Director of Operations

Range Energy•Mountain View, CA

6d•$225,000 - $265,000

About The Position

About Range Energy Range Energy builds powered trailers that help electrify heavy-duty trucking without requiring fleets to replace their tractors. We solve real-world problems with real hardware. We move fast, take ownership, and hold a high bar for execution. We value people who are low ego and team-first, calm under pressure, direct and respectful communicators, willing to roll up their sleeves, and focused on solutions, not drama. We operate with high integrity. We do what we say weâll do, weâre transparent about risks and tradeoffs, and we build trust through consistent follow-through. The work is hands-on. Sometimes messy. Often fast. Always meaningful. Founded in 2021, Range is led by experienced EV operators from Tesla, Zoox, Honda, and other leading OEMs. We are backed by strong investors and focused on building hardware that fleets will actually use. If you like building real things, solving hard problems, and working with low drama, high output teammates, you will fit here. Role Summary As the Director of Operations, you will own the end-to-end process/systems and day-to-day execution that keep Range running: shop and vehicle operations, facilities, EHS/safety, IT, people operations execution, vendor management, procurement/logistics, and manufacturing readiness. Youâll enable the company to build, test, and deploy hardware quickly and safelyâwithout chaos. This is a âplayer/coachâ role: youâll lead an operations team while staying close enough to the work to unblock issues in real time. Team / scope (current + planned): IT, People Experience, Vehicle Operations, Shop/Technicians, and Manufacturing Engineering/Industrialization (as that function ramps).

Requirements

10+ years of operations leadership in a hands-on environment (hardware, automotive/EV, robotics, industrial, fleet, manufacturing, or similar), including building/owning systems end-to-end.
Experience leading multi-function teams (facilities/shop, logistics, vendor management, IT/business systems, or closely related scope).
Demonstrated ability to operate as a player/coachâcomfortable in the details, strong at delegation, and decisive under pressure.
Strong vendor/contract negotiation and budget management skills.
Track record of building simple, scalable processes in high-ambiguity, fast-moving environments.
Clear, direct communication and high ownership; low ego and team-first mindset consistent with Rangeâs operating values

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting prototype â pilot â production transitions (industrialization, documentation, quality gates, change control).
Familiarity with EHS practices in shop/test environments (training, incident response, corrective actions).
Heavy-duty trucking, fleet operations, or field deployment experience.
Experience implementing lightweight inventory systems and/or ERP/MRP tooling appropriate to stage.
Prior startup experience (Series A/B stage) where speed and pragmatism matter.

Responsibilities

Lead the Operations org
Lead, develop, and retain a high-output operations team across: IT, People Experience (execution), Vehicle Ops, Shop/Technicians, and Manufacturing Engineering/Industrialization.
Create clear ownership, operating cadence, priorities, and simple systems that scale as Range grows.
Hire and ramp key roles; set expectations and hold a high bar for execution.
Run site operations, facilities, and safety (EHS)
Own HQ operations: facilities, shop readiness, security/access, maintenance, vendor contracts, and day-to-day office + shop operations.
Establish/own EHS programs: training, incident reporting, audits, corrective actions, and practical safety practices that work in a fast hardware environment.
Ensure compliance with required permits, inspections, waste handling, and site policies (as applicable).
Own vehicle operations, testing support, and field readiness
Run vehicle/trailer operations: maintenance scheduling, service relationships, parts/tools readiness, and operational uptime.
Plan and execute logistics for testing and customer/demo deployments (transportation, site readiness, spares, documentation).
Build repeatable playbooks for âbring-up,â test days, customer pilots, and rapid response to issues in the field.
Materials coordination, inventory, and vendor execution (non-strategic)
Partner with Engineering/Programs and the Supply Chain/Procurement owner to ensure parts, tools, and services are available for build, test, and deploymentsâflagging shortages/lead-time risks early and helping drive mitigations.
Manage day-to-day operational purchasing and service vendors for site/shop needs (facilities, shop supplies and consumables, tooling, freight/logistics) within established budgets and policies.
Run lightweight inventory and material-flow processes (receiving, tracking, kitting, cycle counts) to improve visibility and reduce downtime.
Manufacturing readiness & industrialization (as Range scales)
Partner with Engineering to translate prototypes into repeatable builds: work instructions, tooling, quality gates, change control, and line readiness.
Support contract manufacturer selection/management (if applicable), production planning inputs, and ramp execution.
Stand up pragmatic quality/ops systems appropriate to the next phase (FAI/PPAP-like rigor as needed; documentation that actually gets used).
IT and business systems
Ensure reliable, secure IT: device provisioning, networking, SaaS tooling, access management, and day-to-day support with clear service levels.
Improve security hygiene and operational resilience (backups, access controls, endpoint management) without slowing the team down.
People operations execution (in partnership with People Experience)
Ensure onboarding/offboarding runs smoothly (access, equipment, space, training).
Support consistent, fair operating policies (travel, expenses, facilities/shop rules) and keep the team productive and aligned.