Operations Manager – ABA Therapy Center
The Buddy Center – Greenville, SC
Full-Time | In-Person
The Buddy Center is a clinician-led ABA therapy center in Greenville, SC providing compassionate, high-quality services for children, teens, and families across clinic, home, school, and community settings.
Founded in 2025, The Buddy Center is a newer and growing organization. We are building our operational foundation thoughtfully and intentionally, which means this role requires someone who is excited to be hands-on, boots on the ground, and actively involved in creating systems, solving problems, supporting staff, and helping shape the way the center operates.
We are looking for an experienced, organized, and highly accountable Operations Manager to help lead the daily operations of our growing center. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can balance warmth with urgency, structure, follow-through, and strong professional judgment.
This is not a passive office management role or a position where all systems are already fully built. The right person will be proactive, focused, detail-oriented, and comfortable owning the operational moving parts of a busy, growing ABA center.
About the Role
The Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring that the clinic runs smoothly, staff are supported, systems are developed and followed, and operational priorities are completed independently.
This role oversees the operational foundation of the center, including clinic readiness, staff operations, recruiting and onboarding workflows, administrative systems, communication processes, KPI tracking, and follow-through on leadership priorities.
Because The Buddy Center is a newer company, the Operations Manager must be comfortable working in an environment where some systems are still being created, refined, and improved. This person should be willing to step in wherever needed, whether that means supporting staff, solving a scheduling barrier, checking clinic readiness, updating a tracker, organizing supplies, helping with onboarding, troubleshooting a process, or communicating with leadership about what needs attention.
This role requires both leadership and execution. The Operations Manager must be able to think strategically, but also be willing to roll up their sleeves and handle the day-to-day details that keep the center running smoothly.
The Operations Manager will work closely with the CEO/Executive Director, Clinical Director, Client Services Manager, BCBAs, RBTs, and administrative team members to ensure that operations support high-quality care and a strong family and staff experience.
What Success Requires
Success in this role requires someone who can:
- Prioritize independently and recognize what needs attention first.
- Follow through consistently and complete tasks on time.
- Stay focused in a busy clinic environment.
- Balance being friendly and approachable with protecting work time and productivity.
- Maintain accurate trackers, calendars, reports, and operational systems.
- Communicate clearly and timely with leadership, staff, and team members.
- Anticipate problems before they become urgent.
- Support staff while also maintaining accountability.
- Create structure in a growing organization where systems are still being built.
- Take ownership from problem identification through resolution.
- Be hands-on and present in the day-to-day operations of the center.
Key Responsibilities - Clinic Operations & Daily Oversight
- Oversee the day-to-day operational functioning of the clinic.
- Ensure the center is safe, clean, organized, stocked, and ready for daily services.
- Maintain clinic readiness, including treatment spaces, offices, common areas, supplies, materials, and equipment.
- Coordinate facility needs, vendors, maintenance requests, cleaning, supply ordering, and general clinic flow.
- Ensure opening/closing procedures, visitor processes, phone systems, and operational routines are followed consistently.
- Identify and resolve operational issues quickly and professionally.
- Remain present and engaged in the clinic environment to understand daily staff, client, and family flow.
Staff Operations & Accountability
- Serve as a key operational point of contact for RBTs, BCBAs, administrative staff, and leadership.
- Support staff onboarding logistics, including system access, required documentation, training schedules, and first-week readiness.
- Monitor staff attendance, call-outs, timekeeping, schedule adherence, and communication follow-through.
- Reinforce expectations related to punctuality, professionalism, responsiveness, and accountability.
- Support leadership in addressing operational performance concerns.
- Help maintain a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
- Balance staff support with the ability to maintain appropriate boundaries and keep priorities moving.
Recruiting & Onboarding Support
- Monitor applicant pipelines daily when positions are open.
- Ensure applicants are reviewed and responded to promptly.
- Help move candidates through the hiring process efficiently.
- Coordinate onboarding steps, offer letters, background checks, required trainings, documentation, and start dates.
- Keep recruiting and onboarding trackers accurate and current.
- Communicate hiring and onboarding updates to leadership.
Operational Systems & Process Improvement
- Build, implement, and maintain operational systems and workflows.
- Develop and update SOPs for administrative, staffing, communication, scheduling support, clinic readiness, and facility processes.
- Identify inefficiencies and propose practical solutions.
- Ensure operational processes are followed consistently.
- Create accountability systems so important tasks do not fall through the cracks.
- Help prepare The Buddy Center for future growth and additional locations.
- Create structure where systems are not yet fully developed.
Client Services & Scheduling Oversight
- Support the Client Services Manager in maintaining strong intake, scheduling, waitlist, and family communication workflows.
- Monitor client services metrics, including referral response time, time from inquiry to assessment, time from assessment to service start, scheduling gaps, cancellations, and authorized hours scheduled.
- Assist with escalated operational concerns related to scheduling, service access, or family experience.
- Partner with clinical leadership and the Client Services Manager to remove barriers impacting client access or continuity of care.
- Ensure scheduling systems support staff utilization, client access, and service consistency.
Reporting, KPIs & Leadership Communication
- Maintain operational dashboards, trackers, and reports.
- Provide regular updates to leadership on priorities, barriers, completed items, and next steps.
- Track key metrics related to recruiting, onboarding, staffing, attendance, scheduling support, clinic readiness, utilization, and operational follow-through.
- Prepare updates for leadership meetings and follow through on assigned action items.
- Use data and observations to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
- Communicate early when something is delayed, stuck, or needs leadership support.
Compliance & Documentation Support
- Ensure adherence to company policies, HIPAA, confidentiality requirements, and operational standards.
- Support documentation workflows in coordination with clinical, billing, authorization, and client services teams.
- Help maintain readiness for audits, payer requirements, internal reviews, and compliance checks.
- Support incident reporting workflows and follow-through on operational action steps when needed.
This Role Is a Strong Fit For Someone Who Is
- Highly organized and detail-oriented.
- Proactive and solutions-focused.
- Comfortable managing multiple competing priorities.
- Able to work independently without needing constant reminders.
- Warm, approachable, and professional.
- Comfortable holding themselves and others accountable.
- Strong at creating structure, systems, and follow-through.
- Energized by helping build a newer organization.
- Comfortable being hands-on and boots on the ground.
- Willing to step into the details rather than only manage from a distance.
- Able to balance strategic thinking with daily execution.
- Calm and steady under pressure.
- Mission-driven and committed to supporting children, families, and staff.
This Role May Not Be the Right Fit If You
- Prefer a role where all priorities are assigned to you daily.
- Struggle to manage competing priorities.
- Have difficulty staying focused in a busy work environment.
- Need frequent reminders to complete time-sensitive tasks.
- Are uncomfortable with measurable expectations and accountability.
- Prefer social connection over task completion during the workday.
- Avoid difficult conversations or follow-up.
- Prefer working in a long-established organization where all systems are already fully built.
- Are looking for a role that is primarily oversight rather than hands-on execution.
- Are uncomfortable stepping in to help with practical day-to-day operational needs.
- Prefer to delegate most details rather than directly owning follow-through.
- Are uncomfortable working in a startup/growth-stage environment.
QualificationsRequired
- Minimum of 2 years of experience in operations, healthcare administration, clinic management, behavioral health, education, ABA, or a related field.
- Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience managing workflows, people, schedules, systems, or administrative processes.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong follow-through and attention to detail.
- Professional judgment, reliability, and confidentiality.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, scheduling systems, electronic record systems, and general administrative tools.
Preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Human Services, Operations, or related field.
- Experience in ABA, behavioral health, pediatric therapy, healthcare, or human services.
- Experience supervising administrative or operational staff.
- Experience with recruiting, onboarding, scheduling, utilization, or clinic operations.
- Experience developing SOPs, workflows, dashboards, or operational trackers.
- Experience working in a newer or growing organization.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive salary based on experience.
- Paid Time Off.
- Paid holidays and floating holiday.
- Health insurance with employer contribution when implemented.
- 401(k) with employer match up to 3% when implemented.
- Laptop for work use.
- Monthly cell phone stipend.
- Professional growth and development opportunities.
- Growth opportunity into a Director of Operations role as The Buddy Center expands.
Schedule
This is a full-time, in-person position - 4 days in office and 1 day remote..
The typical schedule is Monday through Friday, with occasional flexibility needed based on clinic operations, events, staffing needs, or urgent operational matters.
Why Join The Buddy Center?
At The Buddy Center, you will be part of a growing, clinician-led organization that values compassion, clinical excellence, collaboration, accountability, and fun.
This is an opportunity to help build something meaningful from the ground up. The Operations Manager will play an important role in creating the systems, culture, structure, and operational foundation that support our children, teens, families, and team members now and as we continue to grow.
To Apply
Please submit your resume and a brief note sharing why you are interested in this role and what makes you a strong fit for a high-accountability, hands-on operations leadership position.
Pay: From $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
