Experience: Director
Salary: $150,000 - $200,000 per year
Job Details
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Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
Provide executive leadership for day-to-day facility operations, commissioning activities, and operational readiness initiatives.
Establish operating procedures, safety standards, maintenance strategies, and performance metrics.
Lead the transition from development and testing activities into commercial operations.
Build operational systems that ensure reliability, efficiency, and long-term scalability.
Serve as the primary operational decision-maker for site activities and plant performance.
Facility Development & Commissioning
Partner with engineering teams during equipment installation, startup, commissioning, and validation activities.
Oversee testing programs and operational qualification efforts.
Support readiness reviews, startup milestones, and major phase transitions.
Drive operational input into facility design, maintainability, and reliability planning.
Team Leadership
Recruit, develop, and lead high-performing operations, maintenance, and facility personnel.
Establish a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Manage contractors, vendors, and strategic partners supporting facility operations.
Build organizational capabilities necessary to support rapid company growth.
Safety & Compliance
Champion a world-class safety culture across all operations.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
Maintain operational readiness standards and risk management processes.
Lead incident prevention, investigation, and corrective action programs.
Executive & External Engagement
Regularly interface with executive leadership regarding operational strategy and facility performance.
Represent the organization during customer, investor, regulatory, and stakeholder visits.
Communicate operational priorities, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership and board-level stakeholders.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
8-15 years of progressive leadership experience within hardware, industrial, manufacturing, energy, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, robotics, automation, or similarly complex technical environments.
Experience leading operations for a manufacturing facility, industrial site, testing facility, pilot plant, or technology deployment organization.
Proven success building teams, processes, and operational infrastructure in a fast-paced growth environment.
Strong leadership skills with experience managing technical and cross-functional teams.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, startup-style environments.
Experience implementing safety, quality, and operational excellence programs.
Preferred
Experience supporting first-of-a-kind technologies, advanced energy systems, or emerging industrial products.
Background in facility startup, commissioning, operational readiness, or new site launches.
Experience working with government agencies, regulated environments, or highly safety-sensitive operations.
Familiarity with energy generation, defense, aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing, or similar industries.
MBA or advanced technical degree.
A bit about us:
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Our client is an innovative energy technology company developing next-generation power solutions that will transform how energy infrastructure is deployed around the world. As the organization scales from development and testing into commercial deployment, they are seeking a Vice President of Operations to build and lead the operational foundation for future facilities.
This is a unique opportunity to join a high-growth, venture-backed organization at a pivotal stage and help bring groundbreaking hardware technology from development into safe, reliable, real-world operation.
Why join us?
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You'll join a rapidly growing company at the forefront of advanced reactor technology, playing a critical leadership role as we transition from development into deployment. Rather than inheriting established processes, you'll help create them, shaping operational strategy, building high-performing teams, and directly influencing how a first-of-its-kind technology is brought to market.
If you're energized by complex challenges, startup environments, and the chance to leave a lasting impact on one of the world's most important industries, this role offers a truly career-defining opportunity.
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