Director Of Lab Operations Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

ABOUT FLEETPULSE
FleetPulse is transforming the trailer industry by turning millions of analog trailers into smart, data-driven assets. Originally incubated inside Great Dane, one of North America's largest trailer OEMs, FleetPulse has leveraged this foundation to build an unrivaled distribution advantage: our telematics hardware now comes factory-installed on tens of thousands of new trailers.
But hardware is just the starting point. Our SaaS platform ingests rich telematics data (location, utilization, and health diagnostics) and applies AI and analytics to surface actionable insights that help fleets reduce cargo theft, improve trailer utilization, optimize yard operations, and boost ROI on every trailer.
Telematics on trailers is still in its early innings. Less than 20% of the 4M+ trailers in the U.S. are connected today, and FleetPulse is building the application layer fleets rely on to run their trailer operations. With strong investor backing, major OEM distribution partnerships, and a fast-growing installed base, FleetPulse is on a steep growth trajectory.
MISSION OF THE ROLE
FleetPulse's Operations function is at an inflection point. Ramping several large enterprise rollouts exposed where our current processes break as they scale, and a growing base of enterprise customers has raised the bar on what Operations has to deliver. These accounts hold us to a higher standard: they will not tolerate slow RMAs, and they expect trailers that do not require re-testing. We are hiring a Director of Operations to own Hardware & Field Operations end to end, the area where the gap between where we are and where we need to be is apparent.
This is a build role. The telematics devices and pipelines have to perform to the highest standard, and when they don't, we know and take action right away. We have opportunities to improve our real-time alerting and monitoring and to systematically streamline installations. You will level up uptime monitoring and alerting, own the install and troubleshooting experience for customers and OEM partners, and carry full accountability for device uptime across a fast-growing installed base.
You will report to the VP of Operations and partner closely with the leader who owns Support. The right person thrives in ambiguity, holds strong opinions about how field operations should run, and brings the hands-on orientation to build it themselves rather than only directing others. You will inherit a lean setup and leave it materially more capable.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Uptime Monitoring & Proactive Detection
• Stand up dashboards and alerting that surface device reporting disruptions at the cohort level, so a group of devices going quiet triggers an alert to us before a customer is impacted.
• Define device uptime as a measurable, owned metric; establish baselines and targets and report against them on a consistent, predictable cadence.
• Build the triage and escalation process for disruptions: who gets alerted, how fast we respond, and how resolution is tracked to close.
• Partner with Engineering to distinguish device, network, and platform failures and route each to the right owner and fix.
Installation & Field Experience
• Own the end-to-end install experience for customers and OEM partners, making FleetPulse the easiest telematics device to install and live with.
• Institute bench testing & first article inspection best-practices.
• Iterate on install guides and documentation based on what actually trips up technicians in the field.
• Reduce install variability so the quality of an install does not depend on who performs it.
Troubleshooting & Partner Support
• Own the troubleshooting experience for field-installed devices and give customers and OEM partners a fast, clear path to resolution.
• Build an RMA and re-test process that meets enterprise service expectations, starting with the requirements of our largest enterprise accounts.
• Feed field learnings to the Support owner so recurring issues are traced to a root cause rather than resolved one at a time.
Cross-Functional Partnership
• Partner with Supply Chain to align device readiness, RMA flow, and install scheduling with inventory and PO visibility.
• Work with the Support lead to close the loop between field issues and recurring-ticket root causes.
• Serve as Engineering and Product's clearest signal on what is failing in the field and what to prioritize.
• Set Hardware & Field Operations OKRs with the Head of Operations, own the targets behind them, and review progress quarterly.
OUTCOMES (PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES)
First 30 Days
• Immerse in the business: understand the installed base, OEM partners, and key enterprise accounts, and how devices are installed and monitored today. Build strong working relationships with the VP of Operations, the Support lead, Engineering, and the CEO.
• Audit the current state: map how device disruptions are detected today, how installs happen, and where the largest uptime and install-quality gaps sit. Use recent learnings as starting points.
• Deliver a clear-eyed assessment of the top uptime and installation risks with a prioritized plan and quick wins.
• Propose the first version of improved uptime monitoring: what to measure, how to alert, and what "good" looks like.
First 60 Days
• Stand up a first working uptime dashboard and alerting for at least one major cohort, so quiet devices are caught proactively rather than by accident.
• Establish a troubleshooting and RMA process that meets enterprise expectations, beginning with our largest enterprise accounts.
• Set Hardware & Field Operations OKRs with the Head of Operations and begin reporting against them.
• Institute bench testing for new devices and ship an updated install guide informed by field feedback.
First 90 Days
• Uptime monitoring live across the installed base with defined baselines, targets, and a recurring report to leadership.
• A documented, repeatable install and troubleshooting playbook in use by customers and OEM partners.
• A measurable reduction in install defects and in time-to-detection for device disruptions versus the starting baseline.
• Present a 6-month Hardware & Field Operations roadmap to the Head of Operations: what you have built, what is next, and where the function needs to go as the installed base scales.
COMPETENCIES (SKILLS & BEHAVIORS)
• Hands-On Systems Builder: Comfortable standing up monitoring, alerting, and process where none exists today; builds it themselves rather than only directing others.
• Proactive Operator: Instinctively works to catch problems before customers do and treats "we found out by accident" as unacceptable.
• Field & Hardware Fluency: Understands how physical devices behave in the real world across install, failure modes, and RMA, and knows how to make them easy to live with.
• Analytical Rigor: Can work through device, network, and platform data to identify what is driving disruptions and communicate it clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Enterprise-Grade Standard: Understands what large enterprise accounts expect from a vendor and holds the function to that bar without letting perfect be the enemy of good.
• Cross-Functional Partner: Works cleanly across Supply Chain, Support, Engineering, and Product, sharing ownership without turf.
CULTURAL FIT
• "Let's figure it out!!" attitude, with a bias for action and relentless problem-solving
• Builder mentality, energized by creating structure and process where there isn't any yet
• Humble, low-ego, curious, and resilient
• Energized by ambiguity and motivated by hard problems and real ownership
• Resonates with FleetPulse's mission to unlock the full profit potential of every trailer
• Deep care about quality, reliability, and doing things right the first time
• Fits into a fast-moving, collaborative culture that values debate, accountability, and kindness
WHY JOIN FLEETPULSE
• Step into a high-leverage, first-in-seat operations role and build the function in the area where FleetPulse has the most to gain.
• Report directly to the head of Operations with full context on strategy, customers, and roadmap, close to the decisions that matter.
• Strong investor backing and major OEM distribution partnerships put FleetPulse on a steep growth trajectory.
• Work with a team that moves fast, balances ambition with sustainability, and makes room for diverse perspectives.
• Real ownership: you will set the direction for how field operations work at FleetPulse for years to come.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• 5+ years in operations, field or hardware operations, or technical program and support management, ideally in IoT, telematics, connected hardware, or a hardware-plus-SaaS environment.
• Direct experience standing up monitoring, alerting, or uptime and reliability processes for a fleet of physical devices.
• Ideally experience owning installation, field service, or RMA processes with customers or channel and OEM partners.
• Very comfortable using AI to accelerate progress.
• Comfort using data and dashboards to manage device health; SQL or BI-tool familiarity a plus.
• Prior experience in a fast-moving, resource-constrained, high-growth company, ideally SaaS or technology.
• Track record supporting enterprise customers and meeting their service-level expectations.
• Based in Chicago, IL.
Does this sound like you? We'd love to learn more.