Operations Director, Cleaning & Janitorial Services

This is a role for a cleaning and janitorial industry experienced professional. Direct experience in a cleaning company that specializes in commercial and industrial sites, multi site operations is a requirement.

The Director of Operations is responsible for the overall financial performance and profitability, leadership, and continuous improvement of the company’s field operations. This position ensures that client commitments are consistently delivered, employees are effectively led and supported, operating standards are maintained, and accounts perform within established labor and financial expectations.

The Director of Operations serves as the senior operational leader connecting company strategy to day-to-day execution in the field. Working closely with the executive team, the Director develops the people, systems, processes, and management discipline necessary to support excellent service, strong client retention, employee engagement, profitability, and continued company growth.

This position requires a leader who is equally comfortable working strategically with senior leadership and being visible in the field with managers, supervisors, cleaners, and clients.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Accountability

• Provide leadership and direction for all recurring janitorial and facility-service operations.
• Translate company goals and service commitments into clear operational priorities and measurable expectations.
• Maintain consistent operating standards across accounts while recognizing the unique requirements of individual client facilities.
• Ensure field Managers, supervisors, and field teams understand their responsibilities and are held accountable for results.
• Regularly review account performance, identify areas of concern, and ensure corrective actions are implemented and sustained.
• Maintain a strong field presence through regular site visits, account reviews, inspections, and interaction with employees and clients.
• Develop an operating culture that emphasizes ownership, responsiveness, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Client Service & Retention

• Ensure the operations organization consistently delivers services that meet or exceed client expectations.
• Support the company’s commitment to building long-term client relationships through proactive communication, responsiveness, and problem resolution.
• Partner with client-facing managers to identify emerging concerns before they become significant service issues.
• Participate in key client meetings, account reviews, transitions, escalations, and recovery plans when senior operational leadership is required.
• Ensure client requests and concerns are properly documented, communicated, assigned, and followed through to resolution.
• Promote a service philosophy that goes beyond completing cleaning tasks and creates a professional, welcoming, and cared-for environment for building occupants.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the operational management team.
• Establish clear performance expectations and regularly evaluate management effectiveness.
• Ensure managers actively engage with field employees and maintain strong relationships with their teams.
• Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, succession planning, and retention.
• Reinforce company culture, values, policies, and expected leadership behaviors throughout the field organization.
• Create an environment in which employees are treated with respect, recognized for strong performance, and provided opportunities to learn and grow.
• Address performance and behavioral issues promptly, consistently, and professionally.

Labor & Financial Performance

• Take ownership for operational performance against account budgets and established financial targets.
• Monitor labor utilization, scheduled versus actual hours, overtime, vacancies, call-outs, productivity, and other key labor indicators.
• Identify accounts operating outside of budget expectations and develop corrective action plans with the appropriate managers.
• Partner with Finance and senior leadership to review account profitability and operational trends.
• Ensure staffing plans appropriately balance client service requirements, employee workload, productivity, and financial performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising service quality.

Quality Assurance & Service Standards

• Establish and maintain a disciplined quality-assurance process across the organization.
• Ensure inspections, service reviews, corrective actions, and follow-up activities are completed consistently.
• Monitor quality trends across accounts and identify recurring issues requiring broader operational improvement.
• Ensure cleaning procedures, frequencies, staffing plans, equipment, and supplies remain aligned with contract requirements and facility needs.
• Promote standardized cleaning processes and documented best practices where appropriate.
• Evaluate new equipment, technology, chemicals, processes, and operating methods that may improve quality, safety, or productivity.

Staffing & Workforce Management

• Ensure accounts are appropriately staffed and vacancies are addressed quickly.
• Monitor recruitment needs in partnership with Human Resources and operational managers.
• Develop contingency plans for staffing shortages, call-outs, seasonal demands, special events, and emergency situations.
• Ensure schedules are accurate and staffing levels reflect contractual requirements and actual building needs.
• Work with management teams to improve employee attendance, retention, productivity, and engagement.
• Ensure operational managers have reliable processes for replacing employees and maintaining service continuity.

Training & Operational Excellence

• Ensure employees and managers receive the training necessary to perform their responsibilities safely and effectively.
• Partner with Human Resources, Safety, and technical training resources to maintain effective onboarding and continuing education programs.
• Promote consistent use of approved cleaning methods, equipment, chemicals, and safety procedures.
• Identify operational knowledge gaps and implement training or coaching to address them.
• Encourage managers to continually improve account processes rather than simply maintain existing practices.
• Support the adoption of technology that improves communication, inspections, workforce management, reporting, training, and accountability.

Safety & Compliance

• Champion a strong safety culture throughout the operations organization.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, company safety policies, SDS requirements, chemical handling procedures, PPE requirements, and client-specific safety standards.
• Partner with Human Resources and Safety leadership to investigate incidents and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure managers regularly reinforce safe work practices with employees.
• Monitor workers' compensation trends, incidents, injuries, and preventable safety events.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and operational compliance with company policies and applicable regulations.

New Account Implementation & Transitions

• Provide senior operational leadership for new-client implementations and major account transitions.
• Ensure staffing, supervision, equipment, supplies, training, schedules, security requirements, and communication protocols are established prior to launch.
• Conduct or oversee initial operational assessments of new facilities.
• Establish clear service standards and expectations during implementation.
• Closely monitor new accounts during the stabilization period and make adjustments as necessary.
• Partner with Sales to ensure commitments made during the sales process are operationally achievable and properly transitioned to the field team.

Sales & Business Development Support

• Partner with Sales when operational expertise is beneficial during the pursuit of new business.
• Participate in facility walkthroughs, scope development, staffing reviews, and operational planning for major opportunities.
• Provide operational input regarding productivity, equipment, staffing structures, implementation requirements, and service methodology.
• Assist in identifying additional services or solutions that may benefit existing clients.

Continuous Improvement & Scalability

• Develop systems and processes that allow the company to grow without sacrificing service quality or culture.
• Identify operational bottlenecks, inconsistencies, and unnecessary administrative work.
• Manage operational KPIs and management scorecards.
• Use operational data to identify trends and improve decision-making.
• Lead improvement initiatives that increase service consistency, employee effectiveness, productivity, and client satisfaction.

Qualifications Required

• 7–10+ years of progressively responsible operations leadership experience.
• Experience in commercial janitorial services
• Knowledge and experience working with industry benchmarks and processes including BSCAI, ISSA and Team Cleaning.
• Significant experience managing a distributed hourly workforce and multiple customer locations.
• Demonstrated success leading managers and supervisors.
• Strong understanding of labor management, scheduling, productivity, quality assurance, and customer service.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operational performance against budgets.
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to build effective relationships with employees at all levels of an organization.
• Comfortable working in both an office environment and extensively in client facilities.
• Proficiency with business technology and workforce-management systems.
• Familiarity with commercial cleaning equipment, chemicals, floor care, and janitorial operating practices.
• Experience participating in new-client implementations and account transitions.
• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, hospitality, facilities management, or a related field.
• Bilingual English/Spanish capabilities are beneficial.