Director of Manufacturing Operations & SC

Position Specifics

This position ideally sits onsite in Mequon, WI alongside our Casting leadership team with secondary locations in Woodstock, IL or Shawano, WI at our plant operations locations.
Relocation assistance available
Position requires travel at least 30%

What You’ll Do

• Strategic Leadership & Business Performance
  Develop and execute the operations and supply chain strategy required to achieve business objectives, strengthen competitive advantage, and support long-term growth, including capital, capacity, technology, and capability investment roadmaps.
  Serve as a key member of the Business Unit Leadership Team, contributing to business strategy development and ensuring operational priorities are aligned with strategic objectives.
  Own operational financial performance, including budgets, spending, productivity improvement, working capital management, and cost structure optimization in support of revenue and profitability objectives.
  Lead the evaluation, justification, and implementation of capital investments, automation, new technologies, and process innovations that improve operational capability and business performance.

• Operational Excellence & Transformation
  Lead the organization's Operational Excellence transformation through Lean Enterprise and Toyota Production System principles.
  Drive the adoption of new technologies, automation, and process innovations that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall competitiveness.
  Ensure robust management systems exist across safety, quality, environmental, operational, and business processes to support sustainable performance and future growth.

• Leadership & Talent Development
  Build organizational capability, leadership talent, and succession pipelines required to support current and future business needs.
  Develop a deep and diverse leadership bench through coaching, succession planning, and intentional development of future operational leaders characterized by accountability, collaboration, engagement, and a relentless focus on results.

• Safety, Quality & Customer Excellence
  Champion a culture of safety by ensuring a safe working environment, visible leadership engagement, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement in safety performance.
  Serve as the voice of the customer within operations, ensuring customer requirements are consistently met or exceeded through superior quality, delivery, responsiveness, and execution.
  Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Commercial, Quality, and other stakeholders to successfully launch new products, technologies, and processes while achieving customer commitments and operational objectives.

• Supply Chain Leadership
  Lead supply chain functions to ensure effective planning, procurement, sourcing, logistics, inventory optimization, and supplier performance management.
  Develop and maintain strategic supplier partnerships that enhance supply continuity, quality, responsiveness, innovation, and total cost competitiveness.

• Leadership Responsibilities
  Provide leadership for the Casting Division's multi-site operations organization, including Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operational Excellence.
  Directly lead Plant Managers, Supply Chain leadership, Quality leadership, and Operational Excellence leadership while developing organizational capability and succession strength throughout the operations organization.

What You’ll Need

• Minimum Qualifications
  Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
  10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including significant responsibility for multi-site operations, supply chain, or related business functions.
  Proven success as a Plant Manager, Operations Manager, or equivalent senior operations leadership role.
  Demonstrated ability to develop and execute operational strategies that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall business performance.
  Deep expertise in Lean Enterprise, Toyota Production System (TPS), and continuous improvement methodologies, with a proven track record of leading sustained, large-scale operational transformations.
  Demonstrated success building high-performing teams, developing leaders, and driving accountability and engagement throughout the organization.
  Experience leading supply chain functions, including planning, procurement, sourcing, logistics, inventory optimization, and supplier performance management.
  Proven ability to lead change, influence across functions, and align teams around strategic business objectives in complex manufacturing environments.
  Strong business acumen, communication skills, and executive presence, with the ability to effectively engage employees, customers, suppliers, and senior leadership.
  Ability to meet the essential job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation, as outlined in the job description.

• Preferred Qualifications
  Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
  Experience leading operations within metals manufacturing or other capital-intensive manufacturing businesses.
  Demonstrated success leading Lean transformations utilizing Toyota Production System principles.
  Experience leading complex, multi-site manufacturing organizations through significant growth, operational turnaround, capacity expansion, acquisition integration, or business transformation initiatives.
  Proven success developing high-performing leadership teams and building organizational capability through succession planning and talent development.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) plan with employer matching and profit sharing
• Company-paid life insurance
• Disability coverage
• Paid time off (PTO)