Leadership Development Associate

Position: Leadership Development Associate Company: Columbia Safety Services, LLC Program Length: 12 months, followed by placement into an operating company leadership role Program Base: Seattle, WA Rotation Locations: Seattle and Spokane, WA; Albany and Newport, OR; Greater Boise, ID; plus new markets as they open Reports To: Vice President of Operations Employment Type: Full-time, salaried, non-exempt (overtime eligible) during the program year Bargaining Unit Status: Non-union Travel: Extensive, including extended stays at branch locations throughout the program year Relocation: Required at program completion, to the market where you are placed About Columbia Safety Services Columbia Safety Services is the parent company of a growing group of fire and life safety businesses across the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West: Columbia Fire, LLC Seattle, WAValley Fire Control, LLC Albany and Newport, OR + Spokane, WAFFF Protection Greater Boise, with an office in Nampa, ID Our companies design, install, inspect, and service fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, suppression systems, portable extinguishers, and the life safety equipment that protects people and property. We grow both organically and through acquisition, and we are building a formidable platform for the long term. Our core values guide how we operate: Customer First, Grit, Effective Communication, Own the Outcome, Take Pride in the Work, and Do the Right Thing. Why This Program Exists We grow by acquisition. Every company we acquire needs leaders who understand two things at once: how the trade actually works in the field, and how the business makes money. That combination is rare, and we cannot hire it off the open market in the numbers we need. So we are building it. This program takes people who have already proven they can lead, moves them through every function of the business for a year, and places them into a leadership seat in one of our markets. You will not be handed a team on day one. You will earn credibility with people who have been doing this work for twenty years, and the only way to do that is to do the work alongside them. What This Actually Looks Like Twelve months. Multiple offices. Every function. You will spend real time in the field wearing PPE pulling wire on a fire alarm installation, running inspections, servicing kitchen suppression systems, working alongside sprinkler fitters. You will sit with dispatch and service coordinators. You will follow project managers, designers, and estimators through live jobs. You will ride with salespeople on customer calls. You will spend time in accounting, billing, purchasing, and licensing. For a good portion of the year you will be the least knowledgeable person in the room. That is the point. The technicians and managers teaching you will decide fairly quickly whether you are serious. Show up early, ask real questions, and carry your own weight. Rotation Areas Field Operations Fire sprinkler installation and serviceFire alarm installation, service, and programmingInspection, testing, and maintenance across system typesSuppression systems and portable fire extinguishers Operations and Delivery Dispatch and service coordinationProject managementDesign and estimatingPurchasing and material managementSafety Commercial Sales and customer relationshipsProposal and bid developmentInspection and service agreement growth Business and Back Office Accounting, billing, and collectionsLicensing and complianceRecruiting and onboardingReporting and business systems Executive Exposure and Special Assignments You will report to the Vice President of Operations and meet regularly with the Columbia Safety Services executive team. Throughout the year you will be given assignments that go beyond learning: market analysis, acquisition diligence support, process build-out, margin and pricing review, and operational problems that need a fresh set of eyes. These are real deliverables presented to real decision-makers. How you handle them will shape where you land. What Comes Next The purpose of this program is to place you into a leadership role at the end of it. Late in the program year you will tell us which market you want to build your career in, and we will work toward a leadership position in that location. The level depends on your performance, the needs of the business, and what seats are open. It may be a division or department leadership role. In the right circumstances it could be more. We will be straightforward with you: this program is a substantial investment on our part, and no specific title or position is guaranteed at the end of it. Employment remains at-will. What we commit to is a serious year of development, honest feedback throughout, and every intention of placing you in leadership if you earn it.