Operations Director Jobs in San Diego, CA
Operations Director jobs in San Diego are concentrated in biotech and life sciences corridors like Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley, defense and tech clusters in Kearny Mesa, and healthcare systems across Mission Valley and downtown. Employers hiring right now include Travere Therapeutics, Artiva Biotherapeutics, and Janux Therapeutics. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Operations Director JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 494+ Operations Director jobs
Job Description:
Shield AI is seeking a Strategy & Operations Director to help define enterprise strategy and ensure its operational execution. This role offers immersive exposure to the company’s most critical decisions — spanning aircraft systems, AI software (Hivemind), autonomy hardware, and international growth.
As a core member of the Strategy & Operations team, you’ll apply structured problem‑solving, financial rigor, and operational discipline to turn strategic priorities into actionable, measurable outcomes. The role combines high‑performance expectations with a strong learning and development environment — ideal for professionals seeking to grow into future strategy, operations, or general management leaders.
What you'll do:
Enterprise Strategy Development:
- Lead the multi‑year strategic planning and annual operating strategy cycles.
- Evaluate portfolio tradeoffs across platforms, software, hardware, and emerging growth vectors.
- Conduct market sizing, competitive analysis, and scenario modeling across U.S. and allied defense markets.
Capital Allocation & Business Case Rigor:
- Build financial models and analytic frameworks for investment decisions (new platforms, manufacturing, international expansion).
- Assess TAM, margin structure, capital intensity, payback, and risk‑adjusted returns.
- Contribute to the development of enterprise‑wide capital allocation frameworks and governance processes.
Operationalization of Strategy:
- Translate strategic priorities into cross‑functional execution plans with defined KPIs and milestones.
- Track and report on progress through structured operating cadences (monthly and quarterly performance reviews).
- Identify bottlenecks, analyze root causes, and recommend actionable solutions to sustain execution velocity.
Required qualifications:
- Min 12+ years of experience with Bachelors, 8+ with Masters, and 5+ with PhD.
- Min 4+ years’ experience in a top-tier strategy consulting, corporate strategy or other high‑rigor roles.
- Strong analytical and conceptual problem‑solving abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems and drive insight through analysis.
- Financial modeling and analytical capability (unit economics, forecasting, scenario analysis).
- Experience or strong interest in complex, technical, or regulated industries (aerospace, defense, AI, or advanced manufacturing preferred).
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams and influence senior stakeholders.
- U.S. citizenship required (ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance).
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Job Description:
Shield AI is seeking a Strategy & Operations Director to help define enterprise strategy and ensure its operational execution. This role offers immersive exposure to the company’s most critical decisions — spanning aircraft systems, AI software (Hivemind), autonomy hardware, and international growth.
As a core member of the Strategy & Operations team, you’ll apply structured problem‑solving, financial rigor, and operational discipline to turn strategic priorities into actionable, measurable outcomes. The role combines high‑performance expectations with a strong learning and development environment — ideal for professionals seeking to grow into future strategy, operations, or general management leaders.
What you'll do:
Enterprise Strategy Development:
- Lead the multi‑year strategic planning and annual operating strategy cycles.
- Evaluate portfolio tradeoffs across platforms, software, hardware, and emerging growth vectors.
- Conduct market sizing, competitive analysis, and scenario modeling across U.S. and allied defense markets.
Capital Allocation & Business Case Rigor:
- Build financial models and analytic frameworks for investment decisions (new platforms, manufacturing, international expansion).
- Assess TAM, margin structure, capital intensity, payback, and risk‑adjusted returns.
- Contribute to the development of enterprise‑wide capital allocation frameworks and governance processes.
Operationalization of Strategy:
- Translate strategic priorities into cross‑functional execution plans with defined KPIs and milestones.
- Track and report on progress through structured operating cadences (monthly and quarterly performance reviews).
- Identify bottlenecks, analyze root causes, and recommend actionable solutions to sustain execution velocity.
Required qualifications:
- Min 12+ years of experience with Bachelors, 8+ with Masters, and 5+ with PhD.
- Min 4+ years’ experience in a top-tier strategy consulting, corporate strategy or other high‑rigor roles.
- Strong analytical and conceptual problem‑solving abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems and drive insight through analysis.
- Financial modeling and analytical capability (unit economics, forecasting, scenario analysis).
- Experience or strong interest in complex, technical, or regulated industries (aerospace, defense, AI, or advanced manufacturing preferred).
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams and influence senior stakeholders.
- U.S. citizenship required (ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance).
Full-time regular employee offer package:
See All 494+ Operations Director Jobs in San Diego
Find roles in San Diego that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Operations Director JobsOperations Director Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Travere Therapeutics77
- Artiva Biotherapeutics46
- Janux Therapeutics31
- Advantest15
- San Diego15S
Top Industries Hiring
- Education46
- Automotive15
- Electronics & Hardware15
- Non-Profit & Social Services15
- Healthcare & Medical Services15
Operations Director Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a operations director job in San Diego?
Start by targeting San Diego's strongest hiring sectors: biotech and life sciences, defense contracting, healthcare systems, and logistics tied to the port and military installations. Employers in Torrey Pines, Sorrento Valley, and Kearny Mesa consistently post operations leadership roles. Candidates who can show cross-functional leadership across supply chain, compliance, or clinical operations, and who have built networks through local industry groups, tend to move fastest in this market.
Which companies hire operations directors in San Diego?
Companies currently hiring operations directors in San Diego include Travere Therapeutics, Artiva Biotherapeutics, and Janux Therapeutics, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. The local market includes a strong mix of large defense contractors, multi-site healthcare systems, and mid-size biotech firms scaling their operations teams.
Are there remote operations director jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though remote availability depends heavily on the role. Operations director positions tied to physical sites, lab environments, or military facilities are almost always on-site, while roles focused on vendor management, process strategy, or digital operations lean more hybrid. About 65% of operations director openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of August 2026. Tech-adjacent and SaaS companies in the downtown and Sorrento Mesa corridors tend to offer the most flexible arrangements.
How can I get a operations director job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic path is moving up from an operations manager or senior coordinator role within a San Diego biotech, healthcare, or logistics company. Employers like large hospital networks and defense subcontractors often promote internally and value tenure over credentials at the director level. Building visibility through SDMBA events, local APICS chapters, and life sciences networking groups can open doors, as can targeting smaller biotech startups in Torrey Pines or Sorrento Valley that need their first dedicated operations lead.
Which industries hire the most operations directors in San Diego?
San Diego operations director roles concentrate in Education, Automotive, and Electronics & Hardware, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. The city's deep base of biotech research firms, military and defense contractors, and large healthcare systems creates consistent demand for operations leadership across compliance-heavy, high-stakes environments.
Related Jobs in California
See All 494+ Operations Director Jobs in San Diego
Find roles in San Diego that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Operations Director Jobs