Director, Site Operations

About Us

BW Packaging is driving performance at the intersection of people, technology, and customer care. As part of the privately held Barry-Wehmiller family, we unite a global team of packaging experts with a clear purpose: People Who Care, Building Solutions that Perform. We take on our customers’ toughest challenges as our own — delivering both innovative and enduring solutions that set the standard for value and performance. Our strength comes from our people and the power of our brands — trusted names in packaging that are known worldwide for engineering excellence, application expertise, and lifetime commitment to customer success. Truly Human Leadership guides our belief that exceptional business results and profound respect for people together provide the foundation of enduring success. We are committed to forging lasting partnerships with our customers, earning their trust through integrity, expertise, and execution.

Barry-Wehmiller is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper-converting industries. By blending people-centric leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose-driven growth, Barry-Wehmiller has become a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world.

Job Description

The Director, Site Operations is accountable for the overall leadership, performance, and continuous improvement of a single manufacturing facility. This role ensures the site delivers on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people objectives while operating in alignment with regional and Packaging's operational strategies. The Director partners closely with functional leaders in Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operational Excellence to ensure site-level execution meets or exceeds customer expectations. Where applicable, the Director may directly support or provide oversight for site-level engineering resources in collaboration with centralized engineering leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Site Ownership & Leadership
  • Lead the day-to-day operations of the manufacturing facility to meet or exceed targets for safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
  • Own site-level P&L accountability within agreed parameters, partnering with regional leadership on budgeting and forecasting.
  • Ensure all site activities align with regional and enterprise operational strategies.
  • Champion a safe, productive, and inclusive work environment.
• Operational Performance & Improvement
  • Drive continuous improvement in throughput, lead time reduction, and cost efficiency.
  • Apply Lean and structured problem-solving methods to standardize processes and eliminate waste.
  • Monitor performance metrics, address risks, and implement corrective actions as needed.
  • Lead operational reviews and communicate performance results clearly to teams and stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner closely with centralized Supply Chain to ensure materials availability, supplier performance, and production continuity.
  • Maintain a strong partnership with centralized Engineering leadership and as needed, provide oversight for site-based engineering activities to ensure alignment with operational priorities.
  • Work with Operational Excellence leaders to deploy improvement tools, training, and systems at the site.
  • Collaborate with Commercial, Product, and Service leaders to meet customer delivery commitments and address escalations.
• Talent Leadership & Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop site leaders and supervisors to build a capable, high-performing team.
  • Ensure clear expectations, accountability, and development opportunities for all team members.
  • Support workforce planning and talent acquisition in partnership with the People Team and regional leadership.
  • Promote a culture of care, engagement, and high performance at all levels.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in manufacturing operations leadership; experience managing complex production environments preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to improve operational performance, cost structure, and delivery reliability.
• Proven ability to lead and develop leaders in a multi-shift or multi-line production setting.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems, and safety standards.
• Skilled at working within a matrixed organization and collaborating across functional domains.
• Flexibility to take on evolving responsibilities in response to strategic priorities and business needs.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; degree in Operations, Engineering, or related field a plus.
• Leverage Lean and/or Continuous Improvement experience strongly preferred.

Reporting Relationships

• Direct Reports: Site operations leadership roles such as Value Stream Leaders, Manufacturing Supervisors, or Department Managers. May include site-based engineering resources, depending on location and scope.
• Matrixed Collaboration: Supply Chain, Engineering, Operational Excellence / Continuous Improvement (CI), Quality, Finance, People Team.

Additional Contributions

• Lead site-level implementation of enterprise change initiatives such as ERP/MRP upgrades or standardized planning processes.
• Represent the facility in regional or enterprise forums, sharing best practices and contributing to network-wide improvements.
• Partner with local educational institutions and workforce programs to develop manufacturing talent pipelines.
• Act as site ambassador for community and industry engagement activities.

Pay Range

The approximate pay range for this position is $150,000 - $180,000 per year.