Preparing for an Operations Manager interview at Maximus requires a dual focus on operational metrics and situational leadership. You should approach your preparation by aligning your past experiences with the core operational challenges Maximus faces daily, particularly around scale, compliance, and workforce adaptability.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a deep understanding of call center dynamics, including queue management, workforce optimization, and key performance indicators (KPIs) like Average Handle Time (AHT) and First Contact Resolution (FCR). Be ready to explain how these metrics translate to overall program health.

Ramp-Up & Scalability – Maximus values leaders who can rapidly scale operations. Be prepared to talk about your experience managing fast-paced hiring, onboarding, and training programs to meet sudden increases in program demand.

Interpersonal & Communication Skills – Managing large teams requires exceptional communication. Interviewers will assess your ability to coach staff, manage remote teams, and maintain high levels of agent engagement and retention.

Cross-Training & Flexibility – Operational agility is key. You should be ready to showcase how you have cross-trained teams to handle both inbound and outbound workstreams, allowing your operation to remain resilient during volume fluctuations.

The interview process for an Operations Manager at Maximus is designed to be highly interactive, transparent, and structured around your practical operational experience. Candidates generally describe the process as welcoming and conversational, with a strong focus on assessing your direct call center experience and leadership capabilities.

The process typically begins with a talent acquisition screening call to review your background, salary expectations, and alignment with the role's basic requirements. Following this, you will transition to behavioral and situational interviews with operational directors and hiring managers. These conversations are direct and practical, focusing heavily on how you handle real-world operational challenges, manage teams, and drive performance.

While the interviews are laid-back and supportive, do not mistake the welcoming atmosphere for a lack of rigor. You will be asked targeted questions about your experience with ramp-ups, workforce planning, and managing both inbound and outbound environments. The hiring team wants to see that you can step into a complex, regulated environment and lead effectively from day one.

The timeline above outlines the typical progression from your initial application to the final offer stage. Most candidates complete this process within two to four weeks, depending on the urgency of the program ramp-up. Use this timeline to pace your preparation, focusing first on high-level behavioral alignment before diving deep into operational logistics.

To stand out in your interviews, you must demonstrate mastery in several core operational areas. Maximus interviewers look for concrete examples of how you have solved complex logistical and human resource challenges in past roles.

Ramp-Up and Scalability

This area evaluates your capability to scale up operations rapidly in response to new government contracts or seasonal program expansions. Strong performance means showing you can build structure out of chaos while keeping performance metrics stable.

Be ready to go over:

• Onboarding pipelines – How you coordinate with HR and training teams to integrate large groups of new hires quickly.
• Resource scheduling – Strategies for aligning staff schedules with projected volume curves during a launch phase.
• Risk mitigation – Identifying potential bottlenecks in a new program launch and addressing them proactively.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Managing multi-site rollouts and transitioning legacy state systems to modernized platforms.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through a time you had to scale a call center team by fifty percent in less than a month. What was your strategy?"
• "How do you ensure quality does not drop during a rapid program ramp-up?"

Call Center Workforce Optimization

This area focuses on how you manage daily operations, specifically your ability to balance agent workloads and optimize queue performance.

Be ready to go over:

• Inbound and outbound balance – Techniques for shifting agents between active inbound queues and outbound outreach programs based on live volume.
• Cross-training frameworks – Designing training schedules that allow agents to support multiple lines of business seamlessly.
• Workforce management collaboration – How you partner with WFM analysts to adjust staffing levels in real-time.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "An unexpected spike in inbound volume is causing hold times to skyrocket, but you also have outbound campaigns to complete. How do you deploy your resources?"
• "How do you determine which agents are the best candidates for cross-training?"

Performance and SLA Compliance

In government contracting, meeting SLAs is non-negotiable. Interviewers want to see that you are a data-driven leader who holds teams accountable to high standards.

Be ready to go over:

• Performance coaching – How you use data to identify performance gaps and coach supervisors to improve agent metrics.
• SLA recovery plans – Steps to take when a program falls out of compliance.
• Quality assurance alignment – Ensuring that speed of service does not compromise accuracy and compliance.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time when a key performance metric was consistently missed. What root-cause analysis did you perform, and what was the outcome?"
• "How do you balance the pressure of meeting strict speed-of-answer metrics with the need for compassionate, thorough customer service?"