Senior Operations Manager

West Coast Bus Charters; Perth; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct access to Director

Career development opportunities

Competitive salary package

Job summary

West Coast Bus Charters, based in Malaga, WA, invites an experienced Senior Operations Manager to lead day-to-day operations, optimize scheduling, and drive performance across a fleet of about 100 buses. You will own people leadership, safety, service delivery and cost control, reporting to the Director and shaping the next phase of operational improvement.

You will manage the Operations and Scheduling team, coordinate drivers and vehicles, oversee compliance, and partner with Sales & Growth to

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in passenger transport or high-volume services.
• Minimum 3+ years in a senior operations management role.
• Experience with frontline workforce management and rostering.
• Strong cost awareness and ability to improve productivity.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Operations and Scheduling team and oversee forward scheduling.
• Coordinate drivers, vehicles and resources for contracted work and charters.
• Manage disruptions, escalations and service recovery to maintain performance.
• Work with Workshop on fleet availability and servicing planning.
• Partner with Sales & Growth to ensure profitable delivery of work.
• Maintain safety, compliance and SBS/PTA reporting requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Scheduling

Rostering

Resource planning

Stakeholder management

Commercial awareness

Problem solving

People management

Decision making

Safety compliance

Tools

CMS scheduling system

Microsoft Office

Fleet management systems

Job description

Lead the operation. Drive performance. Make an impact.

West Coast Bus Charters is one of Western Australia’s leading passenger transport providers, operating a modern fleet of approximately 100 buses and coaches across four depots.

From contracted school services and private charters through to corporate transport, major events and large-scale movements, our operation is busy, diverse and continuing to grow.

We are now looking for an experienced Senior Operations Manager to take ownership of our day-to-day operation and lead the next stage of operational improvement across the business.

Based at our Malaga head office and reporting directly to the Director, this is a genuine senior leadership position with responsibility across people, fleet, service delivery, compliance, cost control and operational performance.

This is not a role for someone who wants to manage from the sidelines.

We are looking for a practical, commercially minded leader who enjoys being close to the operation, developing people, solving problems and making sure the business is prepared not only for today, but for what is coming next.

The Opportunity

You will lead our Operations and Scheduling function and play a key role in ensuring hundreds of daily transport movements are delivered safely, reliably and efficiently.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leading, supporting and developing the Operations and Scheduling team

Overseeing forward scheduling of contracted services, charters and booked work

Ensuring the effective allocation of drivers, vehicles and operational resources

Planning ahead for high-demand periods and identifying resource gaps before they impact service delivery

Managing operational disruptions, escalations and service recovery

Working closely with the Workshop Manager on fleet availability, servicing and planned downtime

Partnering with Sales & Growth to ensure new and existing work can be delivered efficiently and profitably

Utilising our CMS scheduling and fleet management system to optimise resources and maintain accurate operational information

Maintaining appropriate driver and operational staffing levels

Managing planned leave, absenteeism and workforce availability

Supporting recruitment, onboarding, training and performance management

Building a strong, accountable and engaged operational culture

Managing service complaints, incidents, investigations and corrective actions

Maintaining strong relationships with schools, clients, subcontractors and government stakeholders

Overseeing relevant SBS/PTA reporting, compliance and audit requirements

Maintaining high safety and compliance standards across the operation

Overseeing depot standards, facilities and operational equipment

Ensuring fleet presentation and cleaning standards are maintained

Monitoring driver hours, overtime and labour utilisation

Reviewing subcontractor usage and associated costs

Monitoring key operating costs including wages and fuel

Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, fleet utilisation and operational efficiency

Supporting management with pricing, margins and operational profitability

Continually improving operational systems, processes and procedures.

What Success Looks Like

You will know what is happening across the operation and have your team looking ahead rather than continually reacting.

You will understand:

What needs to happen today

Whether tomorrow is fully resourced

Where the pressure points are next week

What vehicles are available and what is coming off the road

Where driver hours or overtime can be better managed

Whether upcoming work is appropriately staffed

Which issues require action before they become customer problems.

You will create clear accountability across people, vehicles, costs and service delivery, while building a culture where communication, planning and follow-through are expected.

About You

You are an experienced operational leader who is comfortable making decisions, holding people accountable and taking responsibility for outcomes.

You will ideally bring:

Minimum 3+ years’ experience in a senior operations management role

Experience within passenger transport, charter, logistics, fleet or another high-volume service environment

Strong leadership and people management experience

Experience managing a sizeable frontline workforce

Strong scheduling, rostering and resource-planning capability

Commercial awareness and a good understanding of labour and operating costs

Demonstrated ability to improve workforce and fleet utilisation

Strong customer and stakeholder management skills

Experience managing incidents, complaints and performance matters

Strong problem-solving skills and sound judgement under pressure

The ability to balance immediate operational demands with forward planning

Strong computer literacy, including Microsoft Office and operational management systems

A proactive, organised and accountable approach to leadership.

Passenger transport experience will be highly regarded; however, we are also keen to hear from strong operational leaders within logistics, fleet management, mining services, aviation ground operations, distribution and similar high-volume environments.

A current HR licence and Passenger Transport Driver authorisation would be advantageous, together with a Working with Children Check and First Aid/CPR certification, or a willingness to obtain these.

The successful candidate should also be willing and capable of assisting with driving duties where genuinely required to support the operation.

Due to the nature of passenger transport, some after-hours and weekend availability will also be required for significant operational matters.

Why West Coast Bus Charters?

This is an opportunity to take on a genuine leadership role in a substantial and growing transport operation.

You will have:

Direct access to and support from the Director

Genuine ownership of the day-to-day operation

Responsibility across a fleet of approximately 100 buses and coaches

The opportunity to lead and develop a large operational workforce

The ability to influence systems, processes and how the business operates

A role where strong performance and ideas can make a visible difference

A competitive senior management salary package

Opportunity for ongoing professional and career development.

We are looking for someone who doesn't simply identify operational problems — they take ownership of solving them.

If you are a strong people leader, commercially minded operator and enjoy the challenge of running a fast-moving transport business, we would like to hear from you.

West Coast Bus Charters is dedicated to providing top-quality bus charter and school run services across Western Australia. Our unwavering commitment to safety, dependability, and customer satisfaction has made us a trusted name in transportation.

West Coast Bus Charters is dedicated to providing top-quality bus charter and school run services across Western Australia. Our unwavering commitment to safety, dependability, and customer satisfaction has made us a trusted name in transportation.

What can I earn as an Operations Manager