Director of Operations

Newark, NJ

$175,000-$250,000

The Director of Operations is responsible for leading one core operational function (e.g., Assembly, Manufacturing, Custom Shop, Finishing, Picking) to ensure safe, efficient, and predictable execution. This role owns daily performance, quality, cost control, and team development while partnering cross- functionally to keep production flowing and commitments on track. The Director operates as the business owner of their function, leading managers through clear metrics, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement aligned with the companys overall vision and growth plans. This includes developing and maintaining a forward-looking 12-month operational outlook, aligning capacity, labor planning, capital needs, process improvements, and risk mitigation strategies with forecasted demand.

Key responsibilities

• Own full operational and financial performance of the function, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, labor efficiency, and budget results.
• Set realistic production and staffing plans aligned with company forecasts and capacity; ensure commitments are achievable, resourced, and delivered.
• Lead and develop department managers through clear expectations, structured accountability, and consistent coaching.
• Establish and manage scorecards across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity; drive immediate corrective action on performance gaps.
• Identify and execute strategic improvement initiatives to increase throughput, reduce waste, lower cost of poor quality, and enable scalability.
• Ensure standardized processes are documented, enforced, and continuously improved to maintain operational discipline.
• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks across safety, quality, delivery, labor, capacity, and cost by conducting root cause analysis, implementing preventative controls, and maintaining contingency plans to protect performance and business continuity.
• Communicate performance, risks, and improvement plans to the Senior Director of Operations and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Build organizational bench strength through training, workforce planning, and succession planning in partnership with the Talent team.
• Develop and communicate an annual operating roadmap, translating company growth targets into measurable goals, capacity plans, capital priorities, and continuous improvement milestones.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of operational leadership experience in manufacturing, production, warehouse, or industrial environments.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, drive accountability, and deliver measurable performance improvements.
• Experience implementing and enforcing standardized processes and safety programs in a production environment.
• Strong financial acumen, including budget ownership, cost control, labor planning, and understanding of profit and loss impact.
• Experience applying lean principles and continuous improvement methodologies to improve throughput, reduce waste, and lower cost of poor quality.
• Ability to analyze performance data, identify trends, conduct root cause analysis, and implement sustainable improvements.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional peers and senior leadership.
• Hands-on, ownership-driven leadership style with the ability to operate full-time on-site in a fast- paced environment.