Area Operations Manager

Position: Area Operations Manager
Department: Operations
Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Reports To: Vice President, Operations
Direct Reports: Student Transportation Operations Manager(s)

Position Summary
The Area Operations Manager is a senior, multi-site leader accountable for the overall performance of assigned student transportation contracts and operating locations, including safety, service delivery, financial performance, compliance, employee engagement, customer relationships, and strategic growth.

Through direct leadership of Student Transportation Operations Managers (STOMs) and other operational leaders, this position translates organizational priorities into consistent execution, develops leadership capability, drives accountability and continuous improvement, and removes barriers to performance. The Area Manager serves as a key operational partner to senior leadership, school districts, and cross-functional teams, ensuring safe, reliable, compliant, and financially responsible transportation services while identifying opportunities to strengthen and grow the business.

Key Areas of Impact
Multi-Site Operational Leadership & Operational Excellence: Lead STOMs and other operational leaders across assigned contracts and locations, setting expectations, monitoring performance, removing barriers, and driving consistent execution while reinforcing location-level ownership and accountability. You have authority, within established company policies and approval limits, to direct assigned operational leaders, establish corrective-action requirements, coordinate area resources, make operational decisions, and escalate staffing, financial, safety, fleet, customer, or contractual matters requiring senior leadership approval. Your leadership creates consistent, efficient operations and stronger performance across locations.

Safety Leadership & Regulatory Compliance: Champion student and employee safety and ensure operations meet applicable regulatory, contractual, and company requirements. Oversee safety performance, significant incidents, findings, documentation, training, and corrective actions to promote safer operations, reduce organizational risk, and sustain compliance. Leadership, Talent Development & Employee Engagement: Develop capable, accountable leaders
through coaching, clear expectations, feedback, recognition, and performance management. Partner with Human Resources on staffing, workforce planning, development, succession, engagement, and retention to strengthen leadership capability, employee experience, accountability, and retention.

Service Reliability & Workforce Readiness: Maintain visibility into staffing, route coverage, fleet availability, training readiness, and other factors affecting contracted service. Anticipate risks, hold location leaders accountable for solutions, and coordinate resources to support reliable service, workforce readiness, and operational continuity.

Customer & Community Partnership: Build trusted relationships with school districts and other customers, ensuring service commitments, reporting requirements, and concerns are addressed effectively. Maintain appropriate visibility with district, school board, and community stakeholders to strengthen customer confidence, relationships, and contract retention.

Financial Stewardship & Business Performance: Drive area and location-level financial performance through oversight of site-specific P&L results, budgets, payroll, operating plans, variances, and contractual obligations. Use financial and operational data to drive action, responsible resource utilization, and sustainable business performance.

Strategic Growth & Business Development: Support business-development efforts by identifying opportunities to expand services and strengthen existing and neighboring customer relationships. Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to evaluate opportunities based on customer needs, operational capacity, and financial viability, supporting sustainable revenue growth and market presence.

New Contract Implementation, Service Expansions and Startup Support: Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to plan and execute the startup of new contracts and operating locations. Coordinate operational readiness activities, including leadership coverage, staffing, training, fleet, facilities, routing, customer communication, compliance, and launch support, to ensure a safe and successful transition into ongoing operations.

Continuous Improvement, Technology & Change Leadership: Use operational data, technology, and frontline insight to improve processes, standardize effective practices, and strengthen performance. Promote effective use and adoption of operational systems and lead changes that improve efficiency, consistency, visibility, and overall operational effectiveness. Incident, Risk & Performance Oversight: Provide senior oversight of significant incidents, customer
escalations, regulatory findings, operational disruptions, and material performance concerns. Ensure risks are addressed, stakeholders are engaged, corrective actions are completed, and recurring issues are resolved at the appropriate level to reduce risk and strengthen organizational accountability.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Organizational Alignment: Partner with Human Resources, Safety, Finance, Maintenance, Training, and other functions to align priorities, resources, and organizational initiatives. Communicate operational needs and risks to senior leadership and translate company decisions into effective execution across locations, strengthening coordination and organizational alignment.

Accountability, Communication & Results: Model ownership, sound judgment, professionalism, adaptability, and follow-through while communicating effectively with employees, leaders, customers, and external stakeholders. Make timely decisions and maintain focus amid competing priorities and changing demands to create clarity, reinforce accountability, and deliver consistent results.

The Work Environment, Physical Demands, and Travel
Your work is conducted in office and transportation operations environments and requires regular presence at assigned locations. The role involves working at a computer, participating in meetings, and moving throughout offices, transportation facilities, parking areas, fleet yards, and garages, with occasional exposure to varying weather conditions, vehicle traffic, noise, fumes, stairs, and uneven surfaces. Regular travel, up to 80% of the time, throughout Kansas and/or Missouri, including occasional overnight travel, is required, along with flexibility to respond to operational needs outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

High school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible student transportation or comparable operations experience, including at least three (3) years in an operational leadership or supervisory role. Demonstrated experience leading managers, supervisors, or operational leaders and driving results across multiple locations, contracts, business units, or comparable operations.

A bachelors degree in business, operations, transportation, management, or a related field is preferred and may substitute for up to two (2) years of the required overall experience. Relevant leadership experience outside of student transportation may also substitute for up to two (2) years of the required overall experience; however, substitutions do not replace the requirement for demonstrated operational leadership or supervisory experience. Experience in safety/training, fleet or maintenance operations, dispatch, or pupil transportation is preferred.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties may change at any time with or without notice.

Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily. In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship. Employees in need of an accommodation are encouraged to contact Human Resources to discuss their specific needs.