Operations Manager (Fort Wayne, IN)

Operations Manager - Fort Wayne Terminal

Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Focus: School Bus & Commercial Services

Position Overview

The Operations Manager leads the daily operations of the Fort Wayne terminal, with primary responsibility for school bus transportation and secondary oversight of commercial charter and shuttle services.

This role ensures safe, compliant, and efficient transportation while driving staffing, service reliability, customer satisfaction, operational performance, and market growth. The Operations Manager supervises drivers, dispatch, and terminal support staff while serving as a leader in developing business opportunities within the Fort Wayne market.

Key Responsibilities

School Bus Operations

• Oversee daily routing, dispatch, route coverage, and operational adjustments.
• Ensure safe, compliant, and on-time service for school district partners.
• Hire, onboard, train, coach, and evaluate drivers and support staff.
• Manage attendance, assignments, driver meetings, and school district relationships.
• Identify route efficiency, cost improvement, and compliance opportunities.

Commercial / Charter Operations

• Oversee charter scheduling, dispatch, trip execution, and driver assignments.
• Coordinate with sales and customer service to deliver exceptional client service.
• Manage fleet utilization, trip documentation, billing inputs, and post-trip processing.
• Support commercial growth through strong customer relationships and operational excellence.

Operational & Administrative Leadership

• Approve payroll, ensure accurate timekeeping, and maintain system data integrity.
• Maintain fleet readiness, safety standards, SOPs, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead recruiting, staffing, issue resolution, and daily operational decision-making.
• Monitor KPIs including safety, staffing, on-time performance, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Leadership & Culture

• Build a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Coach employees, manage performance, resolve conflict, and strengthen communication.
• Foster strong relationships with school districts, customers, and community partners.

Candidate Profile

Required Competencies

• Leadership, coaching, employee development, and people management.
• Strong operational discipline, organization, problem-solving, and sound judgment under pressure.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, customer service, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Proficiency with routing, payroll, and dispatch systems.
• Strong understanding of safety regulations and DOT compliance.
• Business development mindset with the ability to build relationships, identify growth opportunities, and support sales initiatives.
• Comfortable representing GO Riteway in customer meetings, networking events, and community engagement activities.
• Entrepreneurial, market-focused approach with a willingness to contribute beyond day-to-day operations.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of management experience in transportation, logistics, school operations, hospitality, or a related field.
• Associate''s or Bachelor''s degree preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements.

About GO Riteway

• GO Riteway Transportation provides safe, reliable, and professional transportation services for school districts, corporate clients, and communities across multiple markets.

Why This Role Matters

• This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for delivering safe, reliable transportation services while building a high-performing terminal team. In addition to operational excellence, this leader will help grow GO Riteway''s presence in the Fort Wayne market by strengthening customer relationships, supporting business development efforts, and identifying opportunities for long-term expansion.