Via

Director of Strategy & Operations

Via • $180K — $220K *
San Francisco, CA 94112In-Person
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Reposted Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of operational leadership experience, preferably with P&L responsibility.
  • Demonstrated success in developing and executing business strategies.
  • Proven track record in high-growth or transformational environments.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for stakeholder engagement.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a creative mindset.
  • Comfortable in fast-paced settings, managing ambiguity and multiple tasks.
  • Operational expertise in people-intensive, regulated businesses, with knowledge of labor planning and compliance.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a high-performing team of managers and frontline leaders.
  • Manage regional P&L outcomes and ensure alignment with financial objectives.
  • Translate regional priorities into actionable growth strategies.
  • Drive performance improvement through root-cause analysis of underperforming markets.
  • Serve as a key operational partner to transit agency leadership.
  • Align operations with commercial and product strategies through cross-functional collaboration.
  • Influence adoption of technology and processes to enhance operational efficiency.

Benefits

  • Generous medical benefits and free medical plans offered.
  • 401(k) matching program to support retirement savings.
  • Equity and variable pay options available as part of the compensation package.
Full Job Description
Via is hiring a Director of Strategy & Operations to lead part of our West Coast portfolio. This is a significant regional P&L leadership role: you will start out by directly managing markets and a team of Field Operations Managers, then quickly grow to manage a team of General Managers and Operations Managers. You will be responsible for setting and executing regional operating strategy, and ensuring safe, reliable, high-quality service across a large, fast-growing, and increasingly complex book of business.

The West region is in high-growth mode-launching new markets, expanding existing contracts, and standing up new service types. We need a seasoned operator who can lead through scale and ambiguity, develop strong frontline leaders, and partner effectively with transit agency stakeholders, commercial teams, and Via central functions.

What You'll Do:

Regional leadership & people management
  • Lead, coach, and develop a team set clear expectations, cadence, and accountability
  • Run a consistent regional operating rhythm
  • Build leadership depth: hire, promote, and performance-manage regional talent;
  • Foster a culture of safety, compliance, operational excellence, and partner trust across the region

P&L and performance ownership
  • Own regional P&L outcomes in partnership with Finance and market GMs: revenue hours/rides, cost per ride, labor productivity, and margin improvement
  • Set regional targets and be accountable to KPIs (service reliability, on-time performance, seat availability, safety, driver staffing, vehicle readiness, and customer experience)
  • Drive root-cause problem solving on underperforming markets; escalate risks early with clear mitigation plans
  • Partner on annual and quarterly operating plans, staffing models, and scenario planning for growth

Regional strategy & growth
  • Translate regional priorities into actionable market strategies
  • Lead the region through new service types and operating models
  • Prioritize resources across markets during launch surges, staffing constraints, and partner-critical periods
  • Represent Operations in regional strategy discussions with Commercial, Service Design, Product, and Partner Success

Partner & stakeholder management
  • Serve as a senior operational counterpart to agency leadership on high-stakes markets
  • Build trust through transparent performance reporting, proactive communication, and credible remediation when service misses occur
  • Navigate complex regulatory and contractual environments

Cross-functional leadership
  • Partner with Commercial, Enablement, Service Design, Remix, Safety, Fleet, HR, and Finance to align ops capacity with growth and product roadmap
  • Influence technology and process adoption to improve regional efficiency and visibility
  • Contribute to company-wide ops priorities

Who You Are:
  • Proven experience in an operational leadership role, ideally with P&L responsibility.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop and execute business strategies successfully.
  • Track record leading high-growth or transformation environments-scaling teams, launching new lines of business, or integrating acquisitions/service expansions
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, capable of working with and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills, you don't accept the status quo and are always looking for creative solutions
  • Strong comfort working in a fast paced environment, operating in ambiguity, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, and taking on responsibility
  • Operational fluency across people-intensive, regulated, 24/7 businesses; comfort with labor planning, safety culture, and compliance
  • 10+ years of experience, ideally with a combination of consulting and operating experience
  • Hold a Bachelor's Degree with a record of exceptional academic and professional achievement
  • Willingness to travel extensively across the West Coast (~25%, higher during launch periods)

Compensation and Benefits:
  • Final salary will be determined by the candidate's experience, knowledge, and skills. Salary reflected does not include equity or variable pay, where applicable
  • Salary Range: $180-$220k / year + attractive RSU package
  • We are proud to offer a generous and comprehensive benefits package, including free medical plans and 401K matching.

Ready to join the ride?

About Via

Via Transportation, Inc. is a global public transport, logistics, and TransitTech company headquartered in New York City. Via licenses its technology to cities, transportation authorities, school districts, universities, and private organizations to help build their own technology-driven transportation networks. It operates in partnership with over 400 local governments across more than 20 countries globally, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Finland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. In October 2020, Via acquired the logistics company Fleetonomy to accelerate its entry into the last-mile deliveries industry. In March 2021, Via purchased the transportation planning platform Remix for $100M to create the first end-to-end TransitTech platform for cities and transit agencies.
Learn more about Via
Industry
Transportation
Founded
2016
* Ladders Estimates

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