The Director of Operations is responsible for driving operational excellence in a highly engineered manufacturing business. This role is a hands-on leadership role that leads organizational change and develops high-performing teams. The Director of Operations ensures safety, quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction while delivering the company’s strategy, growth, and modernization goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Change Management

• Drive change management initiatives that improve processes, performance, and organizational effectiveness.
• Instill a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
• Regularly and clearly communicate the operational vision, priorities, and expectations to all levels of the business.
• Make timely, data-driven operational decisions that balance safety, quality, cost, and customer impact while supporting long-term business objectives.
• Collaborate cross functionally with both site and corporate functions including quality, commercial and finance, engineering, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams to translate customer and market needs into scalable operational solutions.
• Act as a visible leader on the shop floor and across the organization, building credibility, trust, and alignment at all levels.

Operational Excellence

• Manage the manufacturing operations of the business.
• Identify and implement process improvements to drive efficiency, reduce waste, and increase capacity.
• Develop and monitor appropriate KPIs to measure performance, productivity, safety, and quality.
• Ensure adherence to the execution of standard operating procedures across the business.
• Serve as an operational point of contact for customers.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with the quality department at both the site and corporate level to ensure customer specifications and industry standards are met.
• Lead corrective and preventive actions related to safety and operational issues.

People Development

• Provide coaching, training, and regular performance feedback to employees.

Financial & Asset Management

• Develop and manage operational budgets and control costs while maintaining service and quality standards.
• Manage equipment, facilities, and capital improvement projects to support growth and modernization.
• Apply strong financial acumen to operational decisions, managing costs, improving balance sheet performance, and driving EBITDA growth.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, associate's degree, or technical education in Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience as indicated below) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience in a machined manufacturing environment.
• Experience in plastics machining & fabrication, industrial manufacturing, or a similar production environment.
• Proven ability to lead teams through periods of rapid change and process improvement initiatives.
• Experience in process improvement techniques including but not limited to Six Sigma.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.



Physical Requirements:

• Ability to move throughout manufacturing, warehouse, and office environments on a regular basis.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during facility tours, floor presence, and operational reviews.
• Ability to lift, push, or pull up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to bend, stoop, kneel, and reach as needed to observe operations and equipment.
• Ability to safely work around industrial equipment, forklifts, and production machinery while wearing required personal protective equipment (PPE).