Del Vacchio Landscapes & Christmas Decor

Operations Manager

Location: West Chester, PA - Local, in-person leadership role

Lead the Field. Build the Systems. Drive Operational Excellence.

For more than 37 years, Del Vacchio Landscapes & Christmas Decor has delivered high-quality landscape, hardscape, outdoor lighting, drainage, enhancement, and seasonal decorating services throughout Chester County and the surrounding area.

As we continue to grow, we are looking for an experienced Operations Manager to take ownership of our field operations and ensure that sold work is produced safely, efficiently, profitably, and to the quality standards our clients expect.

This is a leadership role for someone who can see the whole operation--not just today's schedule. The right person will anticipate problems before they disrupt production, hold people accountable, develop leaders within the field team, improve systems, and make sure our crews have the people, information, materials, equipment, and direction they need to succeed.

The Operations Manager will report directly to the Owner/President and serve as a member of the company's Leadership Team.

What You Will Own

Production & Job

• Own the overall production schedule and allocation of labor, equipment, and resources.
• Develop production plans for recurring services, seasonal work, and one-time projects.
• Ensure jobs are fully prepared before crews are dispatched, including labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, work orders, plans, and other required information.
• Anticipate scheduling, staffing, material, equipment, and logistical challenges before they disrupt production.
• Manage changing priorities while maintaining commitments to clients and the company.
• Ensure a smooth and complete handoff between Sales and Operations.
• Maintain effective communication between Operations, Sales, Finance, HR, and leadership.

Leadership & Accountability

• Lead, manage, and hold the Operations team accountable for performance and results.
• Establish clear expectations and follow through on commitments.
• Lead regular Operations meetings and maintain strong communication throughout the department.
• Coach and develop managers, crew leaders, and field employees.
• Address performance, behavioral, and accountability issues promptly and professionally.
• Help employees grow into positions of increased responsibility.
• Partner with HR on recruiting, hiring, onboarding, performance management, and staffing needs.
• Build a culture centered around teamwork, professionalism, safety, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Financial & Operational Performance

• Take ownership of operational performance against revenue, gross profit, labor, material, and productivity goals.
• Monitor estimated versus actual labor and material performance and identify variances early.
• Manage overtime, rework, waste, and other controllable operational costs.
• Identify underperforming jobs, crews, or processes and implement corrective action.
• Develop and track meaningful operational KPIs and scorecards.
• Assist with operational budgets, forecasts, and manpower projections.
• Maintain a strong understanding of how field execution impacts job profitability.

Quality & Client Experience

• Ensure completed work meets Del Vacchio standards, industry standards, project requirements, and client expectations.
• Establish and maintain effective quality-control processes.
• Conduct jobsite inspections and quality assessments.
• Make sure punch-list items and deficiencies are addressed promptly.
• Handle operational client concerns professionally and ensure issues are brought to resolution.
• Analyze callbacks and rework to identify root causes and prevent recurring problems.

Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Develop, document, implement, and maintain repeatable operational processes.
• Make sure operational systems and software are used consistently and accurately.
• Identify recurring operational problems and solve their root causes rather than repeatedly managing symptoms.
• Use data and measurable results to improve performance.
• Continuously evaluate scheduling, communication, staffing, workflows, and resource allocation.
• Create systems that continue working after they are implemented--not processes that disappear after a few weeks.

Staffing & Resource Planning

• Forecast manpower requirements based on workload and seasonal needs.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels and crew structures.
• Identify recruiting needs before staffing shortages begin affecting production.
• Maintain visibility into upcoming workload and capacity constraints.
• Optimize the allocation of employees, vehicles, equipment, materials, and other resources.

Fleet, Equipment & Inventory

• Ensure company vehicles and equipment are maintained, available, and appropriate for operational needs.
• Maintain systems for preventive maintenance, repairs, inspections, and replacement planning.
• Ensure inventory and materials are properly received, tracked, stored, and accounted for.
• Make sure crews have the equipment and materials required before scheduled production begins.
• Maintain accountability for company vehicles, equipment, tools, and other operational assets.

Safety & Compliance

• Build and maintain a strong safety culture throughout Operations.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate safety training and follow established procedures.
• Maintain compliance with applicable DOT requirements, permits, certifications, regulations, and industry standards.
• Identify unsafe practices and make sure corrective action is taken quickly.

What Success Looks Like

You will know you are succeeding when:

• Crews consistently arrive prepared with the information, materials, equipment, and direction they need.
• Production schedules are realistic, current, and clearly communicated.
• Jobs consistently achieve expected labor, material, quality, and profitability targets.
• Operational problems are anticipated and solved before they become emergencies.
• Quality problems, callbacks, and rework decrease.
• Managers and crew leaders understand what is expected and are held accountable.
• Staffing and resource needs are anticipated rather than reacted to.
• Processes are documented, followed, measured, and continually improved.
• Client concerns are addressed promptly.
• The operation runs effectively without requiring constant day-to-day intervention from the Owner.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of progressive operations or production leadership experience in landscaping, construction, field services, or another multi-crew environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading managers, supervisors, crew leaders, and/or field employees.
• Strong experience with scheduling, resource planning, budgeting, and operational performance management.
• Working knowledge of job costing and the relationship between labor, materials, productivity, and gross profit.
• Ability to manage multiple crews, projects, deadlines, and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to build processes and hold people accountable for following them.
• Comfortable using data and measurable results to make decisions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Landscape and hardscape knowledge is strongly preferred, although exceptional operations leadership experience in a related field will be considered.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is preferred.
• Comfortable using CRM, project management, scheduling, job-costing, and other operational software.
• Valid driver's license.
• Flexibility to work additional hours, including occasional evenings or weekends, during peak seasons when required.

The Right Person

The right Operations Manager for Del Vacchio is:

• Proactive - You anticipate problems and act before they disrupt production.
• Accountable - You take ownership of results and expect the same from your team.
• Organized - You can manage a large number of moving pieces without allowing commitments or details to fall through the cracks.
• Decisive - You make sound decisions and keep work moving.
• Solutions-Oriented - When a problem needs to be escalated, you bring an assessment and a recommended solution.
• Process-Minded - You build systems that prevent recurring problems instead of relying on constant firefighting.
• Financially Driven - You understand that operational excellence means delivering quality work at the labor, material, and profitability levels on which it was sold.
• A Strong People Leader - You earn credibility with field teams, communicate clearly, develop employees, and are willing to have difficult accountability conversations when necessary.
• Collaborative - You work effectively across Sales, Finance, HR, and leadership.
• Hands-On - You are willing to get into the field, inspect work, understand what crews are experiencing, and get involved when needed without becoming the person who has to personally do everything.

Our team values Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence, Commitment, and a Growth-Oriented mindset, and we are looking for a leader who demonstrates those values in how they work, communicate, and make decisions.

Compensation

• Salary: $125,000 - $150,000
• Compensation will be based on experience, qualifications, and the level of operational leadership the selected candidate brings to the role.