudes: building the analytical case for change and getting into the field to build the solution yourself.

Preferred :

• Background in equipment rental, industrial distribution, implementation / turn-around consulting, logistics, field service, construction services, or another multi-site, asset-intensive operating environment.
• Experience leading large-scale operational transformations or business performance improvement programs across a distributed network of locations.
• Leadership experience overseeing multiple locations, a district, or a region, with direct accountability for multi-site performance.
• A career path that combines early strategic or advisory experience with a subsequent move into direct operating or field leadership roles.
• Experience driving adoption of new technolo