Director of Operations

Position Overview

A workforce lodging and logistics company is seeking a hands-on Director of Operations to strengthen daily execution, develop management coverage, and support dependable service as business needs evolve. The role covers the contact center, reservations, hotel procurement, and client operations, including mission critical lodging, emergency response, and government agency support.

This Director must learn and personally perform the work, manage the team, and independently lead daily operations when other managers are unavailable. Initial training focuses on contact center operations, reservations, and procurement, followed by client onboarding, account management, and broader operational leadership.

Contact Center and Reservation Operations

· Lead daily service across phone, email, chat, and reservation queues, with clear ownership of requests, deadlines, and unresolved issues.

· Personally process lodging requests, quotes, bookings, rooming lists, confirmations, extensions, changes, cancellations, relocations, and urgent guest issues.

· Manage staffing, schedules, attendance, workload allocation, shift handoffs, and the on-call rotation to support service around the clock.

· Monitor call routing, missed calls, response times, open requests, and service commitments. Adjust coverage and priorities when demand changes.

· Review transaction accuracy and customer interactions, coach staff, resolve escalations, and ensure each shift hands off complete and current information.

Hotel Procurement and Vendor Management

· Personally source and qualify hotels, confirm availability, negotiate rates and terms, prepare quotes, and secure lodging within client requirements and approved margins.

· Review room standards, location, cancellation terms, payment arrangements, and reservation deadlines before commitments are made.

· Prioritize direct billing, coordinate approved payment arrangements with Accounting, and document exceptions requiring management approval.

· Manage hotel relationships, availability shortfalls, service failures, disputed charges, and alternate accommodations. Maintain current vendor terms and sourcing records.

Client Operations and Account Continuity

· Learn account requirements, contacts, pricing arrangements, service commitments, reporting schedules, and escalation procedures for assigned clients.

· Coordinate mission critical lodging and logistics for emergency response teams and government agencies. Manage rapid mobilization, changing rosters, urgent sourcing, and continuity of accommodations during disruptions.

· Manage the handoff from Business Development through onboarding and ongoing service. Confirm operational readiness before new work begins.

· Follow agency and contract requirements, maintain deployment records, and provide timely status updates to authorized client contacts. Escalate capacity risks and service interruptions with recovery options.

· Lead client status calls and service reviews as assigned. Address complaints, identify retention risks, and coordinate corrective action through resolution.

· Maintain accurate account records and a current view of active reservations, room nights, pending requests, renewal dates, and client commitments.

· Support account expansion and repeat business through reliable service, proactive follow-up, and coordination with Business Development.

Team Leadership and Operational Coverage

· Lead assigned staff and coordinate with existing managers. Set clear responsibilities, performance expectations, deadlines, and escalation authority with the CEO.

· Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and evaluate contact center and procurement employees in coordination with HR and leadership.

· Build a cross-training plan with named primary and backup owners for critical tasks. Verify proficiency through observed work and independent execution.

· Maintain shared procedures, account instructions, vendor information, and approved system access so trained staff can provide reliable coverage.

· Resolve routine operational decisions within delegated authority. Escalate material client, financial, staffing, or contractual issues promptly with a recommended action.

Financial Controls and Systems

· Coordinate with Accounting so reservation records, agreed rates, supporting documents, vendor charges, and client billing information are complete and accurate.

· Monitor room nights, gross profit, sourcing results, and avoidable costs. Investigate booking errors, unauthorized charges, and missed cancellation deadlines.

· Document and improve workflows, standard operating procedures, quality checks, and service recovery processes.

· Use reservation platforms, contact center tools, CRM systems, and Microsoft 365 effectively. Work with IT to test improvements and automation before operational use.

· Protect client, guest, employee, and vendor information and follow applicable contract requirements and company policies.

Required Experience and Capabilities

· At least five years of progressive responsibility in contact center, reservations, travel operations, workforce lodging, or a comparable service operation, including direct team management.

· Demonstrated ability to manage a busy service queue while personally completing transactions and resolving urgent customer issues.

· Experience in hotel sourcing, supplier negotiation, reservation fulfillment, or closely related procurement work. Workforce lodging experience is strongly preferred.

· Experience managing schedules, after-hours coverage, service metrics, quality reviews, coaching, and cross-training.

· Ability to understand pricing, gross profit, vendor terms, and the connection between operational records and accurate billing.

· Strong written communication, sound judgment, discretion, and consistent follow-through. Able to learn unfamiliar accounts and systems quickly.

· Experience supporting mission critical operations, emergency response deployments, or government agency lodging programs is strongly preferred. Must remain calm, prioritize urgent needs, and coordinate reliable service as requirements change.

· Must successfully complete required background screening and drug testing in accordance with applicable law and company policy. Must be willing to undergo government security vetting and able to obtain and maintain the clearance required for assigned work, potentially up to Top Secret, if required and sponsored.

Initial Training and First 90 Days

The following milestones guide onboarding. Proficiency must be demonstrated through completed work, with timing adjusted for account complexity and training needs.

· First 30 days: Train first in contact center operations, reservations, and procurement. Complete live transactions under review, learn the on-call process, and document daily workflows, account instructions, and coverage gaps.

· Days 31 through 60: Independently lead daily contact center and procurement work for agreed accounts and shifts. Demonstrate sourcing, booking, escalation, and handoff proficiency. Begin training in client onboarding, account management, and coordination with Accounting.

· Days 61 through 90: Demonstrate broader client operations coverage, lead assigned client communications, complete an operational coverage exercise, and present a documented staffing, cross-training, and service improvement plan to the CEO.

Measures of Success

Performance will be measured by reliable shift coverage, timely request resolution, reservation and quote accuracy, negotiated margins, client retention, billing readiness, and demonstrated backup capability. Establish baselines and agree on service targets with the CEO during onboarding. Report weekly on results, unresolved issues, staffing needs, and corrective actions.

Work Expectations

This role supports a service operation available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including mission critical assignments, emergency response, and government agency needs. Participation in a defined management on-call rotation and evening, weekend, or holiday coverage during urgent deployments is required. Work location, regular schedule, travel expectations, and compensation will be confirmed during hiring.

Pay: $73,700.00 - $88,900.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Lakeway, TX 78734