Area Director of Operations

About the role

At El Car Wash, Area Directors of Operations are how we grow without losing what makes us great. You lead 3–6 Regional Managers across 15–40 sites, own the culture and performance standard across your portfolio, and translate company strategy into field execution at scale. This is a strategic, people-first role that demands deep operational expertise, high emotional intelligence, and a genuine passion for developing leaders — not just managing outcomes. Reports To: Vice President of Field Operations. Travel: 60–75% including site visits, regional check-ins, and new market launches.

Responsibilities

• Lead the leadership layer - Develop 3–6 Regional Managers into high-performing, autonomous leaders. Your benchmark: every site runs well when you're not there.
• Translate strategy into execution - Take company direction and make it real across multiple markets — adapting approach to regional dynamics without losing brand or performance standards.
• Own portfolio P&L - Own regional P&L including labor, revenue, and profitability. Use data to tell the story and drive decisions — not just report numbers.
• Build culture at scale - Build an inclusive, high-performance culture where accountability drives results and recognition fuels growth across 15–40 sites.
• Drive growth - Lead new market launches, greenfield openings, and M&A integration. Partner with Construction, People Success, Marketing, and IT for seamless operational ramp-up.
• Act on underperformance - Identify performance gaps swiftly and act — coach, realign, or restructure as needed. You don't wait for things to fix themselves.
• Build the bench - Identify future leaders across your portfolio and build a succession pipeline that keeps pace with our growth.
• Ensure operational excellence - Maintain tunnel uptime, site cleanliness, equipment performance, and safety standards consistently — across every site, every market.

Requirements

• Customer-Centric Approach — Sets direction for customer experience across the region and aligns operations to support service excellence.
• Problem-Solving — Addresses large-scale, cross-regional challenges and improves systems and processes.
• Team Collaboration — Aligns leaders across regions and functions to support company priorities.
• Drives Results — Owns regional performance, sets strategic goals, and removes barriers to growth.
• Safety & Compliance — Sets safety expectations, ensures accountability, and addresses systemic safety risks.
• Job Knowledge & Technical Proficiency — Maintains broad operational knowledge, supports process improvements, and drives adoption of new tools and technologies.

Benefits

• Full comprehensive benefits (Health, Vision, Dental)
• 401(k) with 4% match — yes, free money
• Paid time off
• Parental leave (maternity & paternity)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Pet insurance
• Mental health days
• On-the-job training and real career growth
• FREE car washes