Senior Director of Operational Excellence

Description

Title: Senior Director of Operational Excellence

Department: Operational Excellence

Location: Houston, TX

Supervisor: SVP, Operational Excellence

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Status: Permanent; Full-Time

Work Status (Remote/Hybrid/In-Office): Hybrid

Company Overview

Hanwha Qcells USA Corp (Qcells USA), headquartered in Houston, TX, specializes in providing utility-scale modules, solar photovoltaic (PV), and battery energy storage systems (BESS) project development, along with Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services for solar and BESS projects nationwide. Qcells USA delivers comprehensive turnkey solutions encompassing the entire utility‑scale project lifecycle. By choosing Qcells USA for turnkey solutions, customers can reduce uncertainty and risk, leading to enhanced investment returns and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Qcells USA’s complete turnkey solutions seamlessly integrate the expertise of our Module, Development, and EPC teams, while ensuring close coordination with other vital internal groups such as Project Finance, Systems Integration, and Legal. This collaborative approach ensures that Qcells USA projects deliver exceptional value and performance. With several multi‑billion‑dollar investments, Qcells is pioneering the establishment of the only complete module supply chain in the U.S., including the expansion of our Georgia module manufacturing facility, which stands as the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

As an integral part of the global Qcells brand, Qcells USA benefits from a legacy of excellence in photovoltaic manufacturing. Qcells is renowned worldwide for its high‑performance, superior‑quality solar cells and modules. With dual headquarters in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ), Qcells operates under the umbrella of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 company and one of the top 8 business conglomerates in South Korea.

Summary

The Sr. Director of Operational Excellence is responsible for overseeing the creation and management of an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) performance management operating system for large‑scale solar PV and storage utility projects. This position will work closely across all functions within the organization to ensure standards are identified, measured, and audited against benchmarks, and reportable to executive leadership. The position will own the operating system in which the company monitors, measures, and continuously improves Key Performance Indicators. This role partners with executive leadership to align operational performance metrics with organizational strategy and drives enterprise‑wide accountability for operational results. The position reports to the SVP, Operational Excellence, or another management personnel that the CEO of the Company may designate. This position is hybrid with a preference for candidates located in or near Houston, TX. Working hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm or 9:00 am to 6:00 pm CST. This position is expected to travel up to 50 %.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Essential Job Function & Responsibilities

• Own (create/maintain) standard operating procedures for the office of the COO (Operations division)
• Oversee the creation, implementation, and governance of the Operational Excellence operating system that identifies organization‑wide performance standards, measures, and audits against those standards, and develops performance dashboards.
• Own project level performance management – both content and cadence
• Prepare and deliver organizational performance updates as identified to senior leaders across the organization.
• Identify critical organizational performance issues and risk exposure and recommend corrective actions.
• Lead cross‑functional improvement initiatives
• Provide subject matter expertise across the business to increase productivity, efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, Accounting or related field required.
• 12 years of experience in construction, including 7 years in a leadership role.
• 5 years of experience in Solar industry with utility scale PV/PV plus Storage.
• Project Controls experience highly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of EPC construction standards and metrics.
• Proficiency in but not limited to Procore, Primavera P6, Bluebeam, HCSS, Salesforce and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to create and present executive‑level dashboards and reports.
• Ability to work on your own in a fast‑paced, professional, team environment with minimal supervision.
• Capable of managing and leading a team to set priorities and expectations.
• Ability to travel to corporate offices and job sites up to 50 % of the time.

Examples of Physical Demands

• Stationary Position: frequently remains stationary up to 90 % of the time and sitting up to 8 hours in a day.
• Move/Traverse: infrequently bend, stand, stoop and/or walk.
• Carry Weight: infrequently carry weight and/or lift objects (light to heavy) weighing up to 10 pounds.
• Hearing and Speech: frequently communicates with the ability to hear and talk on a regular basis with employees, coworkers, and all personnel matters; must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Sight: frequent use of sight to detect images on computer, office documents, and office objects near and far.
• Climb: occasionally ascends/descends on stairway to get to office upper and lower floors.

Examples of Work Environment

• Regular professional, office business setting.
• Noise level ranges from low to moderate (if in office setting).
• Noise level ranges from moderate to high (if on construction worksite).
• Under the Office Mobilization Plan (OMP) policy, the role may transition to an onsite or hybrid arrangement, as determined by business needs and the Head of Department.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Hanwha Qcells is proud to be an at‑will Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. 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.

Legal Notice

It is important to note that the job descriptions provided by Qcells USA Corp are not intended to be comprehensive lists of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the positions. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice, reflecting our dynamic and evolving work environment.

Accommodations

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Hanwha Qcells will provide reasonable accommodations to all qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodations at

Acceptance Statement

Nothing in this statement shall imply implicitly or explicitly a guarantee of employment outside our at‑will employment opportunity.

I hereby, accept and acknowledge this job description as my own and am committing to these responsibilities and required qualifications.

Employee Signature Date

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