Director - Corporate Operations

The Director of Corporate Operations is responsible for driving enterprise-wide operational excellence, cost optimization, and technology-enabled performance improvements across Ports America's terminal network. This role provides strategic leadership to ensure terminals remain competitive, scalable, and efficient as growth initiatives are developed and executed.

In addition to operational leadership, this role serves as a key advisor on corporate strategy, long-term planning, and development projects, ensuring that capital investments, expansion initiatives, and infrastructure programs are operationally sound, financially viable, and executable at scale.

This position focuses on optimizing end-to-end operational processes, maximizing asset utilization, deploying best-practice technologies, and ensuring that increased capacity translates into measurable operational and financial performance across all locations. Travel approximately 20%.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Optimization & Process Improvement

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across terminal operations, including container, RORO, rail, bulk, gate, yard, maintenance, and security functions.
• Identify systemic operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies associated with increased throughput and network complexity.
• Design and implement scalable, standardized solutions to improve productivity, safety, and service reliability across multiple sites.
• Establish and enforce best practices to ensure consistency and operational excellence across the organization.

Strategic Planning & Development Advisory

• Advise executive leadership on strategic planning, network optimization, and long-term operational strategy.
• Provide operational input into capital projects, terminal expansions, automation initiatives, and infrastructure investments.
• Partner with Development, Engineering, and Finance teams to evaluate project feasibility, ROI, and operational impact.
• Ensure new developments and expansions are designed for scalability, efficiency, and labor/equipment optimization.
• Support execution readiness, including operating models, staffing strategies, and process design for new facilities or capabilities.

Market Competitiveness & Growth Enablement

• Support major growth initiatives and ensure successful operational ramp-up across terminals.
• Ensure capacity expansion does not negatively impact cost per move, dwell time, or customer service levels.
• Partner with commercial and operational leadership to align performance with customer commitments and market demands.
• Strengthen Ports America's position as a high-performing, reliable operator in competitive port markets.

Technology Strategy & Deployment

• Develop and execute a corporate strategy for operational technology adoption and optimization.
• Evaluate, pilot, and deploy solutions that enhance efficiency, visibility, safety, and asset management (e.g., asset tracking, telematics, automation, access control, camera systems, and analytics platforms).
• Ensure technology investments deliver measurable ROI through adoption, performance tracking, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a key liaison between Operations, IT, vendors, and executive leadership on innovation initiatives.

Cost Optimization & Asset Management

• Drive cost reduction through improved labor utilization, equipment productivity, and process efficiency.
• Monitor operating expenses, overtime, and resource allocation across the network to ensure financial discipline.
• Reduce reliance on third-party services by building internal capabilities where appropriate.
• Optimize equipment lifecycle management to defer capital expenditures while maintaining operational performance.
• Track, analyze, and report cost savings, productivity gains, and financial impact.

Operational Leadership & Governance

• Provide leadership and direction to terminal and regional operations teams to ensure productivity, safety, and service standards are achieved.
• Establish goals and performance expectations aligned with corporate objectives.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution across multiple terminals.
• Develop KPIs, dashboards, and reporting frameworks to measure operational and financial performance.
• Ensure compliance with safety standards, regulatory requirements, labor agreements, and company policies.

Safety, Labor & Stakeholder Management

• Ensure safety, health, and environmental standards are consistently met across all operations.
• Partner with Safety and HR to ensure compliance with labor agreements, employment laws, and company policies.
• Promote strong communication across departments to ensure efficient coordination and minimal downtime.
• Maintain effective relationships with customers, port authorities, labor representatives, and external partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Business, Maritime, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in terminal, port, logistics, or industrial operations, including leadership responsibility.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale process improvements, technology deployments, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of terminal operations, equipment, labor environments, and safety requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience across multiple terminals or regions.
• Background in rail, bulk, or high-throughput operations.
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with asset tracking, telematics, RFID, BLE, automation, or operational analytics platforms.
• Familiarity with unionized labor environments.
• Experience supporting capital development or infrastructure projects.

Core Competencies

• Strategic leadership and execution
• Operational and financial acumen
• Technology and innovation leadership
• Change management and transformation
• Data-driven decision making
• Executive communication and stakeholder management

Performance Metrics

• Reduction in cost per move and overall operating expenses
• Improvement in throughput, dwell time, and asset utilization across terminals
• Successful execution of strategic initiatives and development projects
• Effective support of growth projects without service degradation
• Demonstrated ROI on technology investments and process improvements