Director, Performance Improvement (Manufacturing and Industrials)

Ankura’s Performance Improvement practice provides extensive industry expertise combined with data-driven, objective, and innovative approaches to complex business challenges. Our team works with clients to build value and accelerate business performance via process improvement.

About the role

The ideal candidate will be based in Chicago, Dallas, or New York, though other locations may be considered. This role is hybrid, splitting time between an Ankura office and remote work when not traveling. Depending on qualifications, the role may be filled at the Director or Senior Director level.

Responsibilities

• Support clients through rapid growth, plant turnarounds, acquisition integrations, carve-outs, and broader cultural or operating model transformations, including M&A operational due diligence and pre/post-close execution.
• Assess plant performance using OEE, throughput, labor productivity, reliability, quality, and asset utilization to identify EBITDA and cash flow improvement opportunities.
• Evaluate operating systems, management routines, process discipline, leadership effectiveness, and manufacturing networks (footprint, capacity utilization, synergies) to enhance safety, quality, service, and productivity and support M&A-related decisions.
• Translate shop-floor performance and operational diagnostics into clear financial outcomes, supporting capacity unlock, CAPEX optimization, and enterprise value creation initiatives.
• Build analytical tools and financial models; deploy advanced analytics, dashboards, KPI reporting, and operating scorecards beyond basic Excel to drive data-based decision making.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methods to reduce waste and defects, increase throughput, improve setup/changeover, and stabilize inventory and service levels.
• Analyze complex, multi-shift and 24/7 manufacturing operations across labor, value streams, production planning, quality, safety, and customer service to identify bottlenecks and improvement levers.
• Develop practical value creation roadmaps with measurable targets for EBITDA, cash flow, productivity, quality, safety, service, working capital, and CAPEX effectiveness.
• Manage engagement workplans, milestones, issue logs, and status reporting; prepare executive-ready reports, scorecards, business cases, and presentations, and communicate findings to senior leadership.
• Lead and collaborate with client and internal teams, working directly with senior clients to gather data and test hypotheses; set priorities across workstreams, manage Associates/Senior Associates, and provide coaching and feedback.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree from a top academic institution with a strong GPA required; Master’s degree preferred and MBA strongly valued.
• 5+ years of advisory experience with a top-tier management consulting firm with significant manufacturing/industrials experience; 10+ years of progressive operations leadership across consulting and corporate/client-side roles preferred for senior-level consideration.
• Proven experience leading or advising manufacturing operations with accountability for productivity, quality, safety, budget/P&L performance, workforce management, and customer service outcomes, with a demonstrated track record of measurable enterprise value creation, operational productivity improvement, cost reduction, and performance gains in complex manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, value stream mapping, kaizen, standard work, plant turnarounds, and performance management systems; Lean and/or Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Experience supporting CAPEX planning and execution, asset management, labor strategy, inventory recovery, backorder reduction, throughput improvement, and multi-shift operating environments.
• Experience across industrials and manufacturing sectors such as building products, plastics, medical/life sciences, food/dairy, consumer goods, or other regulated production environments, with working knowledge of safety, quality, and regulatory operating disciplines and exposure to FDA, USDA, FSSC 22000, third-party certifications, or similar requirements.
• Ability to align shop floor execution with senior executive, CEO, board, investor, and broader stakeholder priorities, and to support multiple transactions in diligence, integration, and separation roles.
• Strong people leadership experience, including building high-performance teams, developing operational leaders, coaching frontline management, and driving cultural change.
• Strong analytical and financial skills, including Excel modeling, use of analytical tools and financial analyses that balance timing, flexibility, detail, and risk with limited direction, and the ability to identify and articulate opportunities for more advanced analytic approaches beyond basic Excel; demonstrated ability to identify key issues, understand data patterns and trends, synthesize analysis, and draw practical conclusions.
• Excellent communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and drive change, along with the ability and willingness to travel (estimated around 50%, varying by engagement) and to work long hours during the week and on weekends as required by client demands.

Pay

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in California, Colorado, New York or other states with relevant pay transparency laws, the estimated base pay range is $85,000 to $200,000. This range considers factors including skill sets, experience, training, licensure, certifications, and business needs. The range does not include additional benefits outside of salary.