Hardware Operations Specialist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Canada.

📋 Description

• Take charge of all hardware customer interactions from the initial order placement to the go-live phase and ongoing stabilization.

• Organize and coordinate every installation alongside the customer, vendors, and any third-party installers. Verify site readiness, hardware delivery, installation windows, and conduct post-install validation.

• Facilitate or manage customer training for each hardware deployment.

• Ensure that all hardware vendors adhere to their commitments regarding lead times, installation quality, support response times, and warranty obligations during peak installation periods. Firmly address any SLA deviations and escalate issues as necessary.

• Place, monitor, and reconcile all hardware orders. Validate pricing, lead times, and delivery, and identify discrepancies before they become issues for customers.

• Serve as the definitive source for the status of all ongoing hardware deployments. You will be knowledgeable about new customer orders, installation schedules, training calendars, vendor escalations, and customer concerns at all times.

• Alert leadership to risks promptly. Hardware delays, installation setbacks, vendor challenges, and customer escalations should never catch leadership off guard, as you will proactively bring these issues to their attention.

• Conduct a thorough weekly operations review that encompasses hardware deployments in progress, vendor performance, customer escalations, and upcoming activities.

• Become the primary contact across BusPlanner for all hardware-related matters. Educate Account Executives and Customer Success Managers on the hardware portfolio so they can engage knowledgeably during deals and renewals.

• Develop and maintain hardware pitch decks, deployment timelines, pricing references, and customer-facing FAQs, ensuring they remain up-to-date as the hardware portfolio evolves.

• Participate actively in the pre-sales process when Sales is handling a complex hardware deal. Communicate effectively with prospective customers about our hardware, deployment processes, realistic timelines, and the installation resourcing model.

• Define the pilot scope, coordinate the pilot installation, guide the customer on achieving success, and seamlessly transition the pilot phase into a full deployment. The individual managing the pilot will also oversee the complete installation, ensuring continuity throughout.

⛳️ Requirements

• Experience in hardware deployment. Proven ability to coordinate large-scale hardware rollouts, ideally in connected vehicle, telematics, fleet IoT, or onboard technology sectors. Backgrounds with Geotab, Samsara, Verizon Connect, Zonar, Lytx, Holman, or similar are highly regarded. Experience in pupil transportation is a valuable plus, though not mandatory.

• Proficient in project and program coordination. Capable of managing 20-50 active threads simultaneously across customers, vendors, and internal teams. Advanced skills in project tracking tools (such as Asana, Monday, Smartsheet, ClickUp, or similar) and ticketing systems (like Zendesk, Jira, or similar).

• Proven track record in vendor management. Real-world experience in holding third-party vendors accountable, including placing orders, interpreting SOWs, addressing missed timelines, escalating issues effectively, and fostering relationships that prioritize your requests.

• Strong customer-facing skills. Able to remain composed under pressure, with excellent written and verbal communication abilities. Capable of leading a confident customer kickoff, delivering training sessions, managing frustrated district directors, and briefing leadership with professionalism.

• Exceptional attention to detail. Highly meticulous, detail-oriented, and intolerant of ambiguity. You spot gaps that others overlook and ensure that nothing slips through, especially concerning customer go-lives.

• Ability to adapt to a dynamic operating tempo. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment with shifting priorities and high stakes, possessing the judgment to discern when to adapt versus when to maintain course. Familiarity with the seasonal rhythm of the role: intensive execution during peak season and strategic enablement activities in the off-season.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.

• Flexible working hours and a remote-friendly work environment.

• Access to modern operational tools and the freedom to shape the hardware deployment pipeline.

• A collaborative team culture focused on delivering flawless customer deployments and serving as a true partner to the districts we support.