Director of Strategy & Operations

About the role

You will own the end to end strategy and execution for a major West Coast portfolio as a regional leader accountable for both performance and people. This role requires you to manage Field Operations Managers initially and then rapidly expand your scope to oversee General Managers and Operations Managers across a complex market set. You will be responsible for setting the regional operating strategy and ensuring safe, reliable, and high-quality service across a large, fast-growing, and increasingly complex book of business. The West region is currently in high-growth mode, launching new markets, expanding existing contracts, and standing up new service types which demands a seasoned operator capable of leading through scale and ambiguity. You will develop strong frontline leaders while partnering effectively with transit agency stakeholders, commercial teams, and Via central functions to align on priorities.

What you'll do

Drive regional leadership and people management by coaching your team, setting clear expectations, and establishing a consistent regional operating rhythm that reinforces accountability. Build leadership depth within the region through targeted hiring, promotion, and performance management of regional talent to ensure bench strength. Foster a culture that prioritizes safety, compliance, operational excellence, and partner trust across every market you oversee. Take ownership of regional P&L outcomes in close partnership with Finance and market General Managers, focusing on revenue hours and rides, cost per ride, labor productivity, and margin improvement. Set regional targets and be accountable to KPIs including service reliability, on-time performance, seat availability, safety, driver staffing, vehicle readiness, and customer experience. Drive root-cause problem solving on underperforming markets and escalate risks early with clear mitigation plans to stakeholders and central teams. Partner on annual and quarterly operating plans, staffing models, and scenario planning for growth to align resources with strategic priorities. Represent Operations as a senior counterpart in regional strategy discussions with Commercial, Service Design, Product, and Partner Success to ensure alignment on new service types and operating models. Prioritize resources across markets during launch surges, staffing constraints, and partner-critical periods to maintain service continuity and meet commitments. Serve as the senior operational counterpart to agency leadership on high-stakes markets, building trust through transparent performance reporting and proactive communication. Navigate complex regulatory and contractual environments while influencing technology and process adoption to improve regional efficiency and visibility. Contribute to company-wide ops priorities and cross-functional initiatives, ensuring that capacity aligns with growth and the overall product roadmap.

Requirements

You must have proven experience in an operational leadership role, ideally with P&L responsibility and a track record of developing and executing business strategies successfully. Demonstrate the ability to lead high-growth or transformation environments by scaling teams, launching new lines of business, or integrating acquisitions and service expansions. Show excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling you to work with and influence stakeholders at all levels including transit agencies, commercial teams, and central functions. Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, refusing to accept the status quo and consistently seeking creative solutions to complex operational challenges. Exhibit strong comfort working in a fast-paced environment, operating effectively in ambiguity, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, and taking on broad responsibility without direct supervision. Bring operational fluency across people-intensive, regulated, 24/7 businesses with comfort in labor planning, safety culture, and compliance to ensure reliable service delivery. Hold a Bachelor's Degree with a record of exceptional academic and professional achievement that supports your capacity to execute at this level. Have a minimum of 10+ years of experience, ideally combining consulting and operating backgrounds to navigate both strategic and tactical demands.

Nice to have

There are no specific preferred items listed in the source beyond the core requirements and day to day responsibilities.