Director of Operations

Job Summary

The Director of Operations is responsible for:

• Overseeing the daily operational activities of the plant, including employees, production, and financial costs.
• Coordinating and carrying out the functions to fulfill a customer order, including staffing and directing purchasing, production control, and manufacturing functions to ensure the schedule and budget are met. This includes considering the forecast, production plan, backlog, availability of materials, capacity, and management policies when making key decisions.

Job Duties

• Lead the Operations Department by setting and guiding operational initiatives and process improvements.
• Plan, monitor, train, and measure employees to ensure they are competent, cross-trained, and improving their personal abilities.
• Conduct performance reviews and competency evaluations to determine training needs for the department.
• Resolve scheduling and prioritization issues.
• Drive purchasing and manufacturing cost reduction initiatives throughout the buy and build phase to meet or exceed cost reduction targets.
• Conduct manufacturing “time-study” improvements.
• Continuously review job status and financial results for all jobs.
• Drive effective material and production control processes to improve inventory turns and customer order fulfillment, including the offshore supplier base.
• Provide assistance to sales staff by partnering with the application engineering team.
• Provide technical input on new project development (concept) and pricing support for projects (mainly tooling).
• Maintain an active role in Samco India and provide direction for business operations.
• Actively support the Quality Management System to ensure customer quality expectations are met and ISO standards are maintained.
• Identify potential and existing bottlenecks in operational workflow and processes, ensuring appropriate staffing and work center resources are available.
• Ensure all customer needs are achieved and customer promises (on-time shipping) are kept.
• Eliminate rework due to manufacturing.
• Quickly shift priorities and adapt to changes to meet organizational and department requirements.
• Efficiently use materials, labor, and equipment to meet operation and milestone (M8-M10) targets.
• Liaise with and update customers on job schedules and potential issues encountered during the manufacturing process.
• Participate in various company meetings (Production, COA Launch, Design Review) to provide practical shop information.
• Provide timely guidance and feedback to staff to strengthen knowledge in areas needed to accomplish tasks or solve problems.
• Work effectively with cross-functional teams at all levels.
• Foster a positive employee relations climate to encourage buy-in, teamwork, and reduce employee turnover in operations areas.
• Develop and maintain strategic supplier and customer relationships.
• Maintain knowledge of and follow Section 25 and 26 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and policies outlined in the Company Health and Safety Manual.
• Provide leadership in creating a safety-first culture on the shop floor, holding managers and supervisors accountable for poor safety performance.
• Enforce compliance with departmental policies and processes required by ISO and implement improvements whenever possible.
• Monitor attendance of all direct reports and provide counseling for required improvements to ensure an uninterrupted workflow.

Job Requirements (Education, Knowledge & Skill)

• Bachelor’s degree in operations management or a related field.
• 10-15 years of experience in industrial management required.
• CIM Certificate (Professional Manager) or equivalent experience in a management role.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical engineering drawings.
• Knowledge of metallurgical processes.
• Understanding of a Closed Loop MRP 11 System and the functions of Capacity Requirements Planning and Shop Floor Control.
• Advanced computer skills to use MRP software.