Vice President, Operations East

ABOUT THE ROLE

Zum provides safe, reliable, technology-enabled student transportation for school districts. We are growing quickly: new districts, new yards, and new markets launch while existing ones are still being built out. The VP of Operations runs a multi-market in the east region P&L, leads general managers and their teams, and owns the operating rhythm that keeps buses running safely and on time. This is a hands-on, start-up-mode role for someone who can build, manage the process, and still step into a yard and roll up their sleeves when needed.

OPERATING RHYTHM

• Daily: Route coverage, dispatch, on-time performance, driver safety messages, same-day escalations

• Weekly: KPI release and action plans, labor review, customer launch calls, payroll dashboard review, AR collections

• Monthly: Safety themes, union dues and benefits compliance, forecast-to-actual review, liquidated damages reconciliation

• Seasonal: Back-to-school readiness, budget planning, renewals, 45-day scaling forecast

• As needed: Involvement in bargaining, grievances, discipline, incident investigations, service-disruption planning

START-UP MODE

• Launch new districts and yards while running existing ones, moving people and fleet across markets as needed

• Write and standardize SOPs, RACIs, and protocols where none exist

• Be decisive, often with incomplete information

• Step in directly when a manager leaves or a launch stalls

NEW CONTRACT IMPLEMENTATION

Own the handoff from Sales through Day One and stabilization:

• Handoff: Review contracts, pricing, and commitments with Sales, Legal, and Finance

• Plan: Name an owner and build backward from first day of service

• Staffing and training: Size teams including spares; lead recruiting, CDL training, and background checks

• Labor and compliance: Determine CBA coverage and set up payroll and benefits

• Customer readiness: Launch meetings, dry runs, and written scope changes

• Stabilize: Provide go-live support, move to steady-state KPIs, and hold a post-launch review

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Regional operations: Own on-time performance, coverage, and service quality

• Financials: Own the regional P&L, budget, forecast accuracy, and expense control

• Renewals and collections: Lead renewals and AR, including disputed invoices and liquidated damages

• Escalations: Be the escalation point for district and union contract disputes, working with Legal and HR

• HQ liaison: Connect field operations with Sales, Customer Success, Finance, HR, Legal, Safety, and Technology

• People leadership: Lead and coach GMs and field managers, handle performance issues, and run promotion panels

• Safety and compliance: Lead incident reviews, make documented discipline decisions, and oversee training and records

• Labor relations: Support bargaining, grievances, arbitration, and CBA implementation

• Customer relationships: Serve as senior operational contact for district leaders

• Driver pipeline: Oversee hiring, spare ratios, CDL training, retention, and recognition

• Fleet and technology: Evaluate routing vendors and support yard and equipment readiness

REQUIREMENTS

• 10+ years in operations, including 5+ leading multi-site or multi-region teams in student transportation, logistics, or similar safety-critical field operations

• Experience in high-growth or turnaround settings, launching sites and building process from scratch

• Strong financial skills: budgeting, forecasting, expense control, and AR management

• Direct union experience (CBA administration, grievances, discipline, bargaining) and skill in renewals and escalations with districts and unions

• Command of DOT/FMCSA, CDL, and state pupil-transportation requirements

• Public-sector contract experience, including SLAs and liquidated damages

• Fluency with operational and workforce data, turned into weekly action

• Strong multitasking and proactive planning; exceptional written and verbal communication

• Willingness to travel

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience