General Service Site Manager

Vanderlande is responsible for the Service & Maintenance of the Baggage Handling System at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Position Summary: 

The Senior Operations & Maintenance Manager owns the safe, compliant, and profitable execution of the site service contract. This leader is accountable for business performance, including delivery against contractual obligations, KPI/SLA results, budget and margin targets, workforce productivity, maintenance quality, and customer satisfaction. The role provides clear direction to the site leadership team, establishes measurable expectations, reviews performance routinely, and takes timely corrective action when results fall below plan. The manager also represents Vanderlande in customer, airline, airport, TSA, and other stakeholder meetings related to the operation and maintenance of the BHS, and associated systems.

Essential Functions (Job Duties and Responsibilities):

The Senior O&M Manager is accountable for translating contractual and business requirements into measurable site results. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Business and contract performance – Own contract execution, commercial performance, customer commitments, and the site operating plan.
  • Develop and execute the site business plan to achieve revenue, margin, cost, cash, productivity, and customer-performance targets in collaboration with Sales, Finance, and regional leadership.
  • Own safe, effective, compliant, and profitable delivery of all contract obligations, KPIs, SLAs, milestones, reporting requirements, and customer commitments.

• Allocate internal and external resources based on business priorities, contractual risk, workload, and return on investment to deliver the best value to the customer and Vanderlande.

• Build effective customer relationships at all levels while setting clear expectations, protecting contractual position, and resolving performance or commercial issues promptly.

• Drive effective cross-functional decisions, secure required resources, assign clear owners and deadlines, and escalate unresolved risks before they affect safety, service, cost, or customer commitments.

• Establish a disciplined performance-management cadence. Review leading and lagging indicators, identify the biggest performance gaps, and ensure corrective actions are owned, time-bound, and sustained.

• Provide accurate weekly and monthly business reviews covering KPI/SLA performance, safety, reliability, labor productivity, financial performance, risks, forecast, and recovery actions.

• Oversee/coordinate site surveys and site preparation for system installations in advance of deployments.

• Act as the contractual liaison between Vanderlande and the customer. Maintain disciplined scope and change control, ensure variations are documented and approved, and support timely billing and commercial recovery.

• Act as representative for operational and safety meetings with the airport, TSA, and airlines, or any other government entities that are clients
• Develop and implement procedures for contract management and administration in compliance with company policy. As appropriate, contribute to or influence company policies.
  • Set and enforce maintenance quality standards. Hold leaders and technicians accountable for workmanship, schedule compliance, documentation accuracy, repeat failures, and timely completion of corrective actions.
  • Lead regular customer performance reviews with clear data, decisions, action owners, due dates, and transparent follow-through on open commitments.
  • Resolve issues and conflicts at the appropriate level, escalate material risks early, and ensure agreed actions are completed and verified.
• Safety - Responsible for safety of site, meeting proper PPE requirements, all administration for OSHA and weekly safety training
  • Promote Accident-Free workplace principles, ensure compliance with all VI Safety programs and requirements, and show leadership in promoting Safety.  Ensure that sites perform required periodic inspections, training, and documentation.
  • Instill a culture of safety to the team at all times.  Ensures safety compliance and Site based teams follow all Company safety policies in order to maintain a safe work environment. 

• Site leadership and business administration – Build the organization, operating rhythm, and management controls required to deliver the expected performance in a 24/7 operation.
  • Managing payroll - submitting and processing
  • Partner with Human Resources and Recruiting on workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, development, succession, employee relations, and performance management. Address underperformance promptly and consistently.
  • Develop and control staffing plans, schedules, overtime, and management coverage for the 24/7 operation. Align labor deployment with contractual requirements, workload, productivity targets, and budget.
  • Promote effective, efficient, and cooperative coordination among Operations, Sales, Finance, HR, Safety, and other departments.
  • Own the site budget, forecast, and cost-control plan, including labor, overtime, subcontractors, parts, and assets. Explain variances, identify the biggest offenders, and implement recovery actions to achieve financial targets.
• Maintenance Management
  • Provide proactive leadership in maintaining strong customer relationships and in resolving issues and disputes.
  • Develop, maintain, and enforce site specific policies and procedures including but not limited to: Standard operating procedure, Communication plans, safety plans, contingency plans, attendance, quality control of craftsmanship, inventory management, training requirements.
  • Monitor  and  Control Maintenance Performance in the Maintenance Management  (CMMS).
  • Maintain control of all spare parts provided by the customer and administration of  purchasing activities to maintain spare parts at required inventory levels.
  • Coordinate   down time and  system   contingency   planning   and   failure protocols with the customer.
  • Preparation and submittal daily and weekly reports, monthly and annual summary reports regarding the performance, operational and maintenance status of the BHS, PBB and related systems.
  • Set clear performance expectations for site leaders and teams; translate business objectives into individual goals; coach and develop employees; conduct regular performance reviews; and hold each level accountable for results, behaviors, and action closure.
  • Create and enforce employee mandatory tool lists
  • Conduct BHS failures root cause assessments.
  • Conduct ongoing BHS Assessment
  • Track and administer BHS parts warranty program

• Business growth and continuous improvement:
  • Partner with Sales to retain and grow the account, identify organic business opportunities, develop credible business cases, and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
  • Prepare commercially sound proposals for additions, deletions, and changes to scope, with clear assumptions, resource requirements, risks, pricing inputs, and implementation plans.
  • Lead strategic and continuous-improvement plans that improve safety, system availability, maintenance effectiveness, workforce productivity, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. Validate benefits and sustain improvements through standard work and routine review.

Required Education and Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive service, operations, or maintenance leadership experience, including responsibility for a complex 24/7 operation and a multidisciplinary team.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience will also be considered. MBA preferred.
• Demonstrated ownership of multimillion-dollar contracts or business units, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, margin improvement, contract compliance, and executive-level performance reporting.
• Proven ability to convert contractual requirements and operational data into priorities, management actions, and sustainable business results. Experience in automated handling systems, capital goods, system integration, airports, or similarly business-critical environments is preferred.
• Used to work with 3rd party service providers as sub-contractors

Other Requirements:

• Ability to pass 10-year background checks to the extent required by TSA and airport authorities is required.
• Must be able to attain and sustain an Airport ID Badge/ CBP Seal.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual, Spanish and English speaker.
• Preferred:  B.A. or B.S. in Engineering or operations.
• Airport or Warehouse operations experience. Conveyor services or material handling services experience.
• Strong client interface and professional presentation is preferred

Knowledge-Skills-Abilities (Competencies):

• Strong business and financial acumen, including P&L thinking, budgeting, forecasting, cost control, labor productivity, commercial risk, and margin improvement.

• Demonstrated ability to lead through measurable objectives, operating reviews, action tracking, and consistent accountability at every organizational level.

• Decisive, data-driven problem solving with the ability to identify root causes, prioritize the biggest performance gaps, and deliver timely corrective action.

• Strong contract-management capability, including KPI/SLA governance, scope control, change management, compliance, and customer commitments.

• Ability to build, coach, and retain capable teams; set clear expectations; provide direct feedback; recognize strong performance; and address underperformance.

• Executive-level communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence customers, employees, partners, and senior leadership.

• Strong operational discipline, organizational judgment, and ability to manage competing priorities in a 24/7 environment.

• Continuous-improvement mindset with a track record of converting ideas into measurable and sustained results.

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with the ability to analyze and communicate business performance.

• Confidence, integrity, and professionalism in representing Vanderlande.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. With the expectation to manage a 24/7 operation.

Travel:

This position requires up to 10% travel.  

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position leads the site-based service team and is accountable for the performance of managers, supervisors, technical personnel, and operational support functions. The role establishes goals, assigns ownership, reviews results, develops successors, and ensures timely intervention when performance or conduct does not meet expectations.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl on the floor of the system.

Ability to accurately perceive safety issues using senses, including Detect, Determine, Perceive, Identify, Recognize, Judge, Observe, Inspect, Estimate, Assess. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Alternative or combined skills in understanding, counseling, and/or influencing people are important in achieving job objectives, causing action, understanding others, or changing behavior, and skills of persuasiveness or assertiveness, as well as sensitivity to the point of view of others. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to the baggage handling system, mechanical parts and vibration. The noise level in the work environment and job sites can be loud.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is a full-time position, eligible to receive a base salary and to participate in an annual performance bonus program. The salary range listed represents the maximum and minimum starting base pay for this position as of the time of posting. Final salary offered will be determined based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience. The annual performance bonus program is preset and not candidate dependent.

Salary range for this position is $155,000 to $165,000