The Director, Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for a single
manufacturing site, with full accountability for performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost. This role is responsible for driving operational excellence, developing high-performing teams, and ensuring alignment with enterprise strategy.
Reporting to the Vice President, the Director plays a critical role in translating strategic objectives into effective plant-level execution. This leader fosters a culture rooted in continuous improvement, problem-solving, and respect for people, while delivering measurable business results and supporting long-term growth. Key responsibilities include:
Operational Leadership & Performance
- Lead all aspects of plant operations to achieve and sustain targets across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
- Ensure efficient, safe, and high-quality production processes that meet customer and business requirements.
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), driving accountability and continuous improvement across the organization.
Continuous Improvement
- Champion and advance the production system, including standard work, visual management, problem-solving, and waste elimination.
- Lead structured problem-solving efforts using methodologies such as A3 thinking and 5-Why root cause analysis.
- Foster a culture of Kaizen, engaging all levels of the organization in continuous improvement.
Strategic Alignment & Execution
- Partner with executive leadership to support the development and execution of the company's strategic plan.
- Translate enterprise goals into actionable site-level objectives and ensure alignment across functions.
- Lead capital planning, resource allocation, and operational budgeting to support business objectives.
People Leadership & Culture
- Build, develop, and lead high-performing teams through coaching, mentoring, and talent development.
- Establish strong succession planning and leadership pipelines within the organization.
- Promote a culture of respect, inclusion, accountability, and collaboration.
- Foster open communication and employee engagement at all levels of the organization.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Sales teams to support production readiness, new product introductions, and customer satisfaction.
- Ensure seamless coordination between departments to optimize operational performance and responsiveness.
Customer & Stakeholder Focus
- Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring customer expectations are met or exceeded.
- Address operational challenges proactively to support customer satisfaction and business continuity.
Safety & Compliance
- Ensure safety is built into every process and action, reinforcing a culture where safe behaviors and conditions are expected, modeled, and continuously improved.
- Promote a proactive safety culture where all employees are accountable for safe
EXPERIENCE AND REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum of 15 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including at least 8 years in leadership roles.
- Proven experience leading operations within a durable goods manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated success in implementing lean manufacturing with a track record of driving sustainable results.
- Experience effectively leading transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, systems, and equipment.
- Ability to apply structured methodologies to solve complex operational challenges.
- Advanced business acumen, including financial management, budgeting, and cost control.
- Ability to align operations with business strategy and deliver measurable outcomes.
- Experience driving operational performance through data and analytics.
- Prioritizes customer needs and drives operational decisions that enhance customer value.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Attracts, develops, and retains top talent while fostering a culture of trust and accountability.
- Ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field required.
