Operations Manager – Frontline Employee Management

Job Description

Operations Manager | WM

The Tone:
This role focuses on frontline employee development and operational excellence within WM, a large organization dedicated to providing essential waste management and environmental services. As an Operations Manager, you will be instrumental in cultivating a high-performing and safe workforce by directly engaging with drivers and helpers. Your leadership ensures the success of daily operations, adherence to safety standards, and the professional growth of team members, directly contributing to WM’s service delivery.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person

• Team: Manages all drivers and helpers.
• Mission: To onboard, develop, coach, mentor, and manage the performance of frontline employees, ensuring their success, upholding safety practices, and maintaining efficient route operations.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Employee Development & Support: Oversee the complete lifecycle of frontline employees, from onboarding and providing necessary tools and instruction to consistent coaching, mentoring, and performance management, ensuring their daily success and career progression. This includes daily meetings with new employees and regular touchpoints for all staff.
• Operational Performance & Best Practices: Drive continuous improvement by regularly reviewing best practices to enhance daily performance, identifying and addressing improvement opportunities, and collaborating with frontline employees to ensure sustained success, including teaching and developing an understanding of the WM Way.
• Safety Leadership & Compliance: Champion a culture of safety by leading through example, conducting thorough Root Cause Investigations for all injuries and incidents, and ensuring consistent discipline and retraining to uphold paramount safety practices.
• Field Engagement & Relationship Building: Spend the majority of the day directly in the field with frontline employees, fostering positive relationships, actively practicing coaching conversations, and seeking feedback to enhance engagement and support.
• Documentation & Customer Interaction: Maintain meticulous records required by regulatory agencies like the Department of Transportation, daily review and audit of route operation documentation (e.g., DVIRs, driver time, open tickets), and visit customer sites to resolve safety issues and identify service alternatives.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Manager-level professional with an Associate’s Degree (accredited) in a relevant field.
• Experience: If no Associate’s Degree, a High School Diploma (accredited) and two (2) years of relevant work experience are required. Must be at least 18 years of age and legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located, holding a valid Driver’s License.
• Skills: Employee onboarding and development, performance management, coaching and mentoring, safety leadership, root cause investigation, regulatory documentation, operational auditing, relationship building.
• Bonus: Successful completion of the WM Operations Manager Trainee program.