Zūm Services

Sr Manager, Safety and Compliance Excellence

U.S.

Full-Time

Remote

$148,000 – $190,000 per year

TLDR

This role provides a unique opportunity to build workforce development and compliance systems for a rapidly expanding school transportation startup, impacting 3,500 employees and 18 locations.

About Zūm: Zūm is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas. Who You Are:

**This role is primarily remote; however, candidates must be located in California or Washington and within close proximity to a Zūm yard.**

This is a greenfield opportunity to build world-class workforce development and compliance systems from the ground up. While existing processes are in place across our 18 locations in 8 states, you'll have the scope and autonomy to reimagine, standardize, and implement new approaches that scale with our growing operations.

You'll be responsible for approximately 3,500 employees, including 2,500 CDL drivers, across our expanding footprint. As we continue to grow year-over-year through both market expansion and new location launches, your systems and processes will be foundational to our operational excellence.

This is an individual contributor role within the Operations Strategy Program Management Office, with dotted-line relationships to training and safety staff at each location. You'll have the autonomy to drive change while collaborating cross-functionally with Field Operations, HR, Recruiting, Product, and Engineering teams.

What You'll Do:

Build & Standardize Workforce Development Programs

Design and implement standardized onboarding, training, certification, and re-certification programs for 2,500+ CDL drivers and 1,000+ non-CDL driver and attendants across 18 locations and growing
Create and refine Zūm's home-grown driver certification pipeline to improve time-to-credential, pass rates, and overall training quality
Develop curriculum, SOPs, competency frameworks, and evaluation tools that can scale across current and future markets

Drive Safety Compliance & Regulatory Excellence

Ensure consistent compliance with FMCSA, DOT, and state-specific transportation requirements across all Zūm markets
Build and maintain systems for managing DQFs, Clearinghouse checks, MVR monitoring, and drug/alcohol testing programs
Create audit-ready documentation standards and lead internal/external compliance reviews

Lead Operational Excellence & Process Innovation

Identify and address process gaps across hiring, onboarding, training, and compliance; design and implement scalable solutions that work across diverse markets
Lead cross-functional projects that reduce friction, improve conversion rates, accelerate time-to-hire, and strengthen workforce quality
Partner with location-based training staff to ensure consistent execution while allowing for necessary local adaptation
Work closely with Field Ops, HR, Recruiting, Safety/Training, Product, and Engineering to ensure seamless execution and data accuracy

Establish Quality Frameworks & Performance Metrics

Define and own KPIs for training quality, workforce readiness, safety compliance, and operational effectiveness
Build reporting frameworks that surface actionable insights and drive continuous improvement
Use data to identify trends, recommend systemic improvements, and measure the impact of workforce development initiatives on service quality and safety outcomes

What You Bring To Zūm:

Required Qualifications

7–10+ years in operations, project management, workforce development, safety/compliance, process improvement, or quality roles

Proven track record of building and implementing scalable systems, SOPs, or training/compliance programs across multiple locations or business units

Experience designing processes from scratch with limited templates or existing infrastructure

Strong analytical skills with the ability to define metrics, build reporting frameworks, and translate data into actionable recommendations

Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills, with experience influencing without direct authority

Comfort with ambiguity and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, build-and-improve environment

Willingness to travel 30–50% to Zūm markets for audits, training sessions, and stakeholder engagement

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in tech-enabled logistics, transportation, or high-scale operations environments

Lean Six Sigma certification, PMP certification, or similar process improvement credentials

Direct experience with CDL training programs, FMCSA/DOT compliance, or school transportation operations

Experience managing dotted-line relationships or influencing geographically distributed teams

The targeted base salary range for this role is listed in the compensation section below. Actual salary may be above or below this range based on factors such as location, skills, and relevant experience. In addition, this position may include additional compensation in the form of equity or commissions. If you are a full-time salaried or hourly worker, we offer the following benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Holidays, Wellness, Vacation, and more. The targeted pay range for this role in US CA is: $148,000 – $190,000

Zum Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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Zūm Services

Zūm Services is transforming school transportation by providing innovative, technology-driven solutions to school districts across the U.S. Our services include electric fleet management, proprietary SaaS tools, and a charter platform designed to streamline operations and enhance safety. We're not just improving transport; we're on a mission to electrify and modernize the entire school transportation ecosystem.

Employees: 51-200 employees
Industry: Road & Rail
Total raised: $200M raised

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