Sr. Director of Operations Support

First Student • Cincinnati, OH

5d

About The Position

The Senior Director, Operations Support provides enterprise level strategic, operational, and people leadership for centralized operations support functions. This role is accountable for establishing consistent operating standards, delivering scalable tools and services, ensuring regulatory and policy compliance, and enabling field and customer success through efficient, technology enabled solutions. The Senior Director partners closely with field operations, corporate functions, and external stakeholders to drive operational excellence, customer satisfaction, financial discipline, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Technology, or related discipline required
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, operations support, shared services, technology enabled services, or consulting environments
• Demonstrated success leading large, multi-disciplinary teams and managing managers
• Proven ability to design and scale operational services, standards, and governance models
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and performance management
• Experience partnering with field operations and senior leaders to drive adoption and results
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and managing ambiguity
• Excellent communication, influencing, and executive presence skills
• High level of integrity, accountability, and customer orientation

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Operations & Strategy Set the strategic direction, vision, and operating model for Operations Support services, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and long-term business objectives.
• Establish, standardize, and continuously improve operational standards, governance, and service delivery models across supported functions.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, data, and process improvements to drive efficiency, scalability, and consistency.
• Assess evolving field, customer, and business needs and translate them into actionable solutions, tools, and services.
• Service Delivery & Operational Excellence Oversee delivery of high quality operations support services to field operations, corporate partners, and customers, ensuring service commitments are met or exceeded.
• Define, monitor, and manage service levels, performance metrics, and operational outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable policies, regulations, and internal controls, including oversight of audit, review, and remediation activities.
• Lead testing, deployment, adoption, and ongoing optimization of operational and customer facing tools and systems.
• Leadership & Talent Management Provide direct leadership to their team, including performance management, coaching, development planning, and succession readiness.
• Establish consistent expectations, roles, and evaluation practices across teams.
• Ensure effective onboarding, training, and ongoing capability development for Operations Support staff.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
• Financial & Resource Management Drive budget planning, forecasting, and financial performance for Operations Support, ensuring fiscal discipline and alignment to value delivery.
• Oversee resource planning, workload prioritization, and capacity management.
• Monitor expenditures, evaluate ROI of initiatives, and adjust plans based on operational and financial drivers.
• Support pricing, chargeback, or cost-allocation models where applicable.
• Cross-Functional & Stakeholder Engagement Serve as a senior partner to field leadership, corporate teams, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment, transparency, and effective execution.
• Communicate performance, risks, and progress on key initiatives to executive leadership.
• Promote clarity of Operations Support services, capabilities, and value proposition to internal and external audiences.
• Lead or support enterprise initiatives and special projects as needed.
• Technology & Vendor Oversight Identify technology needs to support operations support functions; oversee solution development, procurement, and deployment.
• Manage vendor and partner relationships, including contract negotiations, performance management, and issue resolution.
• Ensure adoption of best practices, user standards, and training related to supported systems and tools.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director