Traveling Operations Startup Manager

National Express•Warrenville, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Operations Startup Manager is responsible for leading the successful launch of new school bus business locations and supporting underperforming locations across the network. This role serves as a subject-matter expert in operational startup execution, core operating systems, and KPI-driven performance improvement. The position requires extensive travel and close collaboration with local leadership to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, transportation, or a related field, or equivalent operational leadership experience
3+ years of leadership experience in transportation, operations, or multi-site environments
Demonstrated experience leading operational startups, turnarounds, or performance improvement initiatives
Respond appropriately to unanticipated events to ensure excellence in customer service
Practice sound analytical and problem solving skills to expeditiously identify, analyze and resolve emergent issues
Investigate claims and incidents of questionable conduct, accidents, etc.
Display effective oral and written communication skills to promote quality services to internal and external stakeholders.
High comfort level with travel (90%)

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate the end-to-end startup of new businesses on location, ensuring operational readiness prior to service launch.
Partner with local and regional leadership to establish staffing plans, workflows, and operational processes aligned with company standards.
Serve as the primary onsite support during startup phases, identifying risks and resolving issues in real time.
Ensure new locations are properly onboarded to company systems, policies, and operating procedures.
Lead setup, configuration, and onsite training for dispatch, timekeeping, payroll, onboard safety systems, automatic vehicle location, maintenance systems, etc.
Act as a subject-matter expert for these platforms, providing hands-on coaching and reinforcement of best practices.
Troubleshoot system adoption challenges and ensure effective utilization by local teams.
Share knowledge and embed standard processes across locations, consistent with best practices.
Provide targeted support to locations that are underperforming against key operational and financial KPIs.
Partner with local leadership to diagnose root causes of performance gaps, develop written action plans with clear, measurable goals, and establish timelines and accountability for improvement.
Monitor progress against action plans and adjust as needed to drive sustained improvement.
Report on agreed-upon KPIs and performance outcomes.
Act as a coach and mentor to local leadership teams during startups and performance recovery efforts.
Promote consistent application of company values, safety expectations, and operational standards.
Support change management by encouraging engagement, ownership, and accountability at the location level.
Maintain strong working relationships with Operations, Safety, Maintenance, HR, and Corporate support teams.
Reinforce compliance with all safety, regulatory, contractual, and company policy requirements during startups and ongoing support engagements.
Identify operational or safety risks and ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly.
Participate in audits or reviews as required to verify compliance and operational readiness.