Director of Expansion

Via•New York, NY

3h•$180,000 - $220,000

About The Position

Via is using technology to transform public transportation around the world. From changing a single person’s daily commute to reducing humanity’s collective environmental footprint — we’ve got huge goals. Via is hiring a Director of Expansion to lead part of our North American launch pipeline. This is a significant leadership role: you will start out by directly managing a launch portfolio and a team of Launch Managers. You will sit at the intersection of operational strategy and execution, launching a growing pipeline of new, complex services across markets. For each launch, you and your team lead a transit network transformation; taking full ownership of the technology and operational transition, service performance, partner relationships, and a 30+ person frontline team of local managers, operations staff, and drivers. You will be building new operational systems from the ground up, not just managing existing ones. The decisions you make here will shape how the market runs for years. This is a unique leadership opportunity for anyone who is eager to lead a high performing team and launch high-stakes, high-visibility, and high-impact new markets at Via. The role is excellent for a generalist looking for a leadership role in strategy, operations and product/technology. This role requires a willingness to travel up to 25% of the time.

Requirements

Proven experience in a leadership role and a minimum 10+ years of experience, ideally with a combination of consulting and operating experience
An operator’s mindset, balancing high-level strategy with hands-on execution, readily diving into the weeds to unblock complex launch bottlenecks
Track record leading high-growth or transformation environments—scaling teams, launching new lines of business, or integrating acquisitions/service expansions
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, capable of working with and influencing stakeholders at all levels
Analytical and problem-solving skills, you don’t accept the status quo and are always looking for creative solutions
Strong comfort working in a fast paced environment, operating in ambiguity, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, and taking on responsibility
Hold a Bachelor’s Degree with a record of exceptional academic and professional achievement

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop a team set clear expectations, cadence, and accountability
Build leadership depth: hire, promote, and performance-manage talent
Foster a culture of success, operational excellence, and partner trust across the expansion team
Own a portfolio of new launches, ensuring each service is launched on time meeting partner expectations and internal KPIs
Provide strategic oversight on launch quality, ensuring KPIs spanning on-time performance, rider satisfaction, safety and cost efficiency
Define processes to continuously improve technology implementation and operational launches
Serve as a senior operational counterpart to agency leadership on high-stakes launches
Build trust through thoughtful change management, transparent performance reporting, proactive communication, and credible remediation when service misses occur
Navigate complex regulatory and contractual environments
Partner with Operational, Commercial, Legal, Product and Finance teams to ensure high-quality execution of launch portfolio
Provide guidance on product roadmap priorities based on launch and front-line observations