Operations Manager - Janitorial Services at The Kennedy Collective Inc – Trumbull, Connecticut

THE KENNEDY COLLECTIVE

Operations Manager, Janitorial Services

Job Title:

Operations Manager, Janitorial Services

Department:

Enterprise (Social Enterprises)

Reports To:

Division Chief, Enterprise

Work Location:

Trumbull, CT (CT / RI / PA)

Position Level:

C — Operational Management

Work Schedule:

M-F, 40-hr exempt; variable 6am-9pm

FLSA Classification:

Exempt

Direct Reports:

11

Compensation Range:

$71,018 - $82,170 annually

About The Kennedy Collective

The Kennedy Collective is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), veterans, and individuals facing barriers to employment. TKC operates across Southern Connecticut through five divisions: Administration, Program Services, Social Enterprises, Workforce Development, and Mobility Services; providing person-centered residential, day program, employment, and community integration services alongside social enterprise businesses that generate mission-aligned revenue. TKC believes in building high-performing teams, continuous quality improvement, and creating real opportunity for the people it serves and the communities it operates in.

Across every division, from residential programs and clinical supports to social enterprises, workforce development, and mobility services, TKC delivers with purpose, precision, and uncompromising professionalism. Every role here powers a mission that changes lives. This is not just a job. This is work that matters, delivered by people who mean it.

Position Summary

The Operations Manager, Janitorial Services owns the full performance of TKC's janitorial line of business across Connecticut state and commercial accounts and federal contracts in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. This role carries full P&L responsibility for a $1.5M operation, directly supervises 11 leaders, and stands accountable for the productivity, quality, safety, and profitability of a 49-person workforce that includes individuals with disabilities, veterans, and community members. As TKC's on-the-ground representative, the Operations Manager is accountable for the quality and consistency of service delivery, understanding that every contract is a direct reflection of each customer's reputation with their own stakeholders. The role operates to ISSA CIMS-GB Cleaning Management standards and drives a quality-first culture where the work is done right, not simply checked off.

Reporting Structure

• Reports To: Division Chief, Enterprise (Social Enterprises)
• Direct Reports: 11 (Assistant Managers, Crew Supervisors, Leads)

Leadership and Team Scope

• 11 direct reports including Assistant Managers and Crew Supervisors across three states
• 49 total employees in the operation, including front-line janitorial workers and individuals served through TKC's workforce mission
• Hiring, discipline, performance management, scheduling, and development authority for the full team, in partnership with HR

Budget Authority

• Full P&L ownership of the Janitorial Services line of business
• Current revenue base: $1.5M annually
• Authority over quoting, pricing, staffing, scheduling, supply purchasing, and subcontractor spend within approved limits

Location and Work Schedule

• Primary operating footprint: Connecticut (state and commercial accounts), Rhode Island (federal contract, Newport), Pennsylvania (federal contract, Fairview)
• Schedule: Monday through Friday, 40-hour exempt workweek, with hours extending until crews complete the day's scope and customer standards are met
• This role operates across a variable schedule spanning 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to align with and support team members across all active shifts
• Travel between CT, RI, and PA sites required; must be able to respond to on-site escalations

Compensation

• $71,018 - $82,170 annually, commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits including 4% matching 401(k), paid vacation, and paid sick time

Key Accountabilities

• Own full P&L for the janitorial line of business. Restore the operation to profitability through disciplined quoting, pricing, cost control, and margin management.
• Direct a multi-state operation spanning CT, RI, and PA. Meet or exceed every contractual specification, service-level standard, and customer quality expectation on state, commercial, and federal accounts.
• Operate to ISSA CIMS-GB Cleaning Management standards across quality management, service delivery, inspections and corrective action, training, health/safety/environmental, supplier management, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with HR to keep the operation fully staffed. Drive recruitment, selection, and retention with urgency, with priority on any open positions that place customer quality or contract compliance at risk.
• Build and execute a succession plan for supervisory staff. Identify high performers, reward them, develop them into leaders rather than task managers, and create a visible career path from front-line janitor to Lead to Supervisor to Assistant Manager.
• Quote, price, and close new work using TKC's quoting technology. Price every job for maximum sustainable margin without sacrificing quality or realistic labor load.
• Lead quality assurance and quality control cycles on every site. Conduct inspections, drive corrective action to closure, and hold supervisors accountable for sustained standards between inspections.
• Understand and optimize the productivity output of a workforce that includes individuals with disabilities. Build schedules, crew assignments, and training that deliver customer standards and advance the individuals in the workforce.
• Own cost-effective purchasing, inventory control, and supply chain for all contracts. Eliminate waste and shrinkage.
• Ensure full compliance with OSHA, Service Contract Labor Standards on applicable federal contracts, customer site security requirements, and all TKC safety policies.
• Represent TKC to every customer as its primary point of contact and public representative.

Role Expectations and Deliverables

Core Expectations

• Responsiveness: acknowledge customer, direct report, and leadership communications same business day.
• Data integrity: every quote, schedule, inventory count, and performance report is accurate and verifiable.
• Quality commitment: the standard is done right, not done fast. No checked boxes without the work behind them.
• Staff accountability: hold supervisors to their numbers, their schedules, and their people development obligations.
• Compliance posture: zero tolerance for OSHA, Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS), or contract specification drift.

Daily

• Review overnight and early-shift contract completion status across CT, RI, and PA.
• Field and resolve customer escalations; close the loop in writing.
• Check in with on-call leaders; redirect crews as needed to meet specifications.
• Monitor labor hours against budgeted hours by contract.

Weekly

• Hold a structured leadership huddle with all direct reports covering quality, safety, staffing, and customer issues.
• Walk at least one site per region (CT, RI, PA) on a rotating basis; document findings and corrective actions.
• Review open vacancies, interviews in progress, and time-to-fill with HR.
• Review quoting pipeline and pricing on any quote above the approval threshold.

Monthly

• Close the month financially: revenue, direct labor, supplies, subcontract, overhead, and contribution margin by contract.
• Conduct formal CIMS-GB-aligned inspection cycle on a defined subset of sites; log corrective actions and verify closure from prior month.
• Supervision cycle: documented 1:1 with each direct report covering performance, development, and succession readiness.
• Submit operations report to Division Chief: financial performance, customer health, staffing, safety, and top risks.

Quarterly

• Full budget variance review against annual plan; reforecast where needed.
• Performance evaluations for direct reports; update succession bench and high-performer list.
• Customer business reviews with top state, commercial, and federal accounts.
• Training plan refresh for all staff aligned to CIMS-GB training domain.

Competencies

Ethics and Integrity: Holds the line on quality, safety, and financial reporting without exception.

P&L Ownership: Reads the numbers, acts on the numbers, protects margin.

Planning and Organizing: Orchestrates multi-state operations, crews, schedules, and customer commitments without dropped handoffs.

Leadership and People Development: Builds supervisors into leaders; builds front-line workers into supervisors.

Qualifications

Required

• Demonstrated past performance in janitorial services operations.
• Direct supervision of at least 6 direct reports who worked in multiple cities or sites, with documented results.
• Full P&L ownership experience, or demonstrated ownership of pricing, labor cost, and margin on a book of contracts.
• Proven ability to quote, price, and close janitorial work using quoting and estimating technology, with a track record of pricing for profit.
• Commitment to high quality as a standard, not a checklist; ability to cite specific examples of driving sustained quality improvement.
• Willingness and ability to learn and optimize the productivity output of a workforce that includes individuals with disabilities.
• Valid driver's license, satisfactory driving record, and willingness to travel regularly among CT, RI, and PA sites.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, quoting and estimating software, and general operational technology platforms.
• Clear written and verbal communication with customers, staff, and leadership.
• Equivalent experience considered in place of formal degree requirements.

Preferred

• ISSA CIMS Certified Expert (CCE) or demonstrated working knowledge of CIMS-GB Operations Manager domains or Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM).
• Prior experience managing a federal contract under Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS/SCA).
• Experience in a social enterprise, AbilityOne, or mission-driven commercial services environment.
• Experience building career-ladder programs that promote front-line workers into supervisory roles.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move weights up to 25 lbs. on a constant basis and up to 60 lbs. on an occasional basis when supporting crews on-site.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and climb during site inspections and hands-on coverage.
• Fine motor coordination sufficient to handle janitorial equipment and small hand tools.
• Ability to work across varied indoor and outdoor environments, weather conditions, and customer facilities, including federal sites with security requirements.
• Ability to drive and travel between sites in CT, RI, and PA, including occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends to meet customer or emergency needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate our employees and are committed to creating a growth-oriented environment for all.

Scope and Right to Modify

A. Acknowledgment of Scope and Right to Modify. The employee acknowledges that this job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or Key Accountabilities required of this position, nor is it a contract of employment. Duties, responsibilities, and Key Accountabilities may change at any time, with or without notice, and The Kennedy Collective reserves the sole and exclusive right to add, remove, or modify any roles, responsibilities, or requirements as it deems necessary to ensure successful operational impact. The employee agrees to perform other duties as assigned.

B. Work Location. The employee acknowledges that The Kennedy Collective operates across multiple sites and programs, and that business or operational needs may require the employee to report to, travel between, or be reassigned to different work locations during the course of an assigned shift. The Kennedy Collective reserves the right to change or adjust the employee's work location at any time, with or without advance notice, and the employee agrees to report to and perform duties at such location(s) as directed by management.