Director of Operations

Beacon Mobility•Chicago, IL

5d•$130,000 - $140,000

About The Position

The Director of Operations is a senior operational leader responsible for driving safe, reliable, and efficient execution across SCR Medical Transportation’s paratransit and special needs school transportation contracts. This role serves as the primary connector between strategy and frontline execution—leading contract-level performance, developing operational leaders, and ensuring SCR consistently delivers a high-quality rider and customer experience. The Director of Operations partners closely with the Vice President of Operations to implement Beacon Mobility standards, strengthen operating discipline, and preserve SCR’s people-first, community-focused culture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Transportation Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
7–10 years of progressive operations leadership experience in transportation, logistics, or other regulated service environments.
Demonstrated success leading contract-based, people-intensive operations.
Strong knowledge of transportation safety, regulatory, and labor best practices.
Proven ability to analyze operational and financial data and drive measurable improvement.
Excellent leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in paratransit and/or special needs school transportation.
Experience operating within a multi-brand or growth-oriented organization.
Familiarity with transportation management systems (TMS), scheduling tools, and KPI dashboards.
Exposure to technology-enabled or analytics-driven operational improvement initiatives.
Ability to travel to work out of both the Chicago & Batavia locations.

Responsibilities

Provide direct leadership and accountability for contract-based operations, ensuring each contract meets or exceeds performance, safety, compliance, and financial expectations.
Lead and support Project Managers and Operations Managers responsible for paratransit and special needs school transportation services.
Translate company strategy, Beacon values, and operational priorities into clear expectations and measurable outcomes across all contracts.
Establish consistent operating rhythms, communication cadences, and escalation pathways across contracts.
Monitor and actively manage core performance indicators, including: o Transit on-time performance o Beacon Connect adoption o Labor as a percentage of revenue o Cost per mile o Vehicle availability and route efficiency
Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring safety is embedded in daily decision-making at all levels.
Ensure full compliance with federal, state, local, and contractual requirements governing paratransit and school transportation.
Oversee incident review processes, corrective action plans, safety audits, and ongoing training efforts.
Partner with maintenance, safety, and compliance teams to reduce risk and improve fleet reliability.
Partner closely with Maintenance and Safety leaders to ensure fleet availability, reliability, and readiness align with service demand and contractual requirements.
Monitor fleet availability, utilization, and cost per mile, collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities to reduce downtime, control operating costs, and improve asset efficiency.
Support vehicle lifecycle planning and replacement strategies, ensuring asset decisions balance reliability, safety, and long-term cost effectiveness.
Ensure fleet and facility practices support safe, compliant, and efficient operations and align with Beacon Mobility standards.
Support annual operating plans and budgets, balancing fiscal discipline with service reliability and employee engagement.
Analyze operational and financial data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities across contracts.
Drive accountability for staffing models, overtime control, scheduling efficiency, and productivity.
Collaborate with finance and the Vice President of Operations on forecasting, variance analysis, and performance improvement initiatives.
Lead, coach, and develop a team of Project Managers and Operations Managers accountable for contract performance.
Build leadership capability through structured feedback, performance management, and development planning.
Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable culture aligned with Beacon Mobility’s values
Reinforce clear communication, ownership, and consistency across teams.
Maintain strong working relationships with agencies, school districts, and municipal partners.
Proactively address service issues, contract requirements, and customer concerns with empathy and urgency.
Support contract retention by ensuring operational execution aligns with customer expectations and commitments.
Represent SCR in customer meetings, audits, and operational reviews as needed.
Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance service delivery, efficiency, and employee experience.
Change management execution across Beacon Mobility tools and platforms, including Beacon Connect and related systems.
Leverage data, standardized processes, and technology-enabled insights to improve dispatch efficiency, workforce utilization, and operational visibility.
Promote simple, clear communication so processes are well understood by drivers, dispatchers, and frontline leaders.