Head of Operations

Position Overview

The Head of Operations is responsible for translating organizational vision and strategic priorities into actionable plans, measurable outcomes, and consistent operational execution. This role serves as the primary link between executive leadership and day-to-day operations, ensuring that business objectives are translated into clear procedures, team responsibilities, performance expectations, and sustainable systems.

This is a senior leadership position requiring demonstrated experience managing multi-layered teams, including managers, supervisors, trainers, team leads, and operational coordinators. The successful candidate will bring structure, accountability, and operational discipline to a growing organization while ensuring that initiatives are executed efficiently, accurately, and on schedule.

Working closely with executive leadership, the Head of Operations will establish execution plans, prioritize resources, monitor performance, and drive cross-functional alignment. The role requires someone who can balance attention to detail with a broader strategic perspective, identify operational trends, and implement proactive solutions that improve service quality, productivity, and scalability.

Experience with the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is strongly preferred, particularly for candidates familiar with the Integrator role, Level 10 meetings, Rocks, Scorecards, and the Vision/Traction Organizer. The ideal candidate is a proactive, data-driven leader who builds effective systems, develops people, and takes ownership of operational results from planning through completion.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and oversee a multi-layered operations organization consisting of managers, supervisors, trainers, team leads, dispatch coordinators, and other operational personnel.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, reporting structures, and performance expectations across the operations team.
• Hold team leaders accountable for operational performance, productivity, service quality, and adherence to established procedures.
• Develop leadership capabilities within the organization through coaching, mentoring, performance management, and professional development.
• Participate in recruitment and hiring decisions to ensure the organization attracts individuals who align with its culture, values, and operational requirements.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and ownership at every level of the organization.
• Ensure that operational teams consistently meet established service-level requirements and quality standards.

2. Strategic Execution and Initiative Management

• Translate executive leadership's vision, strategic objectives, and organizational priorities into detailed, actionable execution plans.
• Define project owners, milestones, timelines, dependencies, resource requirements, and measurable success criteria for key initiatives.
• Establish and maintain an operating cadence that includes regular progress reviews, status reporting, and accountability checkpoints.
• Track initiatives from planning through implementation, ensuring deliverables are completed fully, accurately, and on schedule.
• Identify execution gaps, competing priorities, resource constraints, and potential risks before they affect business outcomes.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to secure alignment and commitment before launching major initiatives.
• Constructively challenge priorities when necessary, using operational data and resource considerations to support recommendations.
• Ensure that new projects and requests do not unnecessarily disrupt existing commitments or compromise critical operational objectives.
• Maintain visibility into organizational priorities and ensure that leadership decisions translate into measurable progress.

3. Training, Documentation, and Knowledge Management

• Evaluate and improve training programs to support consistent onboarding, employee development, and operational scalability.
• Develop standardized training materials, operating procedures, reference guides, and knowledge management resources.
• Establish systems for maintaining current documentation as processes, technologies, and business requirements evolve.
• Improve knowledge retention and procedural adherence through structured training, reinforcement, and performance monitoring.
• Partner with department leaders to identify recurring knowledge gaps and implement targeted training initiatives.
• Create scalable learning processes that reduce dependency on individual employees and improve organizational continuity.
• Establish mechanisms for reviewing, updating, and distributing operational procedures to ensure employees have access to accurate information.
• Measure training effectiveness through operational performance, quality reviews, employee readiness, and adherence to established standards.

4. Data-Driven Decision-Making and Performance Management

• Develop and maintain operational dashboards, performance reports, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Analyze operational data to identify trends, inefficiencies, capacity constraints, and opportunities for improvement.
• Use data to guide staffing decisions, resource allocation, workload distribution, and service-level planning.
• Implement forecasting models to anticipate activity volumes, determine staffing requirements, and prepare for fluctuations in demand.
• Evaluate opportunities to apply artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and predictive analytics to improve operational planning and efficiency.
• Establish clear performance benchmarks and reporting processes that support accountability across the organization.
• Identify operational areas that rely excessively on reactive problem-solving and implement systems that promote proactive planning.
• Present data-backed recommendations to executive leadership regarding operational performance, risks, staffing, and improvement opportunities.
• Balance detailed performance analysis with a broader understanding of organizational objectives and long-term operational needs.

5. Systems, Technology, and Process Improvement

• Evaluate existing operational systems, workflows, and tools to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Collaborate with software developers and technical teams to communicate operational requirements, submit feature requests, and define business use cases.
• Translate frontline operational challenges into clear technical requirements and practical system improvements.
• Champion technology adoption, automation, and process standardization to simplify workflows and improve employee effectiveness.
• Ensure that new tools and system enhancements support operational quality, ease of use, training effectiveness, and business objectives.
• Participate in testing, implementation, and continuous improvement of internal software and technology solutions.
• Monitor the effectiveness of implemented changes and adjust processes as necessary to achieve intended results.
• Encourage innovation while maintaining appropriate controls, documentation, and operational consistency.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration and Executive Partnership

• Serve as the primary operational partner to executive leadership, translating strategic direction into execution plans and measurable results.
• Maintain alignment between operations and other departments regarding priorities, resource needs, timelines, and business objectives.
• Communicate operational performance, emerging risks, staffing requirements, and implementation progress to senior management.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments to resolve bottlenecks, improve workflows, and support organizational initiatives.
• Provide constructive feedback and challenge assumptions when operational data indicates that priorities, timelines, or resource allocations require adjustment.
• Ensure that decisions are communicated clearly and translated into practical actions across the organization.
• Support executive leadership in evaluating operational trade-offs, managing competing priorities, and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Serve as a designated escalation point for significant operational issues requiring senior-level coordination or decision-making.

7. 24/7 Operations and Critical Incident Management

• Oversee operational readiness in a 24/7 or otherwise mission-critical environment, ensuring appropriate coverage, escalation procedures, and continuity plans are in place.
• Establish processes for managing urgent operational issues, service interruptions, staffing gaps, and other time-sensitive incidents.
• Serve as a secondary escalation point for critical situations requiring executive awareness or intervention.
• Develop and maintain contingency plans to minimize service disruptions and protect operational continuity.
• Coordinate incident response and recovery efforts across relevant departments.
• Conduct post-incident reviews to identify root causes, corrective actions, and opportunities to strengthen operational resilience.
• Ensure that staffing plans, communication protocols, and escalation procedures support consistent service delivery outside standard business hours.

8. Budget Management and Workforce Planning

• Develop, manage, and monitor the operations department budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and expenditures remain aligned with business objectives.
• Forecast staffing requirements based on anticipated workloads, service-level expectations, business growth, and new client commitments.
• Lead workforce planning and pre-hiring initiatives to ensure teams are appropriately staffed ahead of new contracts, expanded services, or increased demand.
• Evaluate staffing models, productivity trends, overtime, and resource utilization to identify opportunities for cost optimization.
• Partner with finance and executive leadership on budgeting, financial forecasting, and operational planning.
• Assess the financial and operational implications of proposed initiatives, staffing changes, and technology investments.
• Establish processes for monitoring labor costs, departmental expenses, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure that cost management efforts do not compromise service quality, compliance, or customer satisfaction.

9. Compliance, Quality Assurance, and Reporting

• Participate in compliance meetings, operational reviews, audits, and internal assessments as required.
• Ensure required operational and compliance reports are accurate, complete, and submitted within established deadlines.
• Establish clear ownership and accountability for compliance-related activities, whether performed directly or delegated to appropriate team members.
• Maintain procedures and documentation that support adherence to applicable policies, contractual requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Identify operational risks, documentation gaps, and process deficiencies, implementing corrective actions when necessary.
• Collaborate with relevant departments to strengthen quality assurance, reporting accuracy, and internal controls.
• Monitor compliance-related action items through completion and ensure appropriate follow-up.

Required Qualifications

• Significant experience in operations leadership, with responsibility for managing managers, supervisors, and multi-layered operational teams.
• Demonstrated success translating executive-level strategy into actionable plans and measurable operational outcomes.
• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives from planning through implementation while managing timelines, dependencies, and competing priorities.
• Experience establishing operational processes, performance metrics, accountability systems, and structured management routines.
• Strong background in workforce planning, staffing optimization, performance management, and resource allocation.
• Demonstrated experience building or improving training programs, standard operating procedures, and knowledge management systems.
• Experience using operational data and performance indicators to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing departmental budgets and forecasting operational requirements.
• Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with frontline employees, department leaders, and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining attention to detail and accountability for results.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, resolve cross-functional challenges, and drive execution without relying solely on formal authority.
• Comfort operating in dynamic environments where priorities evolve and operational continuity is critical.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing or operating within the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
• Familiarity with the EOS Integrator role, Level 10 meetings, Rocks, Scorecards, and the Vision/Traction Organizer.
• Experience in 24/7 operations, field services, dispatch, call centers, customer support, or other mission-critical operational environments.
• Experience applying AI tools, predictive analytics, or data modeling to forecast demand and optimize staffing levels.
• Experience working with custom-built operational software and collaborating with development teams on system enhancements.
• Demonstrated success scaling operational teams, standardizing processes, and improving organizational capacity during periods of growth.
• Experience developing proactive operating models that reduce reactive problem-solving and improve service consistency.
• Familiarity with compliance reporting, quality assurance processes, operational audits, and business continuity planning.
• Experience supporting organizational growth through new client launches, contract expansions, or entry into new markets.