Director of Operations

Beacon Mobility•Chicago, IL

28d•$120,000 - $135,000

About The Position

The Director of Operations is a senior operational leader accountable for safe, reliable, and financially disciplined execution across Alltown’ s transportation contracts. This role serves as the critical link between Beacon Mobility strategy and frontline execution—driving consistent contract performance, developing strong Operations Managers, and ensuring Alltown delivers a high-quality rider and customer experience across multiple districts and operating environments. Partnering closely with the Vice President of Operations, the Director of Operations is responsible for strengthening operating discipline, accelerating adoption of Beacon Mobility tools (including Beacon Connect), improving safety and KPI performance, and maintaining Alltown’ s people-first, community-focused culture while operating in both union and non-union environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Transportation Management, or related field, or equivalent experience.
7–10 years of progressive operations leadership experience in transportation, logistics, or other regulated, people-intensive environments.
Demonstrated success leading multi-site or contract-based operations.
Strong working knowledge of transportation safety, compliance, labor, and workforce management.
Proven ability to analyze operational and financial data and drive measurable performance improvement.
Excellent leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to travel 65% of the time to multiple Alltown locations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in transportation or similar regulated service environments.
Experience operating in union and non-union settings.
Familiarity with dispatch systems, scheduling tools, KPI dashboards, and technology-enabled operations.
Experience supporting change management and system adoption across multiple locations.

Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Contract Performance
Provide direct leadership and accountability for contract- and location-based operations, ensuring safety, service, compliance, and financial expectations are consistently met or exceeded.
Lead, coach, and support Operations Managers responsible for daily execution of school transportation services across multiple districts.
Translate Beacon Mobility standards, company strategy, and operational priorities into clear expectations, operating rhythms, and measurable outcomes.
Establish consistent communication cadences, performance reviews, and escalation pathways across all locations.
Actively manage and improve core KPIs, including:
On-time performance
Beacon Connect adoption and utilization
Labor as a percentage of revenue
Cost per mile
Vehicle availability and route efficiency Safety, Compliance & Risk Management
Champion a safety-first culture where safety is embedded into daily decisions, leadership expectations, and frontline behaviors.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and contractual requirements governing school transportation.
Oversee incident review processes, corrective action plans, safety audits, and driver and manager training programs.
Partner with Safety and Maintenance leaders to reduce risk scores, improve coaching effectiveness, and strengthen accountability at the location level.
Fleet Management & Asset Optimization
Partner closely with Maintenance and Safety teams to align fleet availability, reliability, and readiness with service demand.
Monitor fleet utilization, downtime, and cost per mile, identifying opportunities to improve asset efficiency and reduce service disruptions.
Support vehicle lifecycle planning, replacement strategies, and facility practices that balance safety, reliability, and long-term cost effectiveness.
Ensure fleet and facility operations align with Beacon Mobility standards.
Financial & Performance Management
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 and locations.
Drive accountability for staffing models, overtime control, scheduling efficiency, and productivity.
Partner with Finance and the Vice President of Operations on forecasting, variance analysis, and performance improvement initiatives.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead, coach, and develop a team of Operations Managers accountable for contract performance and people leadership.
Build leadership capability through structured feedback, performance management, and development planning.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and consistency aligned with Beacon Mobility values.
Reinforce clear ownership, follow-through, and disciplined execution across all teams.
Customer & Contract Relationships
Maintain strong working relationships with school districts, agencies, and municipal partners.
Proactively address service issues, contract requirements, and customer concerns with urgency, professionalism, and empathy.
Support contract retention by ensuring operational execution aligns with customer commitments and expectations.
Represent Alltown in customer meetings, audits, and operational reviews as required.
Innovation, Technology & Change Management
Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance service delivery, efficiency, and employee experience.
Drive change management and adoption of Beacon Mobility platforms, with a strong focus on Beacon Connect as the system of record for dispatch, communication, and reporting.
Ensure managers and teams use data, dashboards, and standardized reports as part of daily and weekly operating routines.
Promote simple, clear communication so processes are understood and consistently followed by drivers, dispatchers, and frontline leaders.