Branch Manager (Startup Branch)
Company: Advanced Commercial Electronic Systems Location: Multiple openings — Utah, Idaho, and Washington State (specific market to be assigned) Reports To: Owner
Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Company Overview
Advanced Commercial Electronic Systems (ACES) has spent 20 years building a reputation as a trusted provider of life safety systems, specializing in the inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) of fire alarm and related commercial systems. We serve commercial clients who depend on us to keep their properties safe and code-compliant, and our longevity in this industry reflects a commitment to reliability, technical excellence, and doing things the right way. We are now expanding into new markets across Utah, Idaho, and Washington State, and are looking for the right people to build that presence from the ground up in each location.
Our mission is to execute quality installations and service that exceed customer expectations, while executing lean manufacturing principles in an associate-driven, safe environment.
Position Summary
This is a ground-floor opportunity to build a new ACES branch from scratch. The Branch Manager will start as the sole person on the ground in the new market — responsible for establishing the business locally, generating and servicing the branch's first customers, and personally handling the work (technical, administrative, and sales) until the branch has enough volume to justify additional hires. Over time, this person will grow the branch into a fully staffed operation and transition into a true leadership role overseeing technicians and support staff they've helped bring on.
This role is best suited for someone entrepreneurial and self-motivated — comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, wearing every hat required, and building something rather than stepping into an existing structure. Early on, expect this to be a hands-on, individual-contributor role that gradually shifts toward management as the branch grows.
While this role requires independent judgment and initiative to get a branch off the ground, the Branch Manager is expected to operate within ACES's established mission statement, procedures, and quality standards at all times. This is not a role for reinventing how ACES does business — it's a role for extending the company's proven model, reputation, and way of doing things into a new market.
Key Responsibilities
Phase 1: Establish the Branch
- Set up branch operations from the ground up: local processes, vendor relationships, licensing, and compliance requirements for the new market
- Personally perform or oversee fire alarm/life safety inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) work for early customers
- Build the branch's customer base through direct outreach, networking, and relationship-building with property managers, facility managers, and other referral sources
- Represent ACES professionally and establish the company's reputation in a new market
- Handle day-to-day administrative tasks (scheduling, invoicing, purchasing, reporting) until support staff are added
- Report regularly to ownership on progress, pipeline, and branch performance
Phase 2: Grow the Branch
- Identify when and where to bring on additional technicians or support staff as workload grows
- Recruit, hire, onboard, and train new branch personnel
- Begin delegating field and administrative work while maintaining oversight of quality and compliance
- Continue driving new business development and deepening existing customer relationships
Phase 3: Lead the Branch
- Supervise and develop a growing team of field technicians and support staff
- Ensure all work meets code requirements, industry standards (e.g., NFPA), and ACES quality standards
- Own branch profitability: budgeting, job costing, and financial performance
- Maintain and expand customer relationships and local market presence
- Build a branch culture consistent with ACES's reputation for reliability and technical excellence
Qualifications
Required:
- Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable building something from nothing with minimal oversight
- Experience in fire/life safety, low voltage, or a related trade/technical field (hands-on technical ability required in the early stages of this role)
- Strong self-management, organization, and follow-through
- Comfortable and effective at business development — this person will be generating their own early customers
- Excellent communication skills; ability to represent the company well to customers and the local business community
- Willingness to personally perform hands-on technical and administrative work in the early phase, before the branch is staffed up
- Ability and willingness to operate consistently within ACES's established mission, values, and procedures, even while working independently
- Valid driver's license
Preferred:
- NICET certification or relevant fire alarm/life safety licensing
- Prior experience starting a business, branch, or territory from scratch
- Existing relationships or network within the target market
- Prior supervisory or management experience (will become essential as the branch grows)
Core Competencies
- Ownership mentality — treats the branch like their own business
- Resourcefulness and resilience in the early, ground-floor phase
- Strong technical credibility with customers
- Ability to shift from individual contributor to people leader as the branch scales
- Commitment to safety, quality, and code compliance
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary: $60,000 – $120,000 DOE — compensation is directly tied to branch performance, with earning potential increasing as the branch grows
- Full benefits package
Pay: $60,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
