Operations Manager

WM (Waste Management); Spartanburg (SC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Short-term disability

Stock purchase plan

401(k) match

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Personal days

Job summary

WM (Waste Management) is seeking an Operations Manager–Trainee style role based in Spartanburg, SC. The position focuses on onboarding, developing, coaching, and managing performance of drivers and helpers, with the manager spending most days in the field and starting early to support operations.

The role emphasizes safety, field leadership, and implementation of WM Way with a team of 15–20 drivers, requiring strong communication and problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in frontline workforce development and performance management.
• Ability to mentor and coach drivers and helpers.
• Strong focus on safety and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Onboard, develop, coach, mentor, and manage performance of drivers and helpers.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with frontline employees.
• Spend significant time in the field with the team to lead operations.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Safety

Education

Associate's Degree

High School Diploma

Job description

I. Job Summary

This role is responsible for Onboarding, Developing, Coaching, Mentoring, and Performance Management of all drivers and helpers. Establish and maintain positive relationships with all front-line employees. Spends the majority of the day in the field with frontline employees. This role supports frontline drivers as the first level of management. The Operations Manager oversees a team of 15-20 drivers and spends 80% of their time in the field with their team. This role begins around 4am with a 5am launch.

II. Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensuring new frontline employees have tools, instruction, and feedback for successful daily duties
• Meet with new frontline employees daily to ensure consistent communication and support of onboarding
• Provide timely and consistent touchpoints with frontline employees.
• Regular review of best practices to enhance daily performance
• Focus on understanding and progress of frontline employee career goals
• Identify and address improvement opportunities and collaborate with frontline employees to ensure continued success
• Actively practice and seek feedback on coaching conversations.
• Lead by example to ensure safety practices are paramount with each employee and
• Teaching and developing an understanding of the WM Way
• Conducts Root Cause Investigations for all injuries and incidents, ensuring consistent discipline and retraining.
• Documents and maintains records required by regulatory agencies such as the Department of Transportation.
• Reviews and audits documentation related to route operations daily (e.g., DVIRs, driver time and attendance, open tickets), following up where appropriate.
• Visits customers and customer sites to evaluate and resolve safety issues, seeking service alternatives where appropriate.

III. Qualifications

A. Required Qualifications

• Associate's Degree (accredited) or in lieu of a degree,
• High School Diploma (accredited) and two (2) years of relevant work experience.
• Must be at least 18 years of age and
• Legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located
• Driver's License Valid Driver's License Upon Hire

B. Preferred Qualifications

• Successful completion of the WM Operations Manager Trainee program

IV. Physical Requirements

Listed below are key points regarding physical demands, physical and occupational risks, and the work environment of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Combination: This job operates in a mix between an office environment and plant/field environment and routinely requires the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, etc.

V. Benefits

At WM, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package that includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short-term disability. In addition, we offer a stock purchase plan, company matching on a 401(k), and more. Employees also receive paid vacation, holidays, and personal days. Please note that benefits may vary by site.