Director of Business Operations, Youth Sports & ...

A fast-growing national platform partners with independent local youth sports, enrichment, and after-school programs-such as gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, music, camps, and child development activities-across the United States. The organization operates a multi-brand, multi-location model where each partner business retains its unique identity, local market focus, and operational independence. Through centralized support in areas like marketing, CRM, analytics, pricing optimization, finance, HR, compliance, M&A, and expansion (including de-novo locations), the platform enables passionate founder-led operators to scale efficiently, improve performance, and focus on delivering high-quality experiences for kids and families. With 20+ locations in 10+ states, 700+ employees, and serving over 65,000 active families, the company is highly acquisitive (completing 10-15 partnerships/acquisitions annually) and backed by substantial funding from sports industry leaders. We are seeking an experienced Director of Business Operations based in Miami, FL, for a full-time, in-office position at our headquarters. This high-impact role involves owning the full performance of a portfolio of 10-15 recreational businesses (initially focused on gymnastics facilities, swim schools, and related youth programs), acting as their strategic coach, operational advisor, and accountability partner. You will drive results by setting direction, diagnosing issues, optimizing key levers, and ensuring execution through local leaders-without managing day-to-day site operations directly. Emphasis is on membership/subscription-style growth in class-based, capacity-constrained environments: boosting enrollment, improving utilization, reducing churn, reactivating lapsed families creatively, optimizing labor, and enhancing profitability via hands-on P&L management. Ideal candidates have multi-unit experience in membership/recurring-revenue businesses (e.g., fitness/gyms, childhood education/enrichment centers, youth sports organizations, or high-volume service operations like restaurants), with proven sales reactivation skills and comfort partnering with independent, founder-led operators. Key Responsibilities: Hold full P&L ownership and accountability for your assigned portfolio, including setting priorities, building roadmaps with local leaders, running monthly operating reviews, and reporting to executive leadership. Drive enrollment and revenue growth by increasing class fill/utilization, optimizing schedules, owning pricing/promotional strategies, introducing new programs/formats, and collaborating weekly with marketing for effective demand generation and conversion. Improve front-of-funnel execution: enhance lead speed-to-contact, follow-up discipline, trial-to-enrollment conversion, local sales processes, and accountability to turn marketing efforts into sustained memberships/subscriptions. Reduce churn and extend customer lifetime value through root-cause analysis of departures, better onboarding/early engagement, practical retention tactics, save plays, reactivation campaigns (creative outreach to lapsed families), and cross-selling into additional programs. Optimize labor and organizational structure: redesign roles/staffing to align with enrollment patterns and peak demand (after-school, evenings, weekends), improve productivity and scheduling efficiency, maintain culture/safety/experience, and hire/upgrade local leadership as needed. Lead turnarounds for underperforming locations: diagnose root causes (leadership, labor, pricing, funnel, scheduling, etc.), develop and execute clear action plans, step in decisively when required, and drive results through influence rather than direct takeover. Support post-acquisition integration: serve as primary corporate interface for new partners, implement HQ systems/processes (e.g., payroll, accounting, class management software), enforce safety/compliance standards, manage vendor/landlord relationships, and standardize operations for better unit-level performance. Monitor and act on key metrics (enrollment growth, revenue/EBITDA, lead conversion, retention/churn, reactivation rates, class utilization, labor productivity) using data-driven insights and benchmarks. Travel as needed (up to ~50%) for on-site coaching, audits, launches, or support. Qualifications: 5+ years in progressive multi-unit operations leadership, with direct experience running or overseeing brick-and-mortar, service-based businesses in membership/subscription/class-based models (fitness studios/gyms, childhood education/enrichment/youth programs, youth sports organizations, or comparable high-volume family-oriented services like restaurants). Proven success driving organic volume/enrollment growth (not just pricing) in capacity-constrained environments, including strong sales reactivation, creative customer re-engagement, retention strategies, and conversion funnel improvements. Hands-on financial acumen: full P&L management experience, budgeting, cost control (especially labor), profitability enhancement, and performance diagnostics. Demonstrated ability to optimize labor/staffing in people-intensive, schedule-driven operations while preserving safety, quality, culture, and employee experience. High EQ, strong judgment, and relationship-building skills-experienced partnering with/coaching independent founders/operators who value autonomy; comfortable exerting influence and authority thoughtfully without overriding local culture. Bias for action and execution: you get things done through people, thrive in imperfect/ non-standardized systems, and prioritize results over recommendations or decks. Data-oriented with comfort using analytics/CRM tools to track KPIs and inform decisions. Passion for youth development, sports, or education is highly valued; prior gymnastics/swim school experience is a plus but not required. Bachelor's degree or equivalent; relevant industry/operations certifications preferred. Miami-based and able to work full-time in-office, with flexibility for travel. Compensation: Competitive base salary in the $125,000-$165,000 range (depending on experience and track record), plus meaningful performance-based bonus tied directly to portfolio results. Comprehensive benefits package, paid time off, and professional development support. This role offers substantial upside in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment transforming the youth enrichment industry, with clear advancement opportunities as the platform expands.

Created: 2026-03-06