Vice President of Operations

# Recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Fortune Magazine and Great Place to Work, Sasser prides itself on supporting an employee-driven, opportunity-based culture that empowers, recognizes, and rewards its employees. From highly competitive benefits to exciting employee events to organic, grassroots philanthropy and volunteerism, Sasser is an awesome place to begin and grow your career. We are a transportation asset services and management company with roots dating to 1928. Sasser’s subsidiary units are leaders in providing commercial- and industrial-focused rail, automotive, and containerized shipping solutions, including asset leasing, fleet administration management, asset repair and maintenance, and innovative technology services.# Sasser family of companies includes subsidiaries Chicago Freight Car Leasing, Union Leasing, CF Rail Services, Express 4x4 Truck Rental, and Falcon Lease. To learn more about what makes Sasser special, visit .This role supports our **Union Leasing** team. As one of America’s premier fleet leasing and management solutions providers, Union Leasing offers highly personalized customer service. With over 60 years of experience and industry expertise, Union Leasing provides a range of customized fleet management solutions, industry-leading technology, and innovative products to clients across the country.The Vice President of Operations is responsible for leading all aspects of Union Leasing’s operations and drives the momentum of operational performance, product innovation, and vendor partnerships. This leader brings urgency, precision, and a results‐focused mindset to the organization, steering the end‐to‐end lifecycle of our fleet management solutions. By elevating service delivery, optimizing efficiency, and unlocking new value opportunities, this role ensures our customers experience best‐in‐class performance at every touchpoint.This leader will define the strategic vision and roadmap for operational excellence, ensuring each operating department functions with maximum efficiency, agility, and alignment to enterprise priorities. They will champion innovation across products and services—delivering cost‐saving solutions, optimized processes, and differentiated value for customers. By elevating the organization’s analytics capabilities, they will drive industry‐leading insights that empower smarter decisions and stronger outcomes. Through relentless focus on performance, service quality, and continuous improvement, this leader will enhance departmental KPIs, strengthen customer satisfaction, and unlock sustainable growth.As a key member of the Union Leasing Leadership Team (LT), the Vice President of Operations will play a central role in shaping organizational strategy and growth. This individual will be expected to elevate talent within the operations team, instill a culture of urgency and accountability, and ensure Union Leasing continues to deliver industry-leading service and value to customers.# Responsibilities**Operational Excellence*** Provide overall leadership and direction for all Operating departments, including Procurement, Remarketing, Maintenance & Fuel, and Licensing, Compliance & Safety.* Establish and enhance performance metrics to ensure data driven, efficient day to day operations.* Drive continuous improvement in operational processes, delivering measurable gains in efficiency, service quality, and cost performance.* Define system and automation requirements; partner with IT and senior leadership to recommend and implement technology investments that improve service delivery and customer experience.* Lead the development and enhancement of revenue generating products and services, including innovation, optimization, and execution of new product opportunities.* Strengthen vendor partnerships where strategically and financially beneficial, ensuring Union Leasing’s interests are protected and aligned with profitability targets.* Oversee vendor negotiations to secure favorable terms, operational support, and financial value**Strategy & Business Transformation*** Serve as the strategic leader for Operations, ensuring the organization has a clear, actionable strategy and that progress is made against it.* Develop and execute strategies to enhance profitability, operational efficiency, and alignment with the company’s broader business objectives.* Act as the lead executor of enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, working collaboratively with executive leadership to shape and implement organizational direction.* Identify opportunities to improve products and services through partnerships, investments, or M&A activities.* Lead initiatives to automate and streamline processes in partnership with Information Technology.* Provide oversight and leadership for business transformation efforts, ensuring successful execution and alignment with strategic priorities.**Data, Analytics & Insights*** Advance Union Leasing’s analytics capabilities across customer, operational, and financial domains to support a fully data driven organization.* Strengthen reporting, analytics adoption, and insights delivery to improve decision making at all levels.* Harness telematics and real time data to enhance fleet visibility, utilization, safety, performance, and cost control.* Leverage customer behavior analytics—including mileage, driver behavior, maintenance activity, alerts, and cost trends—to provide actionable recommendations.* Implement predictive analytics to anticipate maintenance needs, optimize lifecycle costs, and improve customer outcomes.* Monitor and manage operating KPIs, ensuring performance insights translate into targeted action plans.* Analyze pricing trends to ensure competitive vehicle pricing and maximize auction proceeds.* Evaluate auction throughput and efficiency, recommending strategic adjustments as needed.**Team Leadership & Organizational Development*** Continually assess and upgrade talent across the Operations organization to ensure the right people are in the right roles.* Develop deep organizational expertise regarding Union Leasing’s products, customer needs, and industry trends.* Foster a culture of urgency, accountability, respect, process discipline, continuous improvement, and data driven decision making.* Set clear expectations for performance and hold team members accountable through consistent leadership and feedback.* Mentor and develop staff to build the next generation of operational leadership.* Remain current on industry developments and emerging trends to inform strategy and operational best practices.**Cross-Functional Collaboration*** Partner closely with Customer Experience and Sales to align operational capabilities, service features, and product innovation with customer needs.* Work with Finance to support budgeting, cost control and profitability.* Collaborate with Express 4x4 leadership to leverage vendor synergies, operational efficiencies, and shared best practices.* Work closely with the VP of Operations at Express 4x4 to maximize the value of combined scale and operational alignment.*Note: Responsibilities include the expectation to always act to support the interests of the department and organization and to perform other duties as assigned to ensure the successful achievement of departmental and company objectives.*## Qualifications and Experience* Bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management, engineering, or other related field; advanced degree preferred.* 10+ years of leadership experience in fleet management, rental, automotive, or asset-intensive operations with a strong understanding of process improvement.* Background in technology leadership, successful technology projects* Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment.**Skills*** Results driven, able to focus on organizational growth and financial performance.* Strong attention
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