Director of Operations

Director of Operations

ABBA Project Management · Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) San Diego, CA (hybrid) · Travel to project sites as required

Salary: $150,000 – $175,000 per year, plus annual bonus tied to company performance

About ABBA

ABBA Project Management is a veteran-founded SDVOSB that delivers construction project management, labor compliance, and parking and transportation operations for public agencies. Our clients include federal agencies, airports, school and community college districts, ports, and transit authorities. We are founder-led, growing fast, and entering new states and new markets. We need an operator who can help us get there without losing what our clients value most: people who answer the phone, own the problem, and deliver.

The Role

The Director of Operations runs ABBA's day-to-day business and reports directly to the CEO. You will own delivery across all active contracts, lead our project and field teams, and build the systems that let ABBA grow from a founder-run company into a scalable one.

Customer service comes first. Our clients are contracting officers, CORs, program managers, and agency leaders. They remember how we made them feel as much as what we built. You will set the standard for responsiveness, communication, and follow-through at every level of the company — and you will personally hold the key client relationships on our largest contracts.

What You Will Do

Client Experience

• Serve as the senior point of contact for clients across active contracts; build trust with contracting officers, CORs, and agency program leads.
• Set and enforce customer service standards: response times, reporting cadence, escalation paths, and issue resolution.
• Run regular client check-ins and monthly performance reporting; find and fix problems before the client does.
• Drive strong CPARS, PPQs, and client references by managing performance and documentation from day one of each contract.

Operations and Delivery

• Oversee delivery of all construction management, labor compliance, and parking operations contracts — schedule, budget, quality, and safety.
• Lead project managers, site supervisors, and compliance staff; hire, train, coach, and hold them accountable.
• Manage subcontractor and teaming partner performance.
• Own contract administration discipline: modifications, requests for equitable adjustment (REAs), deliverables, and close-out.
• Oversee accounts payable and accounts receivable, including contract invoicing and collections, so cash flow keeps pace with growth.

Scaling the Company

• Build the processes, SOPs, reporting tools, and org structure that let ABBA grow without everything running through the CEO.
• Lead mobilization of new contracts, including in new states and new regions.
• Develop operating budgets, track margins by contract, and report KPIs to the CEO.
• Support business development with operational input on proposals, pricing, staffing plans, and mobilization plans.

What You Bring

Required

• 10+ years of progressive operations or project leadership experience in construction, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Direct experience delivering government construction work — federal, state, or local public agencies (airports, schools, military, VA, transit, public works, or similar).
• A track record of putting the customer first, with examples of client relationships you built, saved, or grew.
• Demonstrated experience helping a company scale — growing revenue, headcount, contract volume, or geographic footprint — and building the systems to support that growth. Be ready to tell us what you built and what the numbers looked like before and after.
• Strong people leader who can manage both office and field teams.
• Clear, direct communicator in writing and in person, with CEOs, contracting officers, and field crews alike.
• Comfort with budgets, schedules, and contract terms.

Strongly Preferred

• Federal contracting experience: FAR-based contracts, CORs and contracting officers, CPARS, modifications, and REAs.
• Labor compliance knowledge: prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon, certified payroll, project labor agreements (PLAs), and California public works requirements.
• Affordable housing development or construction experience, including public funding and compliance requirements.
• Parking management or transportation operations experience.
• Multi-state growth experience: licensing, staffing, and standing up operations in new states.
• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business, or related field (equivalent experience considered).
• PMP, DBIA, CCM, or similar credential.
• Military service or experience working with the military.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary: $150,000 – $175,000 , based on experience.
• Annual performance bonus tied to company performance.

Why ABBA

You will be the second leader in the company, with real authority and a direct line to the CEO. Your career and your pay can grow as fast as the company does. As we add contracts, people and states, this role gets bigger, and the bonus is tied to how the company performs.

The work matters too. We help veterans get to their appointments at VA medical centers, and we make sure the people building airports, schools and transit lines are paid what they are owed. If you want to build something and grow with it, this is the job.