The Operations Director will manage and coordinate any/all aspects of both the Saturday and Sunday Detroit Free Press Marathon event race operations to ensure a safe, organized, and successful road race. Reporting to the Vice President, Race Director, this role will be a key leadership position that will work to help grow the race weekend experience through excellent operations planning and execution, collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure a safe, secure, and organized event is produced each year. A strong knowledge of road racing and deep connection to the long-distance running community is essential for success in this position.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• PLANNING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Develop and manage the year-long production timeline and project plan, including specific plans for each operations area of the event. Ensuring critical milestones are complete at a high-quality and in a timely manner. Major milestones include, but are not limited to, course design and approval by all needed stakeholders; course timing and certification are complete; stakeholder communication/approvals are obtained; operational equipment is procured; transportation is planned and coordinated for race weekend; permits are submitted and approved on time; operations staffing plan is complete and staff is recruited and managed throughout the year; medical staff and plan is developed and managed.
• STAFF MANAGEMENT: Lead, manage and oversee all operations staff and their teams, including Course Security Director, Course Director, Saturday Race Director, Start/Finish Line Director, Medical Director, Relay Director, Lead Vehicles Director, Adaptive Athlete Division Director, and Fluids Director. Manage external vendors including, but not limited to, Security Vendor, Equipment Vendor(s), Communications Vendor, Waste Management Vendor, Timing Vendor, etc.
• WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT: Oversee the race warehouse where all race equipment is stored. Manage the inventory of all race equipment and oversee the storage, packing, delivery, load-in/load-out and transportation of all race equipment.
• BUDGET MANAGEMENT: Manage the operations expense budget, ensuring costs are allocated and approved in accordance with the annual budget developed for the race, in partnership with the Race Director.
• COLLABORATION: Work collaboratively throughout the year with other race-related staff and external stakeholders responsible for non-operations projects and events to ensure a successful overall race weekend.
• VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT: In coordination with the Volunteer Director, ensure all operational areas have an adequate volunteer plan, and that a critical number of volunteers are recruited and managed on race-day.
• REPORTING: Produce relevant and timely reports to staff on project progression, budget forecasts, registration trends, etc.
• SAFETY & SECURITY: Lead, as the point of contact, the Safety & Security cross-agency team. This includes all communication, documentation, meetings and other related duties to ensure the relevant City, State, Federal and Canadian agencies are prepared on race day. This includes development and approval of the event Crisis Plan.
• DOCUMENTATION: Prepare and/or oversee the preparation, of all relevant operations documentation, maps, community routes, checklists, turn-by-turn directions, etc.
• POST-RACE PLAN: Plan for and coordinate the post-race plan to ensure all event areas are returned to their pre-event state, transportation is secured for items post-race, and planning and execution for the return of all equipment in the event warehouse is complete. Develop wrap-up report with relevant data points to educate and inform future planning. Advise on any staffing, equipment and/or procedures to adjust in future planning.
• NON-MARATHON RESPONSIBILITIES: Assist in other non-marathon events throughout the year, as needed,