SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER

About the Role

The Senior Operations Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and day-to-day management of Century Arms' Space Coast operations. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Operations, this position serves as the senior operational leader for the facility and is accountable for achieving operational excellence through strong leadership, employee development, process discipline, and continuous improvement. The role provides strategic and hands-on leadership for approximately 40 employees while ensuring the safe, efficient, and compliant execution of all operational activities.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the daily operation of the Space Coast facility, ensuring operational objectives support Century Arms' strategic business goals.
• Lead all manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, inventory control, shipping, receiving, and supporting operational activities.
• Establish operational priorities while balancing safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer requirements.
• Ensure efficient utilization of labor, equipment, facilities, and resources.
• Drive operational consistency through standardized work practices and disciplined execution.
• Develop annual operating plans aligned with company objectives and identify operational risks with mitigation strategies.
• Build and maintain a high-performance culture based on accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop supervisors and employees, including conducting performance evaluations and establishing measurable performance expectations.
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, employee relations, talent acquisition, succession planning, and performance management.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing principles to improve productivity, efficiency, throughput, and workflow while reducing waste, scrap, downtime, and operational costs.
• Utilize Root Cause Analysis to eliminate recurring operational issues and develop key operational metrics to drive performance improvements.
• Develop and manage departmental operating budgets, monitor labor utilization, overtime, productivity, and operating expenses.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining product quality and customer satisfaction.
• Support capital planning and equipment investments, and maintain accountability for inventory accuracy and asset utilization.
• Promote a culture where employee safety is the highest operational priority, ensuring compliance with OSHA, ATF, and other applicable regulations.
• Support ISO Quality Management System requirements and lead investigations involving safety incidents, operational failures, and corrective actions.
• Serve as a key operational partner across the organization, fostering collaboration and alignment with Century Arms' strategic objectives.
• Develop, monitor, and communicate operational performance through KPIs, analyzing data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Cross-Functional Partnerships

The Senior Operations Manager partners closely with leaders in:

• Quality
• Engineering
• Supply Chain
• Purchasing
• Product Development
• Compliance
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Sales & Customer Service

These partnerships support operational excellence by improving productivity, product quality, inventory management, customer service, process efficiency, and overall business performance.

Key Performance Metrics

• Safety performance and regulatory compliance
• Product quality and customer satisfaction
• On-time delivery and production attainment
• Labor productivity and workforce utilization
• Inventory accuracy and operational efficiency
• Cost management, waste reduction, and scrap performance
• Continuous improvement initiatives and measurable process improvements
• Employee engagement, retention, and leadership development

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, Business Management, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive manufacturing or operations leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years leading supervisors, managers, or multi-functional operational teams.
• Demonstrated success managing manufacturing or distribution operations.
• Experience managing operational budgets and KPIs.
• Experience with ERP systems and Microsoft Office.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within the firearms industry.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, automotive, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• ISO 9001 experience.
• APICS, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or equivalent certifications.
• Multi-site operational experience.