Modus Advanced, Inc.
Livermore, CA
Full-Time, Exempt Department: Operations
Position Overview
Modus Advanced is looking for a General Manager to own the operational performance, financial results, and culture of a multi-discipline precision manufacturing facility. This is not a caretaker role. We need a leader who can run the site like an owner: setting the standard, making the hard calls, developing the team, and delivering results our customers and our business depend on.
You will hold operational ownership across CNC machining, soft goods converting, and form-in-place (FIP) gasket dispensing operations, while ensuring uncompromising compliance with ISO 9001, AS9100, and CMMC Level 2 requirements. You will be a key member of the management team, manage and coach others in management and supervisory roles, drive operational excellence, and serve as the chief carrier of the Modus culture on the floor every day.
Our work matters. We serve customers whose products go into ventilators, aerospace platforms, defense systems, and commercial space applications. In those markets, precision, quality, and on-time delivery are non-negotiable. The right General Manager understands the stakes, protects the standard, and builds a team that rises to it.
The Environment (Read This Carefully)
Modus is in a hypergrowth phase, fueled by significant opportunity in the defense, space, and medical markets. The bar is rising, the pace is accelerating, and the expectation is that leaders step up and perform. This General Manager role sits at the center of that reality.
- The standard is results, not effort. Effort is respected; execution is the currency.
- This is a demanding, high-performance environment. It is not a coasting seat. Growth will be uncomfortable at times.
- Comfort with change is required. Priorities shift, capacity expands, and new programs launch fast. Rigid thinking will not survive here.
- We need someone who wants this. This phase rewards leaders who run toward the opportunity and take ownership of capitalizing on it.
What Success Looks Like
In the first 90 days, a successful General Manager establishes command of the operation: learning the people, processes, customers, and numbers; identifying the constraints holding back delivery and margin; and earning the trust of the management team through presence and sound judgment on the floor.
Within 6 months, they are running the site with full ownership: hitting financial and delivery targets, sustaining clean audit results and compliance, driving measurable continuous-improvement gains, reducing early-tenure turnover, and building a leadership bench. The operation is more capable, more profitable, and more predictable than the day they arrived.
The standard we are setting is simple: when a customer walks through our doors, the operation they see should communicate precision, discipline, and pride — and the financials should prove it.
Core Responsibilities
Operations Management
- Direct all manufacturing operations — CNC machining, soft goods converting, and FIP dispensing
- Establish and monitor KPIs for safety, quality, delivery, and productivity
- Optimize production scheduling, capacity utilization, and resource allocation
- Ensure equipment reliability through effective maintenance programs and capital planning
- Drive on-time delivery and customer-satisfaction performance
Quality & Compliance Management
- Maintain ISO 9001 and AS9100 certification through an effective quality management system
- Ensure ongoing CMMC Level 2 compliance and cybersecurity requirements
- Oversee internal and external audits; drive corrective and preventive actions to closure
- Foster a culture of quality and continuous improvement throughout the organization
- Ensure customer-specific requirements and specifications are met consistently
Leadership & People Management
- Lead, develop, and mentor department managers and supervisory staff
- Build and protect a high-performance organizational culture aligned to the Modus values and expectations
- Provide strong accountability for those who report to you, enforcing a clear standard
- Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching and feedback
- Drive employee engagement, retention, and workforce-development initiatives
- Partner with HR on competitive compensation and talent strategies to attract and retain top performers
Customer & Business Development
- Support business-development efforts and new program launches
- Resolve customer concerns and drive continuous improvement in customer satisfaction
- Participate in customer audits, reviews, and strategic-planning sessions
- Identify opportunities for market expansion and capability development
Safety & Environmental Compliance
- Champion a safety-first culture with zero-incident goals
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory requirements
- Implement and monitor safety programs, training, and incident investigations
- Drive environmental sustainability and waste-reduction initiatives
Living Our Core Values in This Role
Everything we do at Modus is guided by six values lived on the floor every day — not just written on a wall. As the senior leader on site, the General Manager is the primary carrier of these values. Hiring, promotion, recognition, and accountability decisions are expected to reflect them.
Core Value
What It Looks Like in This Role
Act with Integrity
Makes the honest call on quality, delivery, and compliance even when it costs the site short-term. Reports problems up and out transparently. Honors commitments to customers, the team, and ownership.
Expand Our Potential
Develops department managers and a succession bench, invests in workforce development, and pursues their own growth as a leader. Builds capability ahead of demand.
Innovate
Challenges legacy processes, champions automation and new technology, and treats continuous improvement as a daily expectation — not an initiative.
Own It
Full operational ownership with an owner's mindset. Doesn't wait to be chased. Manages the site as if it were their own business and takes accountability for results, not effort.
Think Positive
Brings composure and a solutions-first posture under the pressure of hypergrowth. Builds energy and confidence in the team rather than spreading friction.
Together We Win
Breaks down silos across machining, converting, FIP, quality, and support functions. Collaborates with corporate, sales, and engineering, and protects a one-team culture across shifts and sites.
Who We're Looking ForEducation
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Business Administration, or a related field required
- MBA or advanced degree preferred
Experience
- Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations
- Minimum 5 years in a senior management role
- Proven experience in aerospace, defense, or medical device manufacturing
- Demonstrated success managing operations under AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality systems
- Experience with CMMC, ITAR, or other defense/security compliance frameworks preferred
- Track record of financial management and achieving profitability targets
Technical Knowledge & Skills
- Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, including CNC machining operations
- Expertise in quality management systems and regulatory compliance
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing execution systems
- Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous-improvement methodologies
- Understanding of supply chain management and procurement strategies
Leadership Competencies & Behavioral Fit
Modus hires high performers who can hold two things at once: the drive to push change, growth, and innovation aggressively, paired with the discipline to maintain AS9100 and CMMC rigor. We look for evidence of both in the same candidate.
- Owner's mindset — manages the site as their own business; high performers manage themselves and don't need to be chased
- Strategic thinking paired with execution — can set direction and then deliver it
- Sound judgment under pressure — makes good decisions when the stakes and pace are high
- Develops people — builds managers, succession depth, and a culture others want to join
- Direct, early communicator — transparent and proactive; understands that silence is expensive
- Results-oriented and accountable — owns outcomes, not activity
- Customer-focused relationship builder — credible in front of demanding aerospace, defense, and medical customers
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements
- Manufacturing facility environment with regular, daily floor presence required
- Standard business hours with flexibility for operational needs; on-call availability for operational emergencies
- Occasional travel to customer sites, the other Modus facility, or industry events
- Ability to walk the manufacturing floor, conduct facility inspections, and wear required PPE
- Ability to work at a computer workstation for extended periods
Why Modus Advanced
Modus Advanced is a precision manufacturing company in a phase of significant growth, with revenue scaling aggressively and a roadmap that calls for operational excellence, expanded capability, and new market reach. Our customers move fast and expect excellence — and we build the team and the environment to deliver it.
This role is an opportunity to own something real. You're not managing a commodity plant — you're running a precision operation whose output goes into systems where failure is not an option. If you're a results-driven operator who wants real ownership, a high-performance team to build, and a company where your impact is visible and rewarded, this is the right fit.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience
- Performance-based bonus tied to financial and operational results
- Comprehensive benefits package — health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company matching
- Paid time off and holiday pay
- A collaborative, high-performance culture that invests in its people
- A clear path to multi-site or executive operations leadership as the company grows
Career Path
This position may be developed through promotion from an Assistant General Manager role, and the General Manager may advance to multi-site leadership or executive operations roles within the organization.
Our Core Values
- Act with Integrity — We are trustworthy and honor our commitments
- Expand Our Potential — We are committed to personal and professional growth
- Innovate — We challenge the status quo
- Own It — We take ownership for our actions and performance
- Think Positive — We maintain balance and perspective in difficult situations
- Together We Win — Teamwork is key to our success
Modus Advanced, Inc. Livermore, CA Carlsbad, CA modusadvanced.com
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
