Company Name
Confidential
Search Job Title
SVP, Enterprise Operations
Client Profile
The client is a large, acquisitive organization operating a nationwide, branch-based model with more than 450 locations and a rapidly evolving distribution and fulfillment network. Over several years, growth through acquisition outpaced the organization’s ability to standardize field operations, resulting in fragmented processes, duplicated suppliers, and inconsistent execution across markets.
While the business continued to scale, operational maturity lagged. Field teams often developed initiatives locally, but adoption varied by region, limiting enterprise impact. As leadership consolidated regions and restructured the field organization, it became clear that the existing operating model would not support the company’s long-term growth ambitions as it moved toward a $10B enterprise.
The organization recognized that scaling successfully would require a senior leader dedicated entirely to enterprise strategy, field enablement, and national standards—someone who could move the company from independently operating regions toward a more aligned, cohesive operating model.
Role Objectives & Challenges
The primary objective was to create operational cohesion across a highly decentralized branch network while preserving the agility of the field. Leadership needed someone who could design initiatives at the enterprise level and ensure consistent execution across regions that had historically operated independently.
Key challenges included a lack of ownership over enterprise tools and initiatives, inconsistent adoption of best practices, and no centralized leader accountable for taking concepts from idea to pilot to national rollout. As the organization invested in new technologies like RF scanning, automated routing tools, rental solutions, and upgraded inside sales models, there was no clear owner responsible for development, piloting, and disciplined enterprise deployment.
The role also carried responsibility for multiple core functions impacting the field, including branch services, training, indirect sourcing, environmental health and safety, and asset protection. Longer term, leadership envisioned this position building out a formal process improvement and enablement function to support sustained growth and operational discipline.
Critically, the organization needed a leader who could operate beyond traditional supply chain boundaries and someone with real branch or store experience who understood how account managers, commission-based sellers, and field dynamics influence execution in practice.
Our Approach to Solve the Search
A nationwide search was executed with flexibility on location, guided by an assessment of where the most mature branch operating models existed in the market. Leveraging deep familiarity with enterprise field operations and large-scale transformation leadership, the search prioritized environments where candidates had already operated at significant scale and complexity, particularly within branch-based and retail-enabled models. As senior leaders were identified through this process, it became evident that the highest-impact talent available brought capabilities that extended well beyond the original scope of the role.
As the SCM Talent Group search team evaluated these candidates, they advised the client on the strategic implications of the talent being identified; specifically, that the organization was being presented with leadership capable of accelerating enterprise maturity, not simply filling an operational gap. Through this lens, the conversation shifted from “fit for role” to “fit for trajectory,” prompting a broader discussion around how to structure the role in a way that would allow the organization to secure and fully leverage exceptional leadership.
The Hire & Results
As the search progressed and senior-level candidates were introduced, it became clear that the original VP-level role understated both the scope of responsibility and the level of leadership required to drive enterprise transformation. Through ongoing market feedback, candidate evaluation, and consultation and advice from the SCM Talent Group team, the client gained a clearer understanding of the depth of talent available and the long-term implications of role design.
Rather than force a transformational candidate into a constrained mandate, leadership made the strategic decision to elevate the position from Vice President to Senior Vice President of Enterprise Operations. This adjustment ensured alignment between the caliber of the hire and the enterprise-wide impact expected of the role, while preserving the organization’s ability to attract and retain top-tier leadership.
The executive selected for the role brought more than two decades of experience leading enterprise-scale operations, transformation, and integration across highly complex, multi-branch environments. Her background included senior leadership roles overseeing large, geographically distributed field organizations, where she drove national standardization, operational enablement, and large-scale change initiatives. This combination of strategic leadership and hands-on field experience positioned her to immediately influence execution at scale while maintaining credibility with regional and branch leadership.
The role evolution reflected a broader advisory partnership that went beyond sourcing to include guidance on market realities, talent scarcity, and how organizational structure can either limit or unlock strategic outcomes. By aligning role scope with leadership capability, the organization secured an executive positioned not only to standardize operations, but to shape how the business scales in its next phase of growth.
