Director of Operations

15000 Valmont Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68154

About the role

We’re Here to Move the World Forward. Valmont impacts millions of people around the world every day, yet they might not realize the many ways. Our technology is helping feed the growing population, supplying the world with more reliable energy and access to renewables, enhancing connectivity in remote and urban locations to create a sustainable future and so much more. Simply put, Valmont is advancing agricultural productivity and reimagining vital infrastructure to make life better. The Director of Operations is responsible for the overall performance of assigned manufacturing locations, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, and asset utilization. This role provides leadership, direction, and accountability to ensure operations deliver predictable, high-quality output while supporting division and corporate objectives. The Director of Operations is accountable for building and sustaining disciplined, system-driven operations that scale throughput, improve reliability, and deliver consistent customer performance without reliance on reactive execution.

This position reports to the VP GM North America Telecom and requires domestic travel up to 50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Drive performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Cash (SQDCC)
• Ensure operations run to a predictable, system-based plan, not reactive prioritization
• Monitor and improve throughput, schedule adherence, and capacity utilization
• Ensure customer commitments are met with consistency and discipline
• Establish and enforce a structured Asset Care & Reliability (ACR) approach across all sites
• Drive improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) through reduction of downtime and improved maintenance practices
• Ensure visibility and management of key reliability metrics (OEE, MTBF, MTTR, downtime)
• Partner with Maintenance, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering and Technology (AMET), and Global Engineering Manufacturing Solutions (GEMS) to improve equipment performance and uptime
• Eliminate reliance on reactive maintenance and drive progression toward planned and predictive maintenance systems
• Ensure quality is built into the process, not inspected at the end
• Hold site leadership accountable for in-process quality execution and outcomes
• Drive root cause problem solving for quality issues and eliminate repeat defects
• Lead continuous improvement efforts focused on operational outcomes, not isolated projects
• Integrate Continuous Improvement into daily operations across safety, quality, material flow, and production flow
• Ensure disciplined execution of standard work, operating systems, and planning tools
• Develop and coach site Plant Managers and leadership teams
• Build leadership depth and succession capability across all sites
• Drive accountability across cross-functional teams including Product Line, Sales, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance
• Act as the central leader for operational performance across assigned facilities
• Balance strategic leadership with operational execution
• Require frequent presence on the production floor
• Drive a culture of discipline, accountability, and system-based execution
• Focus on stability and predictability of operations rather than reactive performance
• Partner closely with site leadership to remove systemic barriers

Success is measured by consistent, repeatable operational performance without reliance on heroics.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience, or associate’s degree with 12+ years relevant experience, or 15+ years of relevant experience
• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience in a manufacturing environment
• Multi-site leadership experience preferred
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, maintenance systems, and continuous improvement
• Proven ability to drive operational performance and reliability improvements
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive accountability
• Effective communication and leadership presence across all levels

Working Environment

Work is typically performed in a manufacturing plant environment. The incumbent needs to be able to move about the office and production environments. There is often exposure to conditions such as dust, dirt, heat, fumes, and cold as well as noise levels above 80 decibels. Many aspects of this role are physical, and the incumbent has to be able to lift up to 50 lbs. The employee is regularly required to reach with hands and arms. The incumbent is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, feel, as well as balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk, and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

Benefits

Valmont offers employees and their families a comprehensive Total Wellbeing benefit package to ensure their individual and family’s overall wellness needs are met. Some offerings are dependent upon the role, work schedule, or location and can include the following:

• Healthcare (medical, prescription drugs, dental, and vision)
• 401k retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability including maternity leave
• Work Life Support
• Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,250 per year
• Voluntary programs like tobacco cessation, Type 2 diabetes reversal, one-on-one health coaching, mortgage services, and more