Manager - Operational Initiatives

Old Dominion Freight Line • Thomasville, NC

2d

About The Position

Are you someone who never rests on their laurels, always strives to go above and beyond, and is committed to keeping your PROMISES? Do you appreciate a company culture that is open, fosters work-life balance, and a dynamic team environment? Then Old Dominion is the home for you. We take pride in being the best in the industry, and from our humble beginnings we know that our People and our Family Spirit are the main ingredient in our secret sauce to success. At Old Dominion we are looking for individuals to join the OD Family that will provide innovative solutions and exceed expectations to keep OD the premier transportation solutions provider. The Operational Initiative Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing the process of governance for initiative management and oversite. The manager will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing complex, cross-functional operational initiatives that span fleet technology, electrification, hardware lifecycle management, and transportation systems. This role focuses on turning strategy into execution by aligning stakeholders, managing dependencies, and ensuring timely delivery of operational outcomes across engineering, operations, vendors, and IT partners. The position enables consistent project governance and execution in areas that are project-heavy but not centrally managed through IT. This role is critical to scaling and sustaining large, multi-phase operational initiatives across the network.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Technology, Operations, or related field)
• Required Experience: 10+ years of experience in project, program, or portfolio management roles
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives across operations, engineering, vendors, and IT teams
• Experience managing pilot programs, phased rollouts, and operational technology deployments
• Strong background in vendor management, stakeholder communication, and executive reporting
• Experience operating in environments without centralized PMO support
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives with competing priorities
• Strong working knowledge of project governance, risk management, and change management
• Experience with operational systems, infrastructure, or fleet-related technologies preferred
• Possesses a foundational understanding of business IT structure across a functional organization
• Strong background in program and project risk management
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills and clear, professional communication across a large and diverse team
• Maintains an outcomes-focused, service-oriented approach and builds alignment through influence, trust, and follow-through

Nice To Haves

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred
• Experience with operational systems, infrastructure, or fleet-related technologies preferred

Responsibilities

• Plan, manage, and execute cross-functional operational teams, including pilots, trials, and emerging transportation technologies
• Coordinate pilot programs and phased rollouts, ensuring readiness across equipment, drivers, facilities, logistics, vendors, and internal stakeholders
• Serve as the primary initiative coordination point for non-IT operational initiatives that require structured oversight, governance, and execution
• Lead planning, schedules, milestones, risks, and issue resolution across multiple concurrent initiatives
• Establish and facilitate recurring project cadence (weekly check-ins, status reviews, executive updates) to maintain alignment and momentum
• Manage vendor coordination and performance for operational technology, hardware deployments, and external solution providers
• Support project closeout activities, including hardware removal, system decommissioning, documentation, and lessons learned
• Represent Operations with IT partners to ensure integration, data readiness, initiative prioritization and handoffs
• Support evaluation and onboarding of new operational vendors and solutions
• Develop and maintain project documentation, dashboards, risk registers, and executive-level reporting
• Identify process gaps and optimization to improve execution efficiency and operational outcomes
• Provide change management support to operational teams impacted by new technologies, workflows, or systems

Benefits

• Great Health Benefits including a Zero premium medical plan for employee only coverage
• Vision & Dental
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Flex Spending Accounts
• 401k Retirement plan with company match and additional company annual discretionary match opportunity
• Life Insurance
• Wellness Program
• Tuition Reimbursement for Drivers and Technicians
• Training and growth opportunities to build a career
• Ability to advance through our promote from within philosophy
• National Career Opportunities Available at our 260+ service centers

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager