Operations Department Head

Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible. The Specialty Materials segment manufactures products that provide more than 150 material formulations for glass, glass ceramics and fluoride crystals to meet demand for unique customer needs, operating in markets including display optics, semiconductor optics, aerospace and defense, astronomy, ophthalmic products, telecommunications, and cover glass for portable display devices.

About the role

The Operations Department Head oversees all aspects of the assigned production area and end-to-end manufacturing operations at the Phoenix plant. This role leads and develops a large, multi-shift production team, ensuring employees have the tools, resources, training, and guidance needed to perform safely and effectively. The position owns production planning and execution, drives a strong safety and quality culture, and establishes, monitors, and improves key performance indicators across the production floor. Through data-driven decision-making, Lean leadership, and continuous improvement, the role optimizes efficiency, cost, quality, yield, uptime, labor effectiveness, and throughput to achieve business, service, and profitability objectives.

Responsibilities

• Own execution of production plans and schedules to meet customer demand, maximize throughput, and achieve cost, quality, delivery, inventory, safety, service, and growth targets.
• Lead, coach, and develop manufacturing leaders and hourly production teams across a multi-shift operation; ensure staffing, training, performance management, and employee engagement support safe and reliable operations.
• Establish, track, communicate, and drive improvement of production KPIs, including safety, quality, yield, uptime, scrap, labor efficiency, output, schedule adherence, and asset effectiveness.
• Provide daily direction to production leaders on operating priorities, established procedures, escalation needs, and performance expectations.
• Champion process control, change management, and root cause problem solving to improve process capability, reduce variation, and strengthen operational stability.
• Maintain quality standards for assigned products and processes, ensuring adherence to specifications, quality systems, customer expectations, and manufacturing best practices.
• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives that reduce waste, improve flow, increase equipment reliability, and deliver measurable cost and productivity improvements.
• Manage budgets, resource plans, labor utilization, and production costs to optimize manufacturing performance and minimize waste while supporting business priorities.
• Own safety performance for the production area and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal standards, training requirements, and safe work practices.
• Collaborate closely with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Logistics, and other support departments to align priorities, remove production barriers, support customer commitments, and drive cross-functional accountability for operational results.
• Apply current manufacturing best practices, production data, automation concepts, and emerging technologies to improve performance, reliability, and decision-making.
• Deploy Corning’s talent management programs within the department to attract, develop, and retain manufacturing talent; ensure salaried employees have meaningful training and development plans.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or plant operations environment.
• 3+ years of progressive leadership experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or plant operations environment, including responsibility for multi-shift teams, production execution, KPI performance, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large, multi-shift manufacturing teams, including salaried leaders and hourly production employees.
• Proven supervisory, team leader, section supervisor, or department leadership experience in a manufacturing plant environment.
• Proven ability to use production data and KPIs to drive operational decisions, improve performance, and communicate results across plant and business leadership.
• Knowledge of quality control procedures, manufacturing standards, customer requirements, and disciplined problem solving.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes, equipment reliability, maintenance coordination, and production support systems.
• Familiarity with safety regulations, compliance requirements, incident prevention, and safety management systems.
• Proven capability to manage, coach, direct, develop, and hold accountable salaried exempt, non-exempt, and hourly employees.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across production, engineering, maintenance, quality, supply chain, logistics, commercial, and plant leadership teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading large-scale ramp, capacity expansion, productivity, cost reduction, or operational transformation initiatives in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to multiple manufacturing processes, production technologies, automation, equipment reliability systems, and corporate network resources.
• Experience participating in or leading cross-functional teams responsible for delivering improvement initiatives, new product introductions, or manufacturing readiness projects.
• Experience collaborating, interfacing, and communicating upward and outward across plant, business, division, commercial, supply chain, and customer-facing stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma fundamentals, continuous improvement, standard work, root cause analysis, and process control.
• Training, understanding, and demonstrated competence in plant manufacturing financials, budgeting, cost management, and resource optimization.

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

Pay

The range for this position is $106,400.00 - $146,300.00 assuming full-time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

Benefits

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives aligned with key business results.
• 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career, combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan (total contributions can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on age and years of service).
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid parental leave and family building support.
• Fitness benefits, company-paid life insurance, disability, and disease management programs.
• Paid time off and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.
• Recognition program to celebrate successes and reward exceptional contributions.