Fuel Operations Manager (Ref#099)

Position Overview

You’ll own the fuel-delivery operation for an established fuel distributor in Hawthorne, New Jersey. That covers residential heating oil, on-road and off-road diesel, commercial accounts, automatic delivery and will-call customers, DEF, and onsite fueling programs. Drivers, deliveries, customers, collections, fleet issues, and commercial growth all run through you.

This is not a dispatch job or an admin role. It’s an ownership role. Nobody will hand you a daily task list. You’ll spot what needs attention, fix it, and confirm it stayed fixed, well before senior management has to find it.

The stakes are real. In heating oil, a runout means a cold house and often a lost customer. A commercial account left to drift past 60 days turns into a write-off. You’ll report weekly to the Director of Operations, and you’ll be measured on results, not activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Daily Operations and Problem Resolution

• Run daily delivery execution with dispatch and drivers: assignments, route coverage, runouts, emergencies, call-first accounts, vehicle availability, and weather events.

• Make sure every delivery is completed safely, efficiently, and accurately.

• Own fuel-department problems from start to finish: missed deliveries, delivery errors, complaints, scheduling conflicts, and equipment issues. Investigate, solve, communicate, and confirm the fix.

• Anticipate problems and solve them before customers feel them.

• Driver Management

• Serve as the primary manager for fuel drivers, covering scheduling, PTO coverage, attendance, safety, vehicle inspections, and policy compliance.

• Set clear expectations for delivery procedures, customer service, and accurate documentation, then coach and correct when needed.

• Interview and evaluate prospective drivers and department staff, and conduct annual performance reviews.

• Delivery Efficiency and Fleet Readiness

• Track gallons per delivery, deliveries per driver, route efficiency, truck utilization, overtime, emergency deliveries, and failed deliveries.

• Find recurring problems and fix them. Improve delivery density and cut unnecessary mileage and labor.

• Keep a clear view of the fleet: preventive maintenance, driver inspection reports, repairs, downtime, and inspection requirements.

• Make sure every driver-reported issue gets documented and resolved, so trucks are ready when demand peaks.

• Customer Retention and Account Quality

• Own the customer-retention process. Spot at-risk customers early through pricing complaints, service problems, declined deliveries, and automatic-delivery removals.

• Call customers and resolve issues before accounts are lost. Track who you contacted, who stayed, who left, and why.

• Work property transfers promptly so new homeowners have a reason to stay.

• Monitor automatic-delivery and will-call accounts, find the cause of every runout, and convert the right will-call customers to automatic delivery.

• Follow up on call-first customers who repeatedly decline deliveries, and make sure they understand the risk of a runout.

• Keep customer records accurate: tank size and location, delivery instructions, contacts, delivery status, payment status, and special property conditions.

• Budget Accounts and Commercial Collections

• Monitor budget-plan customers for missed payments and delinquencies, and reach out before small problems grow.

• Work with the admin team to move customers to automatic payment.

• Own collection follow-up on commercial fuel accounts with an organized list showing balance, aging, contacts, commitments, and payments received.

• Prioritize accounts past aging thresholds and escalate serious credit risks. The goal is lower receivables, not more phone calls.

• Commercial Sales and Growth

• Build the commercial fuel business: on-road and off-road diesel, fleet and equipment fueling, DEF, onsite storage tanks, and temporary project fueling.

• Develop relationships with contractors, landscapers, trucking companies, municipalities, and construction firms.

• Maintain an active pipeline that tracks prospects, quotes, follow-ups, new accounts, and estimated versus actual gallons.

• Grow existing accounts by finding customers who need another product, more tanks, or additional locations.

• Reporting and Results

• Send a written weekly report to the Director of Operations covering retention, collections, commercial activity, budget accounts, runouts, driver and fleet issues, open problems, and next week’s priorities.

• Hit measurable targets for retention, runouts, delivery efficiency, new accounts, commercial gallons, receivables over 60 days, and fleet downtime.

Qualifications

Experience

• 5+ years of management experience in heating oil, petroleum distribution, propane, commercial diesel, transportation, fleet management, dispatch, logistics, or home services.

• A track record supervising drivers or field employees, including experienced ones.

• Experience in commercial sales, collections, or customer retention is highly desirable.

• Technical Knowledge

• Working knowledge of DOT and CDL requirements and commercial vehicle operations.

• Comfort analyzing operational data such as runouts, delivery efficiency, receivables aging, and pipeline numbers.

• Understanding of automatic delivery, will-call, budget-plan, and call-first account programs.

• Strong organization and attention to detail in customer records and reporting.

• Leadership and Communication

• You work independently and act on what needs attention without waiting to be told.

• You follow every assignment through to completion.

• You can have difficult conversations with customers and employees, and handle them with respect.

• You raise problems promptly and bring a proposed solution when you do.

• You care more about measurable results than looking busy.

• Work Environment

• This is an on-site role based in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Your week will split between the office, the yard, and commercial customer visits.

• Fuel delivery is seasonal. Expect longer days and quick decisions during cold snaps, weather events, and peak heating season, and a steadier pace the rest of the year when commercial growth takes more of your time.