Operations Director - Commercial Cleaning #0912

Our client, a growing janitorial and maintenance services company, is searching for an Operations Director to step in as the senior operational leader across their full account portfolio. This individual will be tasked with driving accountability throughout the management team, overseeing daily operations, and helping guide the business through its next phase of growth.

The position is pivotal in establishing consistent reporting structures and systems, reducing the CEO's operational involvement, and upholding financial discipline alongside service excellence across every account. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Operations Director will hold operational authority over both Field Managers and Area Managers.

Key Responsibilities

Manager Accountability & Leadership Enforcement

• Provide coaching, deliver corrective feedback, and escalate underperformance through the proper channels.
• Chair weekly operational review sessions with Field and Area Managers.
• Embed a clearly defined reporting structure and a culture of accountability throughout the team.
• Build out and oversee performance improvement plans wherever they are warranted.
• Hold managers to deadlines and accuracy standards on required R/Y/G status reports.

Operational Execution & Oversight

• Hold Field Managers and Area Managers to the expected site visit cadence.
• Confirm that every account adheres to company policies, established best practices, and safety standards.
• Take full ownership of daily operations across the company's entire portfolio of client accounts.
• Carry out periodic unannounced site inspections to safeguard quality benchmarks.
• Keep weekly staffing coverage at or above the 98% threshold.
• Resolve client escalations within a 24 to 48 hour window.

Financial Discipline & Margin Protection

• Confirm that invoicing is accurate and goes out on schedule.
• Build out and review company-wide operational budgets; sign off on expenditures within set authority limits and track budget performance at both the project and account level.
• Examine weekly labor and overtime reports spanning the full operation.
• Hold overtime within the agreed-upon ceilings and get ahead of any variances.
• Keep every project and account running inside its budget envelope, with a sharp eye on labor efficiency, supply spending, and project-level margins.
• Track receivables and flag payment concerns to the CEO.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Keep documentation audit-ready at all times.
• Confirm that wage classifications and staffing assignments are properly aligned across each site.
• Produce all required documentation, including accident, incident, damage, and inspection reports.
• Submit LWO/LCP filings accurately and on time for every applicable account.
• Hold every location to OSHA standards and on-site safety requirements.

Client Relations, Business Development & Government Contracting

• Provide oversight on new account set-up and onboarding when called upon.
• Build goodwill by consistently demonstrating a service-first, solutions-oriented mindset with every client.
• Cultivate and sustain strong working relationships with government contracting clients, with a clear grasp of the compliance, reporting, and relationship-management nuances of public sector work.
• Back up Area Managers in nurturing client relationships and resolving issues quickly across the portfolio.
• Apply a solid grounding in business development to fuel company growth — surfacing new market openings, contributing to proposals and bids, and helping broaden the client base.
• Champion bid growth initiatives by reviewing site visit notes, labor and scope estimates, and actively scouting opportunities to grow the account base.
• Position the company to win new government contracts by making sure operational readiness, compliance paperwork, and service delivery clear public sector benchmarks.

CEO Dependency Reduction

A central aim of this role is to take the operational load off the CEO by setting up well-defined management authority, decision-making frameworks, and escalation protocols. Progress will be tracked by a measurable drop in CEO involvement in staffing issues and client escalations, with operational decision-making authority residing firmly with the Operations Director. The benchmark is a 40% reduction in CEO operational involvement inside the first six months.

Requirements

• Leadership: A track record of managing other managers and driving accountability across multiple locations.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, or a related discipline; comparable experience will be considered.
• Compliance: Working familiarity with LWO/LCP requirements, OSHA standards, and labor law compliance preferred.
• Experience: At least 5–7 years of progressive operations management experience, ideally within facilities services, janitorial, or multi-site service environments.
• Government Contracting & Business Development: Prior experience with government contracting clients preferred; comfort with public sector compliance, reporting, and relationship-management expectations; working knowledge of business development principles together with bid and proposal workflows.
• Financial Acumen: Hands-on experience with labor cost control, project budget oversight, margin protection, invoicing, and company-wide financial reporting.
• Technology: Confident with Microsoft Office; prior exposure to operational reporting or database tools.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Self-driven, with the discipline to launch and finish projects without close supervision.
• Sharp independent judgment and a steady hand in decision-making.
• A strong leadership presence and a consistent ability to hold managers and teams to standard.
• Discretion in handling confidential company and client information.
• Highly organized, with strong time-management skills and a sharp eye for detail.
• Clear, concise communicator in both writing and conversation.
• Comfortable juggling multiple priorities across several client sites at once.
• Physically capable of conducting site visits, traveling between locations, and standing for extended periods; lifting up to 50 lbs may be required.

Benefits

Base Salary: $100k - $110k per year

Benefits included (To be discussed in interview)

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