Director of Operations

About Laurel Innovations

Laurel is an industry-leading race-timing and AI technology platform powering 220+ top races nationwide, including the Boston 10K for Women, Motiv US, Ragnar, Every Woman’s Marathon, and the San Antonio Marathon. Laurel delivers world-class chip timing, live tracking, AI-powered race engagement, and event-day operations for hundreds of thousands of athletes each year. Our mission is to redefine race day with innovation, immersive spectator engagement, modern safety tools, and storytelling that lets athletes relive and share their journey.

Role Summary:
The Director of Operations leads all operational functions at Laurel Innovations, overseeing event delivery, staffing, hiring, project management, client satisfaction, and the execution of Laurel’s timing and technology services across 220+ partner races nationwide. This role is accountable for operational excellence, scalable processes, team performance, and Laurel’s #1 KPI: client satisfaction and NPS.

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.

Team Management & Staffing

• 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.

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.

Client Experience & NPS

• 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.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Collaborate with Engineering and Product teams to test, roll out, and operationalize new Laurel AI and timing features.
• Work closely with Sales, Finance, Executive Leadership to support pre-sales scoping, proposals, and post-sale implementation.

Operational & Financial Performance

• Own the operations budget, event labor forecasting, equipment allocation, and vendor relationships.
• 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

Ideal Candidate

• 5–10+ years of operations leadership experience, ideally in endurance sports, live events, logistics, SaaS, or technology-enabled services.
• Proven experience scaling teams, implementing systems, and driving process improvements.
• Exceptional communicator, problem-solver, and leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
• Passion for endurance sports and building industry-defining race technology is a strong plus.