Director of Operations

BEST - For A Cleaner World•Toronto, ON

4d•CA$140,000 - CA$160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Best Service Pros is seeking an exceptional, results-proven operations leader to take full P&L ownership of a major national contract: janitorial and facilities services for Pearson International Airport Terminal 3 —one of the highest-traffic facilities in Canada. This is a high-impact leadership role requiring a hands-on operator with a proven ability to strengthen teams, elevate service standards, and drive contract performance. Success in this role requires balancing labour productivity improvements with sustained service quality and client satisfaction outcomes. If you have a track record of transforming facility operations and thrive under clear accountability, this role was designed for you.

Requirements

Minimum 7 years of progressive operations management experience in janitorial services, facilities management, or building services.
Demonstrated track record of leading a measurable operational turnaround — a contract, region, or business unit that was underperforming and was successfully recovered under your direct leadership. Be prepared to speak specifically to what you found, what you changed, and the results you achieved.
Experience directly managing large, multi-shift, hourly workforces of 100+ employees.
Full P&L ownership experience on contracts or operations of $5M+ in annual revenue.
Experience managing and strengthening complex institutional client relationships under pressure.
Experience operating within a unionized labour environment.
Advanced labour scheduling and workforce planning — able to build and optimize shift coverage models for 200+ employees across 3 shifts.
SOP design and process documentation — can build a complete, operational cleaning program from the ground up.
Financial literacy — comfortable building and defending a P&L, tracking cost-per-hour, and identifying labour and supply cost variances.
Ability to analyze operational performance data, identify trends, and make evidence-based decisions to improve service delivery and profitability.
KPI design and performance reporting — can define meaningful metrics, build reporting frameworks, and present results to a demanding client.
Talent assessment — proven ability to objectively evaluate existing leaders, make difficult personnel decisions, and recruit replacements quickly.
Turnaround Mindset: Decisive and action-oriented. Able to quickly assess what is broken, prioritize the highest-leverage fixes, and execute without waiting for perfect information.
Accountability-Driven: Relentless about standards, timelines, and follow-through — does not accept excuses or blame external factors.
Calm Under Pressure: Comfortable making difficult personnel decisions calmly and with empathy — holds people to standards while treating them with respect.
Relationship Builder: Builds trust with both front-line staff and institutional clients through consistency, follow-through, and transparent communication.
Self-Directed: Capable of operating effectively with limited direct oversight from remote senior leadership.
Detail Meets Strategy: Organized and detail-oriented at the operational level while maintaining clear line-of-sight to strategic goals.

Nice To Haves

Airport, transit hub, convention centre, or similarly high-traffic public venue operations experience.
Familiarity with quality management and task verification platforms used in facility services (e.g., Smart Inspect, Otuvy, Lighthouse, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

Execute a structured 90–120 day turnaround plan targeting measurable improvements in passenger satisfaction scores, task frequency verification, and labour productivity improvements.
Conduct a full operational assessment within the first 2 weeks: staffing levels, shift design, routing, task frequency, and productivity benchmarks.
Design and implement efficient, scalable cleaning routines and SOPs for all terminal areas including gates, washrooms, food courts, retail corridors, and public spaces.
Drive labour efficiency through disciplined scheduling, routing optimization, and accountability-driven performance management to bring operations in line with budget targets.
Participate in CBA bargaining.
Take full P&L ownership for the T3 contract with a mandate to achieve financial performance targets within a defined timeline.
Build and manage labour budgets, supply costs, and overtime controls; report weekly financial performance against targets.
Identify and close gaps in labour productivity, scheduling efficiency, and materials management.
Provide regular financial and operational reporting to the COO with clear variance analysis and forward-looking corrective plans.
Serve as the primary point of contact and relationship owner with the Pearson Airport Authority client team.
Develop a formal KPI performance roadmap and present it to the client within the first 30 days, with monthly progress reviews.
Proactively identify and resolve service deficiencies before they become client escalations.
Build credibility and trust with a demanding institutional client by delivering on commitments, communicating transparently, and demonstrating consistent improvement.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with complex stakeholder environments involving multiple client groups, contractors, regulatory bodies, and operational partners.
Conduct a rapid, objective assessment of the existing site management team and make clear, decisive recommendations on personnel.
Recruit, onboard, and develop high-performing shift managers and supervisors.
Establish non-negotiable performance standards, clear role expectations, and a culture where accountability is the norm — not the exception.
Build consistent pre-shift briefings, supervisor accountability check-ins, and end-of-shift performance reviews into daily operations.
Coach managers on workforce planning, employee performance management, and client service delivery.
Design and implement SOPs covering all cleaning tasks, frequencies, quality standards, and escalation protocols.
Implement or optimize task verification systems (digital or manual) to generate defensible evidence of service delivery for client reporting.
Ensure full compliance with airport authority requirements, health and safety regulations, and corporate standards.
Leverage workforce scheduling tools and quality management platforms to drive visibility and accountability across all shifts.