Vice President of Collections Operations

Position Summary

The Vice President, Collection Operations is the senior operating executive responsible for driving safe, disciplined, and profitable collection operations across a multi-state environmental services business. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this leader oversees the operational and financial performance of the decentralized collection operations, ensuring the organization consistently delivers industry-leading safety, customer service, productivity, and margin improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all residential, commercial, industrial, and roll-off collection operations across the company’s decentralized operations.
• Work closely to build alignment with regional leaders to elevate collection P&L performance, including revenue growth, operating expense management, margin expansion, capital efficiency, and return on invested capital.
• Drive a culture of operational discipline by establishing standardized management routines, KPI reviews, and accountability mechanisms at every level of the organization.
• Lead the centralized routing and optimization team, focused on the deployment of on-board technology, fleet productivity, labor planning, and asset utilization initiatives that improve efficiency while maintaining exceptional service quality.
• Partner with Regional and Local operating teams, Safety, Sales, Disposal, Maintenance, Recycling, HR, and Customer Experience teams to align operational execution with enterprise growth objectives.
• Assist the business development team with acquisition due diligence and integration efforts to accelerate value capture and ensure consistent operating standards across the enterprise.

Nature & Scope

• Safety, Compliance, and People Leadership:
  • Serve as the visible champion driving a 'Safe and Supported Workforce’ culture with accountability for leading and lagging safety indicators such as CFR, TRIR, HARR, Driver Risk Score, etc.
  • Ensure compliance with DOT, OSHA, FMCSA, environmental regulations, and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
  • Help to build and develop a high-performing bench of Area Vice Presidents, General Managers, and frontline operational leaders.
  • Partner with Legal and Human Resources to cultivate productive employee relations and effective labor strategies in union and non-union environments.
• Operational and Financial Leadership:
  • Develop and execute annual operating plans and long-range strategic initiatives that support sustainable profitable growth.
  • Drive continuous improvement in labor effectiveness, overtime control, route density, fuel efficiency, and fleet availability.
  • Use operational analytics, telematics, routing platforms, and performance dashboards to identify opportunities and improve execution.
  • Evaluate major capital investments and operational initiatives through rigorous financial and ROI analysis.

Education, Experience & Qualifications

• The successful candidate will bring more than 15 years of progressive operations leadership experience, including significant profit and loss accountability within complex, asset-intensive organizations.
• A demonstrated track record of leading large, geographically dispersed field operations—either through direct leadership or matrixed organizational structures—within environmental services, waste management, transportation, logistics, or similar industries.
• Candidates must have a deep expertise in operational excellence, route optimization, fleet management, labor productivity, and the use of data-driven performance management to drive continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to translate operational discipline and execution into sustainable financial performance, profitable growth, and enhanced customer service outcomes.
• A bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or a related field is required; an advanced degree is preferred.

Attributes

• Innovative and team-oriented individual who is a self-starter with a combination of creativity, operational knowledge, and an ability to see the larger picture.
• Strong problem-solving and presentation skills combined with the ability to innovatively conceptualize how innovation in process and operations affects profitability and consumer engagement.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability Insurance
• Maternity & Parental Leave
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Discounted Stock Program
• 401K
• Employee Awards
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Wellness Incentive
• Tuition Assistance
• Career Pathways