Director of Operations — Laurel Innovations
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About Laurel Innovations
Laurel powers next-generation race timing, live tracking, and storytelling for the industry's most forward-thinking endurance events. Trusted by over 500 races nationwide this year – from fast-growing regional events to 30,000+ participant marquee events – Laurel supports leading races including Bay to Breakers, Surf City Marathon, 2XU Long Beach Marathon, Boston 10K for Women, and many more.
With hundreds of checkpoints throughout the course – delivering tracking updates as frequently as every quarter mile – fully white-labeled, top-rated race apps, real-time athlete tracking, and rich performance analytics, Laurel transforms race day from a simple results service into a dynamic, data-driven storytelling platform. From broadcast-ready data feeds to safety visibility and post-race insights, Laurel equips organizers, sponsors, and athletes with the intelligence to elevate the entire endurance experience.
Role Summary
The Director of Operations is a senior leadership role at Laurel Innovations – one that goes well beyond traditional operations management. This person will serve as a true company operator and thought partner to executive leadership, helping run the business across a wide range of functions. They will own operational excellence across 500+ partner races nationwide while simultaneously driving performance across HR and payroll, procurement, vendor relations, customer service, investor relations, warehouse processes, sales pricing and processes, marketing coordination, and travel logistics.
This is a role for someone who leads with humility and accountability – someone who genuinely listens to their team, takes concerns seriously, and follows through with meaningful action. The ideal candidate is highly self-directed, brings formal management training, and thrives in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where no two days look the same.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
Own the full operations lifecycle for all Laurel-timed and technology-supported events – from planning to race-day execution to post-event reporting.
Establish and refine systems, SOPs, and workflows to ensure consistent, scalable, best-in-class service delivery across all events.
Oversee warehouse processes, equipment procurement, and asset lifecycle management to support event readiness.
Manage travel logistics for field staff and on-site event teams.
Team Management & HR
Oversee, develop, and mentor the Operations Team, including Project Managers, On-Site Leads, and Timing Staff.
Lead hiring, onboarding, and training programs to build a deep and reliable roster of timing professionals.
Manage labor assignments for all events, ensuring proper staffing levels, equitable workloads, and optimal resource allocation.
Own HR functions including payroll administration, compliance, employee relations, and performance management.
Serve as a trusted, approachable leader who actively listens to team concerns and drives meaningful progress in response – creating a culture of psychological safety, accountability, and growth.
Project Management Oversight
Directly supervise Project Managers and Timers to ensure timelines, deliverables, setup needs, and client expectations are met.
Implement project management tools and processes to drive accountability and visibility across all active events.
Oversee light production process management to coordinate cross-functional workstreams and ensure smooth execution.
Client Experience & Customer Service
Serve as the operational point of escalation for our largest partners and marquee events.
Monitor client feedback and proactively address issues to maintain Laurel's industry-leading reputation.
Drive improvement plans in response to client NPS, feedback, and operational reviews.
Lead customer service standards and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience across all client touchpoints.
Cross-Functional & Executive Partnership
Collaborate with Engineering and Product teams to test, roll out, and operationalize new Laurel AI and timing features.
Work closely with Sales to support pre-sales scoping, pricing strategy, proposal development, and post-sale implementation.
Partner with Finance and Executive Leadership on budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning.
Support investor relations activities including reporting, communications, and materials preparation as needed.
Contribute to marketing initiatives, including event presence, client case studies, and brand storytelling in coordination with the team.
Financial & Vendor Performance
Own the operations budget, event labor forecasting, equipment allocation, and vendor relationships.
Lead procurement processes and manage supplier relationships to ensure quality, cost-efficiency, and reliability.
Identify inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Primary KPIs
Client NPS Score (North Star Metric)
Overall Client Satisfaction & Retention
On-Time Delivery of Project Milestones and Deployments
Staffing Readiness & Labor Utilization Efficiency
Payroll Accuracy & HR Compliance
Budget Adherence & Cost Reduction Targets
Ideal Candidate
5–10+ years of operations leadership experience, ideally in endurance sports, live events, logistics, SaaS, or technology-enabled services.
Formal management training with a proven track record of developing high-performing teams and fostering a healthy, inclusive team culture.
Experience owning HR and payroll functions, with strong knowledge of compliance, labor regulations, and people operations best practices.
Hands-on experience with procurement, vendor management, and budget ownership.
Highly self-directed and comfortable operating with significant autonomy across multiple functions simultaneously.
Exceptional listener and communicator – someone who hears team concerns, takes them seriously, and drives real progress to address them.
Strong problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment with competing priorities. xsgimln
Passion for endurance sports and building industry-defining race technology is a strong plus.
Compensation & Benefits
$80,000 - $95,000 (inclusive of health benefits)
Equity stock option compensation
401(k) with company matching
Employee discount
Unlimited paid time off
Work location: In person / Hybrid
