Director, Operations Strategy & Planning

What we are looking for

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We’re searching for a Director, Operations Strategy & Planning to serve as the operational backbone of Aurora Operations in Dallas. Reporting to Operations SLT, you own three critical mandates: (1) building and running the governance infrastructure that drives execution accountability across Aurora's highest-priority operational programs — setting standards, cadences, and visibility mechanisms that keep senior leadership aligned and decisions moving; (2) leading the Operations pillar of Sales and Operating Plan (S&OP) process that consolidates sales volume forecasts, anticipated customer demand, network capacity, labor plans, route structures, and truck deployment and scheduling inputs into a unified Operations Plan of Record (POR); and (3) owning the operational planning and scheduling systems — including labor planning, route planning, and regulatory compliance tooling — that translate strategy into daily execution.

This role sits at the center of how Aurora Operations thinks, plans, and executes. You translate strategic intent into operational reality — bridging Commercial, Fleet, Supply Chain, Finance, and Product while holding the organization accountable to its commitments. In an industry where operational precision is a safety imperative, not just a performance target, you bring the rigor of a safety-critical aviation environment to every plan, review, and decision you touch. You understand what it means to operate where the margin for error is zero, and you build systems and cultures that reflect that standard.

In this role, you will

Operational Governance & Strategic Program Oversight

• Build and lead Aurora Operations' program governance infrastructure — establishing frameworks, management standards, and operating rhythms across strategic operational programs
• Define and maintain the Operations Plan of Record — a consolidated, living view of program status, milestones, risks, dependencies, and resource commitments across the department
• Drive accountability and decision-making velocity by running structured program reviews with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders
• Identify and proactively surface cross-program risks, conflicts, and blockers; develop mitigation strategies and drive resolution
• Build and standardize tooling, templates, reporting dashboards, and escalation playbooks to create consistent program visibility at every level of the organization
• Partner with Operations leadership to set quarterly and annual program priorities, ensuring alignment between departmental OKRs and on-the-ground execution

Sales & Operating Plan (S&OP) Process Leadership

• Own the end-to-end Operations POR process for Aurora Operations, serving as the process architect, facilitator, and system integrator across functions
• Consolidate inputs from Sales/Commercial (volume commitments, customer demand signals), Operations (fleet availability, truck scheduling, labor capacity, route plans), Finance (cost models, budgets), and Supply Chain (equipment procurement timelines) into a coherent, reconciled operating plan
• Facilitate monthly/quarterly Operation POR review cycles with cross-functional leaders, ensuring decisions are data-driven, clearly documented, and cascaded effectively
• Develop and continuously improve the demand-to-deployment model — translating commercial forecasts into actionable fleet deployment, route assignments, and scheduling plans
• Build scenario models that help leadership evaluate trade-offs across volume growth, truck utilization, lane expansion, labor requirements, and cost-per-mile targets
• Establish leading indicators and lagging metrics that give Operations leadership early warning of plan-vs.-actual divergence and enable proactive replanning

Labor Planning, Route Planning & Scheduling

• Own Aurora's operational labor planning process — forecasting headcount needs by function, location, and time horizon and ensuring labor plans are integrated into the broader S&OP cycle
• Lead route planning strategy, partnering with Fleet and Commercial to develop, evaluate, and optimize lane structures that balance network efficiency, utilization targets, and customer commitments
• Oversee truck and resource scheduling systems, ensuring deployment plans are executable, conflict-free, and resilient to operational disruption
• Build and maintain scheduling infrastructure and tooling that gives operations teams real-time visibility into resource availability, assignments, and utilization across the network
• Drive continuous improvement in planning and scheduling processes, applying structured methodologies drawn from high-reliability operational environments

Compliance Tooling & Regulatory Oversight

• Own the operational compliance framework for Aurora Operations — ensuring planning, scheduling, and deployment processes are designed with regulatory requirements embedded, not bolted on
• Partner with Legal, Safety, and Fleet teams to build and maintain compliance tooling that monitors adherence to federal, state, and customer-specific requirements across hours of service, vehicle certification, route authorization, and operational permitting
• Establish audit-ready documentation standards and compliance reporting cadences that provide leadership and regulators with clear, accurate visibility into operational conformance
• Translate compliance requirements into operational planning constraints, ensuring that route plans, labor schedules, and deployment models reflect the full regulatory envelope within which Aurora operates
• Develop escalation protocols for compliance risk — creating clear triggers, ownership, and resolution pathways before issues become violations

Cross-Functional Partnership & Executive Communication

• Serve as the connective tissue between Operations, Commercial, Fleet, Finance, Product, and Supply Chain — ensuring shared understanding of plans, priorities, and constraints
• Prepare and deliver executive-level communications, board-ready program updates, and operating reviews that synthesize complex data into clear strategic narratives
• Champion a culture of operational transparency and plan fidelity — making it easy for teams to surface problems early and course-correct before they become crises
• Manage and develop a team of program managers and analysts, providing mentorship, coaching, and career development

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in operations planning, strategy, or program leadership, with at least 3–5 years at the director level
• Demonstrated experience building or leading an S&OP process (or equivalent integrated business planning process) at a complex, multi-variable organization
• Direct background in a safety-critical aviation environment — airline operations, MRO, air cargo, aviation OEM, or equivalent — where planning and scheduling decisions carry regulatory weight and zero-fault execution is the standard
• Demonstrated experience with labor planning and workforce scheduling at operational scale — including demand-driven headcount modeling and integration with broader operating plans
• Hands-on experience with route planning, network design, or lane optimization in a fleet, logistics, or transportation context
• Experience owning or implementing compliance tooling and regulatory adherence frameworks in a regulated operating environment
• Track record of leading cross-functional programs at scale in fast-moving technology, logistics, or transportation environments
• Exceptional analytical skills — able to synthesize large, multi-source data sets into clear operational plans and executive-level insights; proficiency with Excel/Google Sheets modeling required
• Proven ability to build governance infrastructure from the ground up: operating cadences, reporting systems, escalation frameworks, and accountability mechanisms
• Outstanding executive communication skills — written and verbal — with experience presenting to C-suite and board-level audiences
• Strong organizational leadership; experience managing, developing, and scaling a team of program managers and/or analysts
• Ability to operate in ambiguous, rapidly scaling environments with strong first-principles thinking and a bias toward action

Desirable Qualifications 

• Direct experience in the autonomous vehicle, trucking, logistics, or freight industry — familiarity with fleet operations, lane economics, or vehicle deployment models is a significant plus
• Experience with scheduling and workforce management platforms (e.g., Workday, Kronos, Blue Yonder, or equivalent) and route optimization tools (e.g., Omnitracs, Samsara, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with DOT, FMCSA, and FAA regulatory frameworks and experience building compliance processes around hours of service, vehicle certification, or operational permitting requirements
• Background in management consulting, operations strategy, or corporate strategy at a high-growth technology company
• Experience with enterprise planning tools (e.g., Anaplan, Salesforce, NetSuite, or similar) and BI/analytics platforms (Tableau, Looker, Sigma)
• Familiarity with OKR-based goal-setting frameworks and experience linking program execution to company-level strategic objectives
• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent program management certification
• MBA or advanced degree in operations management, supply chain, engineering, or a related field

The base salary range for this position is $189,000 - $246,000 per year.  Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.