Operations Manager

About this position

Department: Operations
Reports To: General Manager
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Updated: 06/09/2026

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Leadership & Organizational Development
• Lead, coach, and develop production, materials, and operational leaders to build a high-performing organization capable of meeting current and future business needs.
• Establish clear performance expectations and drive accountability for safety, quality, productivity, inventory accuracy, and customer service.
• Foster a culture of operational excellence, continuous improvement, teamwork, and employee engagement.
• Support workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, succession planning, and employee development initiatives.
• Operations & Materials Management
• Provide leadership and strategic direction for all manufacturing and material management activities, including production, receiving, inventory control, warehousing, material handling, shipping, and cycle counting.
• Ensure effective utilization of labor, equipment, facilities, and materials to achieve operational objectives and customer commitments.
• Partner with Planning, Supply Chain, Project Management, Quality, and Engineering functions to align operational execution with business priorities and delivery requirements.
• Proactively identify and resolve operational constraints impacting throughput, inventory availability, productivity, quality, or schedule attainment.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
• Own and continuously improve manufacturing and material management processes, systems, and workflows to increase safety, quality, efficiency, capacity, and scalability.
• Lead initiatives focused on waste reduction, process standardization, productivity improvement, inventory accuracy, and operational performance.
• Evaluate facility layouts, equipment, tooling, material flow, and operating practices to identify opportunities for improvement and long-term growth.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective action activities related to operational, quality, inventory, and safety performance.
• Safety, Quality & Compliance
• Champion a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and applicable industry standards.
• Partner with Quality Assurance leadership to ensure products consistently meet customer requirements and company quality standards.
• Lead investigations, corrective actions, and risk-reduction efforts associated with safety, quality, and operational incidents.
• Promote and model safe work practices throughout all operational functions.
• Operational Systems & Performance Management
• Own operational metrics and management systems related to safety, quality, delivery, productivity, labor efficiency, inventory accuracy, and schedule attainment.
• Develop, implement, and maintain operational procedures, work instructions, standard work, policies, and performance management systems.
• Monitor operational performance, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to achieve business objectives.
• Support strategic planning, capacity planning, capital investment initiatives, and operational growth strategies.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 9 years of progressive leadership experience within manufacturing, operations, supply chain, materials management, or industrial environments.
• Demonstrated success leading operational improvement initiatives that delivered measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory performance, productivity, or cost.
• Experience leading supervisors, team leads, or frontline leaders in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience implementing or operating within structured management systems such as Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS), Six Sigma, ISO 9001, or similar operational excellence frameworks.
• Experience within custom manufacturing, engineer-to-order, fabrication, industrial equipment, or project-based production environments strongly preferred.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States and able to successfully pass a background check.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, materials management, inventory control, production planning, and operational performance management.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles, including standardized work, visual management, waste elimination, flow, pull systems, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with Six Sigma, PDCA, Kaizen, A3 problem solving, value stream mapping, or similar process improvement tools.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 quality management systems and process-based management principles.
• Leverage of Lean certification (TPS, Six Sigma, Lean Practitioner, etc.) preferred.
• Ability to analyze operational data and utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify trends, drive accountability, and improve performance.
• General understanding of metal fabrication and manufacturing processes, including welding, fitting, machining, blasting, painting, assembly, and material flow.
• Familiarity with ASME pressure vessel fabrication, industrial equipment manufacturing, or heavy fabrication environments preferred.
• Experience utilizing ERP systems to manage production, inventory, materials, and operational performance; Microsoft Business Central experience preferred.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint.

Competencies

• Operational Leadership
• Ability to build alignment, establish accountability, and drive execution through frontline leaders and supervisors.
• Creates systems and processes that enable sustainable operational performance rather than relying on individual effort.
• Continuous Improvement
• Demonstrates a bias toward process improvement, standardization, waste reduction, and long-term capability building.
• Challenges existing practices and drives measurable operational improvements.
• Strategic & Systems Thinking
• Understands the interaction between production, materials management, inventory, quality, engineering, planning, and customer requirements.
• Identifies systemic issues and develops sustainable corrective actions.
• People Development
• Develops leaders and teams through coaching, mentoring, training, and performance management.
• Builds organizational capability and succession depth.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Utilizes structured problem-solving methodologies to identify root causes and implement effective solutions.
• Makes timely decisions using data, operational insight, and sound judgment.
• Communication & Change Leadership
• Communicates clearly across all organizational levels.
• Effectively leads organizational change, process improvements, and operational transformation initiatives.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a manufacturing environment with exposure to noise, dust, moving equipment, and varying temperatures.
• Frequent walking throughout the facility to support manufacturing operations.
• Ability to stand, bend, kneel, reach, and climb as necessary to support operational activities.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer systems.
• Visual acuity sufficient to review documents, manufacturing drawings, reports, and equipment labels.
• Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods as required.

Aqueous Vets® is an equal-opportunity employer.