Operations Program Manager

VVater•Austin, TX

28d•Onsite

About The Position

The Operations Program Manager is the planning and execution engine of VVater's Operations organization. Reporting to the Director of Operations, this role builds the plans, schedules, systems, and coordination necessary to translate strategy and vision into executable and measurable work. The individual will take large goals and turn them into project plans with owners, dependencies, and dates, build Gantt charts and dashboards, and run cross-functional coordination between manufacturing, field ops, engineering, procurement, and O&M. This role also involves building lightweight tools and automations to improve operational efficiency, tracking metrics, and identifying problems before they escalate. The purpose of this role is to bring rigorous planning, systems, data, and coordination to a fast-scaling Operations organization, providing the structure and tooling to achieve measurable results. It is a partnership seat where success is measured by the increased accomplishments of the entire Operations organization.

Requirements

5+ years in operations program management, project management, production planning, manufacturing operations, or a similar structured operations role.
Demonstrated mastery of project planning and scheduling (Microsoft Project, Gantt charts, or equivalent) with a track record of keeping complex projects on time.
Strong data and reporting skills (Power BI, advanced Excel, or equivalent); you can turn operational data into clear dashboards and insights.
Software and technical fluency; comfortable learning and configuring tools, and able to build lightweight internal tools or automations, including vibe-coding with modern AI.
Hands-on fluency with AI tools (Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, or equivalents).
Experience in manufacturing, hardware, industrial, construction, energy, or field services operations.
Familiarity with ERP and MRP systems, work-management platforms, and manufacturing or field-service software.
PMP, CAPM, CPIM, Lean, or Six Sigma certification.
Experience supporting both factory/production operations and field operations or O&M.
Real examples of internal tools, dashboards, automations, or apps you have personally built.
Water, wastewater, or utility industry exposure.
Proven cross-functional coordination experience; you have kept multiple teams aligned and moving.
Exceptional organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
Strong written and verbal communication.
Comfort with ambiguity and rapid change; ability to work independently and build your own structure.
Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, supply chain, business, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

This role is demanding and not a 9-to-5; requires comfort with ambiguity and rapid change, and the ability to work independently and build structure.
The right person is energized by a fast pace rather than drained by it.
If you need rigid, predictable hours and fully defined work, this is not your seat.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain project plans, schedules, and Gantt charts for all major operations initiatives across manufacturing, field deployment, and O&M, including critical path, dependencies, milestones, resource conflicts, and recovery plans.
Define scope, milestones, dependencies, owners, and timelines; track progress and drive accountability to dates.
Manage multiple concurrent programs and projects, keeping all of them visible and on track.
Anticipate bottlenecks, resource conflicts, and schedule risks, and resolve them before they become problems.
Run planning tools such as Microsoft Project, or equivalent modern project and work-management platforms.
Coordinate across manufacturing, field operations, engineering, procurement, quality, and O&M to keep work flowing.
Run the operating cadence, including production and project standups, status reviews, and cross-team syncs.
Serve as the connective tissue that keeps every team aligned on priorities, timelines, and hand-offs.
Translate the Director of Operations' vision and priorities into concrete, assigned, tracked actions.
Build and maintain operations dashboards and reporting across production output, project status, KPIs, utilization, and performance metrics.
Use Power BI, Excel, or equivalent tools to turn raw operational data into clear, actionable visibility for leadership.
Establish and track the metrics that matter across manufacturing, field ops, and O&M.
Provide the Director of Operations and executive team with accurate, real-time operational reporting.
Build internal tools, trackers, and automations that make the operations organization faster and more efficient.
Vibe-code internal applications, automations, dashboards, forms, and workflows when a fast build beats a slow manual process or an expensive vendor tool.
Use modern AI tools (Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Grok, and others) to accelerate planning, documentation, analysis, and coordination.
Own and improve the operations technology stack in coordination with IT, including work-management, ERP, scheduling, and reporting tools. Operations-side power user/administrator, not just familiarity.
Document processes, build SOPs, and create the operating infrastructure that lets the organization scale.
Jump in wherever the operation needs an extra set of capable hands; this is a high-versatility role.
Support procurement, logistics, and materials coordination as needed to keep production and field work moving.
Prepare operational documentation, reports, and presentations for internal and customer-facing use.
Take ownership of ad-hoc operational projects and see them through to completion.