Senior Vice President of Field Operations

ACES HISTORY:

Founded 30 years ago by ACES Chairwoman Kristin Farmer, ACES has grown into a leading autism services platform, serving 5,000 clients in ~90 markets across 8 states – supported by growth equity firm General Atlantic since 2020. With a differentiated clinical model that delivers twice the outcomes per hour of any other industry provider, ACES focus is to make step-change improvements as the provider, employer and partner of choice to organically grow with excellence towards our vision to be the best in ABA in America.

ROLE CONTEXT:

ACES is entering its next phase of growth and operational expansion. With plans to continue scaling existing markets, open new locations, and expand access to high-quality autism services, operational excellence has never been more critical to our success.

The Senior Vice President, Field Operations will play a pivotal role in shaping ACES' future growth by leading a significant portfolio of markets across multiple states, driving operational maturity, developing world-class field leadership teams, and ensuring our services continue to scale with quality and consistency.

ACES seeks a hungry, humble, and collaborative senior leader who is equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves to drive execution. This individual will lead through influence, develop exceptional leaders, navigate complex operational challenges, and create sustainable growth across diverse markets and business environments.

DETAILED JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Vice President, Field Operations is responsible for leading multi-state field operations, driving growth and expansion initiatives, developing regional leadership teams, and ensuring operational excellence across assigned markets. This executive will partner closely with clinical, operational, finance, people, and executive leadership teams to optimize performance, expand access to care, improve employee engagement, and support ACES' long-term strategic vision.

This role requires a proven growth operator with experience leading large-scale, multi-site service organizations through periods of rapid growth and organizational transformation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Field Operations Leadership

- Lead operational performance across a large multi-state portfolio of markets and service locations.

- Establish and execute strategic plans that support organizational growth, scalability, and operational excellence.

- Drive accountability, performance management, and operational consistency across all assigned regions.

- Monitor key operational metrics and implement action plans to improve outcomes.

- Partner with Regional Directors and operational leaders to identify opportunities, remove barriers, and accelerate performance.

Market Growth & Expansion

- Lead operational strategy and execution for market expansion initiatives and de novo openings.

- Support the organization's aggressive growth objectives through strong field leadership and operational readiness.

- Drive capacity growth, workforce planning, and market development initiatives.

- Evaluate emerging market opportunities and develop scalable operational solutions.

- Partner cross-functionally to ensure successful launches of new locations and services.

Leadership Development

- Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing operational leaders at the clinic and regional level.

- Build organizational capability and leadership bench strength across assigned markets.

- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.

- Provide mentorship and development opportunities for Regional Directors and future leaders.

- Lead succession planning efforts to support long-term organizational growth.

Strategic Partnership & Execution

- Partner closely with Clinical Leadership to ensure alignment between operational execution and clinical excellence.

- Collaborate with Talent Acquisition to support leadership hiring, workforce planning, and market growth initiatives.

- Work alongside Finance, People Operations, Growth, Scheduling, and Executive Leadership teams to achieve organizational objectives.

- Translate strategic priorities into actionable operational plans and measurable results.

- Serve as a key contributor to enterprise-wide growth and operational initiatives.

Operational Performance & Financial Stewardship

- Drive operational and financial results across assigned regions.

- Analyze business trends and performance metrics to identify growth opportunities and operational risks.

- Develop and execute plans that improve efficiency, productivity, client outcomes, and profitability.

- Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and operational standards.

- Provide regular performance updates, business reviews, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership.

*List of responsibilities is not meant to be exhaustive. ACES can modify this job description/responsibilities at any time and in its sole discretion.

Qualifications

EXPERIENTIAL CRITERIA:

- Demonstrated success leading large, multi-state, multi-site operations within a growth-oriented organization.

- Proven track record of scaling businesses, expanding markets, and supporting de novo growth initiatives.

- Experience leading operational transformation and driving measurable performance improvement.

- Strong ability to develop, coach, and retain high-performing operational leaders.

- Experience balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution and problem-solving.

- Demonstrated success driving organizational growth while maintaining quality and operational discipline.

- Ability to influence and collaborate across executive leadership teams and multiple business functions.

- Strong financial acumen with experience managing large operational portfolios and budgets.

- Skilled at navigating complexity, ambiguity, and rapid change.

- Ownership mentality with the ability to independently identify opportunities and drive results.

QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.

- 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in multi-site operations, healthcare operations, behavioral health, or related service industries.

- 8+ years leading senior-level operational leaders and large regional teams.

- Proven experience managing large-scale operations across multiple states and markets.

- Strong business and financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and performance management.

- Demonstrated success supporting organizational growth, market expansion, and operational scaling efforts.

- Exceptional communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.

- Ability to analyze complex business challenges and develop practical solutions.

- Experience in autism services, healthcare services, behavioral health, or other multi-location service organizations strongly preferred.

- Ability to travel extensively to support field operations and market growth initiatives.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force and lift/move up to 15 pounds

- May include, without limitation, physical demands: sitting, typing, screen viewing for extended periods

- Frequent travel, including air travel and visits to service locations across assigned markets.

ACES is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACES will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable fair chance laws.