Traveling Operations Startup Manager

Summit School Services companies share a strong commitment to provide the highest level of transportation safety, quality transportation, outstanding customer service and positive employee relations. Our corporate headquarters, located in Warrenville, Illinois, houses the administrative and corporate support functions for the organization. Our 250+ local customer service centers (CSCs) are supported by regional operations teams located throughout North America.

Position Summary

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.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

NEW BUSINESS STARTUPS

• 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.

SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION & TRAINING

• Lead setup, configuration, and onsite training for the following: 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.

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE SUPPORT

• 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.

LEADERSHIP, COACHING, & COLLABORATION

• 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.

SAFETY, COMPLIANCE, & BEST PRACTICES

• 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.

The compensation range is $85,000 - $125,000 annually.

Qualifications

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%)

Summit School Services has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with its policies and values, including sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. Summit School Services is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children and passengers.

We offer medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance coverage, holiday pay, and PTO accrual. Additionally, employees are able to enroll in a retirement savings plan.

At Summit School Services our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Summit School Services LLC’s independent subsidiaries and affiliates are an equal employment opportunity (EEO) employer

The pay rate range, along with most all of the other terms and conditions of employment, vary between different sites, geographical markets, customer/ contractual terms and positions.