Director of Operational Excellence (Anchorage)
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE – Build the Systems Behind Our Success Cornerstone General Contractors | Boreal Equipment | Turnkey Property Solutions | Anchorage, Alaska Title & Level: Determined based on the selected candidate's experience, qualifications, and demonstrated capabilities . Reports to: President Location: Anchorage, Alaska preferred; hybrid considered for the right candidate On-Site Requirements: First 90 days in Anchorage, followed by a minimum of one full week per month on-site, plus travel to remote jobsites and operating locations as needed MORE THAN A LEADERSHIP ROLE. AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD THE STANDARD FOR HOW THREE COMPANIES WORK. Cornerstone General Contractors is a 100% Alaskan-owned general contractor, building since 1993, with approximately $130 million in annual revenue, offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, and projects across remote Alaska. Together with Boreal Equipment and Turnkey Property Solutions, we operate as a platform of three companies that share one way of working. You report directly to the President. You own the outcome and everything underneath it. WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS We're not building binders. The processes this role captures are what the company runs on, and increasingly what our systems and tools run on too. The written standard is how the whole company gets help, and that's why this seat exists. The person in it has to understand both how work actually gets done and how AI reads, drafts, and keeps a process current. WHAT YOU'LL DO (THE IMPACT YOU'LL HAVE) You own one thing: a documented, current, used standard for how Cornerstone, Boreal, and Turnkey work. Everything below is how you get there. This is not a quality control or quality assurance role. Field QC stays with our project teams. You're not inspecting the work; you're building and keeping the system the company runs on. 01 — Capture The Standard Sit with the people who know how the work actually gets done, in the office and on remote jobsites, and turn what's in their heads into documented processes with a named owner. Where offices do it differently, bring leadership a recommendation and get The Standard set. 02 — Own the Process System One system of record, document control, review cadence, and sign-off. Nothing becomes The Standard without going through it, and nothing stays The Standard past its review date. Governance informed by ISO 9001 document-control principles. 03 — Make It Get Used Roll out with department leaders, build the training, verify in the field.You're measured by what gets used, not by what gets written, and that number sits on the company scorecard. 04 — Run the Improvement Engine Lean, Six Sigma, and root-cause work on the three processes we consider proprietary: No GP Fade: Cost forecasts reviewed weekly. No Schedule Slippage No Unpaid Scope Cut waste, variation, and cycle time, and make the fix stick. WHAT DONE LOOKS LIKE IN YEAR ONE The processes that matter are written, owned, and inside their review date. The three proprietary processes run weekly off the documented standard. The scorecard number for this seat exists and you own it. HOW WE RUN One weekly leadership meeting with a scorecard, where every number has one owner and issues get solved, not carried. Quarterly priorities, set and reviewed. A written accountability chart, so nobody wonders who owns what. If you've run inside a system like that, you'll feel at home on day one. If you haven't, you'll learn it in your first quarter. WHAT YOU BRING We're looking for an experienced operational excellence leader who can turn informal working practices into reliable systems, and make those systems stick. Demonstrated success building standardized systems where processes were previously informal, inconsistent, or dependent on individual experts. You've built this in a growing company, not just maintained it in a large one. You know the difference between a process that helps people do the work and one that protects somebody from blame. Working knowledge of AI in practice: You've used it to capture, draft, and maintain documentation, and you know where it helps and where it makes things up. Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Quality, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent demonstrated experience accepted. 8 years of progressive experience in business process management, quality systems, operational excellence, industrial engineering, or operations. 5 years leading complex, cross-functional process improvement or organizational transformation initiatives. ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) with demonstrated practical application of Lean methodologies. Hands-on experience applying ISO 9001 principles to document control, process governance, approval workflows, and management of current operating standards. Proven experience capturing institutional knowledge, developing usable SOPs, and implementing processes that produce measurable results. Strong technical writing, facilitation, training, and change-management skills. You can earn the trust of a superintendent who's done it his way for twenty years. Proficiency with process-mapping, document-management, collaboration, and data-analysis tools. Ability to work in Anchorage for the initial 90 days, maintain the required monthly on-site presence, and travel to remote jobsites as needed. WHAT WILL HELP YOU STAND OUT Operational excellence experience in oil and gas, mining, industrial operations, logistics, manufacturing, or construction. Military operations, maintenance, quality assurance, supply-chain, or logistics experience with measurable process improvement results. Experience developing process management systems across multiple businesses, facilities, or geographically dispersed operations. ISO 9001 document-control or governance experience, or ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE). Experience implementing and sustaining standardized processes in growing organizations Construction industry experience is not required. We value proven operational excellence leadership, the ability to influence organizational change, and measurable results across complex business environments COMPENSATION • Competitive salary. $130,000 to $150,000 based on experience and capability • Up to 15% annual bonus tied to performance and company results Our philosophy is simple: People who create measurable improvements, strengthen organizational performance, and deliver lasting results should share in the success they help create. WHAT YOU GET (TOTAL REWARDS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER) Health & Wellness Full medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families. Benefits designed to provide meaningful long-term value, not just coverage on paper. Wellness-focused support that encourages balance and sustainability. Time & Flexibility Generous PTO that supports work-life balance and recovery. Paid holidays plus a company-wide break from Christmas through New Year’s. Paid volunteer time to support causes important to you. Your Future 401(k) with profit sharing of at least 3% or more, depending on company performance. Performance-based incentives aligned with company success. Opportunities for increased technical leadership and responsibility. Support for continued professional growth and development. Where We Go Beyond the Market Wellness stipend for real-life use. Referral bonuses plus additional PTO. Merit-based advancement driven by contribution, not tenure. Life-event support programs and a PTO donation program for team members during times of need. Our Culture We're building a team of people who take ownership, challenge inefficient practices, and believe that doing things better is everyone's responsibility. Performance matters and it's recognized and rewarded. Your contributions are measured by meaningful results, sustained improvements, and the value you create for the organization. You're trusted to challenge the status quo. We want people who ask questions, identify opportunities, and are willing to recommend better ways of working. You have real ownership over your outcomes. You're responsible for more than recommendations. You're expected to help implement solutions and verify that improvements last. Collaboration across teams is expected. Meaningful improvements come from worki
