General Manager in Residence

Via is using technology to transform transportation around the world. From changing a single person’s daily commute to reducing humanity’s collective environmental footprint — we’ve got huge goals.

As a General Manager in Residence , you will start with a 2-month onboarding sprint in NYC. After that, you will spend your first 1.5 years in a local market running a transit network transformation; taking full ownership of service performance, partner relationships, a 30+ frontline team, and $15M+ P&L. You will be deployed on Via's newest services in high-visibility markets that require building new operational systems from the ground up, not just managing existing ones. The decisions you make here will shape how the market runs for years.

At the end of this local deployment, you will transition into a General Manager role in one of Via's major markets: New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, or Dallas. These are complex portfolios, generally with larger partner organizations, and strong strategic scope. You'll arrive with the credibility and operational fluency to lead at that level from day one.

This is a unique leadership and operating opportunity for anyone who is eager to lead and manage a high-stakes, high-visibility, and high-impact new market at Via.

What You’ll Do:

Service Performance

Own and manage the end-to-end operating strategy of Via’s service on behalf of our partner

Define and manage against KPIs spanning on-time performance, rider satisfaction, safety, and cost efficiency

Translate weekly and monthly performance data into decisions

People Leadership

Lead a 30+ team of field operators and drivers, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and culture setting

Build an operation where people feel accountable, supported, and proud of what they're delivering

Develop frontline leaders within your team who can grow into expanded roles

Partner & Stakeholder Management

Own Via's relationship with the transit agency partner, a public entity with its own board, elected officials, and community accountability

Represent Via to community stakeholders, local officials, and riders

Operational Excellence

Drive continuous improvement across vehicle operations, maintenance protocols, and service delivery

Identify and execute cost and efficiency improvements that strengthen margin without compromising service

Product Development

Influence the product roadmap for Via's newest Fixed Route products

Who You Are:

Leadership instinct and experience: You know how to motivate and inspire individuals, from drivers all the way to a transit agency’s CEO

Ownership mentality: You can build systems that prevent things from going wrong and, if they still do, you find what’s going wrong, own it, and fix it

Analytical rigor and operational judgment: You use data to make decisions, not just to describe situations. You're equally comfortable in a spreadsheet as in the field

Partner and stakeholder sophistication: You know how to manage relationships that are complex, high-stakes, and not fully in your control

Mission alignment that goes beyond the talking points: You embrace that Via's partners are public agencies serving communities that often don't have other options

Flexible and adaptable: You love the challenge of adapting to change rapidly and making things work on the fly

Effective at managing multiple tasks simultaneously: You can delegate, prioritize, and take responsibility

Qualifications:

MBA preferred

5+ years of pre-MBA experience in operations, consulting, strategy, tech or a field with meaningful P&L or client accountability

Demonstrated ability to lead and develop teams

Willingness to be based in a specific location for the first year of the program, with relocation to a major metro market thereafter

Full on-site presence required

Compensation and Benefits:

Final salary will be determined by the candidate’s experience, knowledge, and skills. Salary reflected does not include equity or variable pay, where applicable

Salary Range: $140,000 - $175,000 / year

We are proud to offer a generous and comprehensive benefits package, including free medical plans and 401K matching

There has never been a more exciting time to be on the cutting edge of public mobility. Ready to join the ride?

Via is an equal opportunity employer.