Vice President, Business Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Vice President, Business Operations

Location: Dayton, OH area

Reports to: Founding Member & Sr. Technical Director and President

About Our Client

Our client is dedicated to providing the highest quality of services to our clients and employees, and is a strategic partner to leading organizations across the aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and commercial industries. As a growing organization with expanding capabilities and affiliated companies, our client is seeking an experienced executive leader to oversee and optimize business operations across the enterprise.

Position Summary

The Vice President, Business Operations is a senior executive responsible for leading, managing, and directing the business operations of the Company and its affiliated companies, including operations executed through third-party providers. Reporting to the Founder and President, the VP, Business Operations provides enterprise-level leadership across the organization's core business processes and operational functions. This position establishes scalable operating systems, improves organizational efficiency, manages resources, strengthens internal controls, and aligns business operations with the Company's strategic objectives, ensuring the management, systems, process, and policy controls needed for effective operations are established, documented, consistently executed, and continuously improved. The VP ensures significant business decisions are supported by appropriate research, documented requirements, and objective evidence, including interpreting contract language, regulations, standards, and accounting requirements and translating them into clear, executable direction. The position maintains accountability for assigned functions regardless of whether performed internally or through third-party providers.

Key ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Operations & Process Optimization

• Lead, manage, and direct business operations across the Company and its affiliated companies, translating executive strategy into measurable operational objectives and execution plans.
• Design, implement, standardize, and continuously improve scalable business systems and processes to increase productivity, reduce costs, and support growth.
• Establish management, systems, process, and policy controls as the baseline for core business operations, with clear process ownership and accountability.
• Identify operational inefficiencies, control gaps, and bottlenecks, and lead corrective action; coordinate operations performed internally and through third-party providers.

Cross-Functional & Executive Leadership

• Work directly with the Founder and President, executive leadership, directors, managers, and functional leaders to establish and achieve organizational objectives.
• Coordinate activities across Finance, Accounting, Audit, Contracting, Compliance, Program Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, HR, and Business Development.
• Provide leadership and direction to Business Operations managers and personnel, and lead resolution of cross-functional issues affecting organizational performance.
• Support executive leadership on organizational planning, staffing, resource allocation, and business expansion.

Financial & Resource Management

• Partner with executive leadership and Finance to develop and manage budgets, forecasts, financial plans, and resource requirements.
• Support strategic allocation of capital, personnel, and resources; monitor operational expenditures, cost performance, and resource utilization.
• Ensure financial decisions and outcomes are supported by documented analysis, appropriate approvals, and sufficient supporting evidence.

Performance Management & Analysis

• Establish and maintain KPIs, operational metrics, and management reporting to measure business performance.
• Analyze business, financial, and operational data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities, and develop executive-level reporting.
• Establish accountability mechanisms to ensure corrective actions and improvement initiatives are tracked and completed.

Contracting, Compliance & Audit

• Provide executive oversight of business processes supporting contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, NDAs, MSAs, and purchase orders.
• Ensure business operations support applicable FAR, DFARS, DCAA, DCMA, GAAP, contractual, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Support proposal development, pricing, contract negotiations, modifications, and closeout as appropriate.
• Coordinate operational support for DCAA, government, customer, and internal audits, ensuring findings and corrective actions are tracked and closed.
• Ensure business decisions and operational outcomes are audit-ready, with appropriate documentation, approvals, and traceability to applicable requirements.

Organizational, Affiliate & Third-Party Operations

• Support workforce planning, organizational structure, succession planning, and employee development.
• Support the establishment and ongoing operations of the Company's affiliated companies and locations, domestic and international.
• Coordinate operational requirements involving facilities, vendors, professional-service providers, and organizational infrastructure.
• Manage and evaluate third-party providers performing operational functions, maintaining accountability regardless of whether activities are performed internally or externally.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Finance, Operations Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in business operations, program/project management, organizational leadership, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading business operations across multiple functional areas, and developing business processes, operational systems, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated ability to research, analyze, interpret, and apply contractual, regulatory, accounting, and policy requirements, with understanding of audit readiness and evidence-based decision-making.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and resource planning.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, influence stakeholders at all levels, and drive initiatives through completion.
• Strong executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills; ability to travel as required.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree or MBA.
• Experience within aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, engineering services, or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience with federal contracting, FAR/DFARS requirements, and government compliance; familiarity with DCAA and DCMA requirements and audit-ready documentation.
• Working knowledge of GAAP and financial controls; experience implementing or improving ERP, financial, project-management, or compliance systems.
• Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or other relevant professional certification.
• Experience scaling organizations, integrating new business entities, or international business/operational -management experience.

General Expectation

The VP, Business Operations is expected to exercise sound executive judgment and maintain the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, confidentiality, compliance, and customer satisfaction, making data-driven decisions that balance operational performance, financial considerations, customer requirements, risk, and organizational priorities. The role is expected to apply research, critical thinking, and sound judgment to complex business issues, grounding decisions in applicable requirements (DCAA, DCMA, FAR, GAAP, contractual requirements, and the Company's own management, process, system, and policy controls), and to ensure decisions and actions are audit-ready, documented, and supportable.

Core Competencies: Accountability & Execution, Audit Readiness, Business & Financial Acumen, Continuous Improvement, Contract & Regulatory Interpretation, Critical Thinking & Research, Cross-Functional Leadership, Data-Driven Decision Making, Executive Communication, Financial Management, Operational Leadership, Process Optimization, Risk Management, Strategic Thinking, Internal Controls, Evidence-Based Decision Making.

Compensation: $160,000-$200,000 depending on experience.