Operations Manager

Mandrake; Sarnia; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A manufacturing firm located in Sarnia is seeking an experienced Operations Manager. This pivotal role involves overseeing production, maintenance, and project management. Candidates should have over 10 years in manufacturing operations and strong leadership skills. The position requires collaboration with various teams to drive performance and implementation of lean practices. An educational background in Engineering or Business Management is preferred. An excellent opportunity for a hands-on leader to make significant improvements in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience in manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated success of overseeing production, maintenance and or production planning functions.
• Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations and ensure timely completion of contracts.
• Develop operational plans to improve performance and reliability.
• Collaborate with managers to track results and set expectations.
• Drive lean and 5S practices on the shop floor.

Skills

Operational Leadership

Team Collaboration

Lean Practices

Safety Management

Union Relations

Education

Post secondary education in Engineering, Operations Management, or Business Management

Job description

Reporting to the President, the Operations Manager is a critical hands‑on operational leadership role that oversees production, maintenance, production planning, and project management of our client’s manufacturing facility. The role will lead day to day operations, drive performance and support continuous improvement and other key projects in a growing and customized engineering manufacturing environment.

Our Client....

A decades old exchangers and vessels fabricating company in Sarnia that offers a fully integrated experience, including engineering, machining, welding & testing. They bring deep knowledge and offer the highest standards of quality.

What you will do

Operational Leadership:

• Collaborate with Production Supervisor, Shop and Machine Shop Lead Hands, Project Management, Quality, Engineering and Purchasing to ensure coordination and timely completion of contracts as well as budget, quality, safety performance.
• Develop and implement short- & long-term operational plans that improve performance, reliability, and operational efficiency objectives.
• Collaborate with department managers to set expectations, track results and hold teams accountable.
• Ensure strong cross‑functional integration of the operational process (PM, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance).
• Act as the operational counterpart to Project Management:
• Jointly own job kick‑offs, master plan creation and updates, and risk registers.
• Provide realistic execution inputs to bids and change orders when requested.
• Partner with Engineering to:
• Ensure drawings and technical clarifications arrive in time and are practical for fabrication.
• Promote “design for manufacturability” and feedback from the shop into design standards.
• Partner with Supply Chain to:
• Confirm material and consumable availability in line with the Weekly Plan.
• Resolve escalations on late POs, wrong materials, missing requirements.
• Create and maintain operational reporting and KPIs to evaluate performance and drive improvements. Productivity, Cost and Asset Utilization. Monitor and improve labor productivity at work‑center and job level: Hours vs plan, overtime levels, rework and idle time.
• Support Finance/Controller in understanding: Drivers of job margin (labor overrun, rework, scrap, waiting on info, etc.). Required actions to improve cost performance.
• Collaborate and coordinate with the Quality team to integrate the appropriate activities, required inspection & testing while optimizing schedule and client contract commitments. Treat Quality as a critical internal customer: no “us vs them”; jointly solve problems.
• Support root cause analysis on NCRs and ensure process changes are implemented on the shop floor.
• Identify potential capital, facility investments.
• Drive basic lean and 5S practices on the shop floor to reduce waste and variability.
• Maintain, develop or support Quality Control, production, company, policy and procedural updates, Non‑compliance and appropriate client documentation.
• Participate on the OHSC as a management representative.

Planning, Scheduling and Execution:

• Own execution of the master plans for all jobs in the shop:
• Convert project schedules into realistic, levelled production plans.
• Balance jobs across areas, equipment, and shifts.
• Lead the daily and weekly operating cadence:
• Floor Readiness Walk, Daily Ops & Quality Huddle, Daily Leadership Check.
• Weekly Integrated Operations Review and Friday Next Week Lock‑In.

Manage the Shop and Associates:

• Evaluate, optimize group size & capability.
• Recruit & hire as required.
• With the Production Supervisor establish shift schedules and implement overtime where required.
• In collaboration with Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS), ensure all associates have training and certifications to safely perform work and comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Lead a safety‑first culture in the shop: PPE, Housekeeping, Lifting, Confined Space, Hot Work, Rigging, Lockout, Etc. Drive daily safety routines: toolbox talks, safety walks, near‑miss capture, corrective actions. Own closure of safety actions arising from incidents, inspections, or audits.
• Performance management, evaluations & reviews, ensure wage classifications completed appropriately on time; determine training needs. Coaching, succession planning for key roles (welders, fitters, lead hands). Training needs identification (coded welding, lifting, NDE prep, documentation).
• Manage effectively within a unionized environment, maintain good relations with union representation. Model a fair, consistent leadership style. Respect the collective agreement.

Maintenance:

• In collaboration with Maintenance Supervisor plan and schedule major equipment maintenance to ensure equipment will be available for production needs.
• Ensure the effectiveness of the Maintenance program supports overall operational results.

Expected Outcomes:

• Meet contract/ job schedule (on time delivery).
• Meeting contract budget (on or under costs).
• Operations meet efficiency targets (historical performance or better).
• Overtime is managed to expected and budgeted quotes.
• Associate feedback and supervisor ratings are good or better.
• EHS performance meets standards (time loss, training, damages, near miss, inspections records).
• Facilities and equipment maintenance program achieves plan.
• Achieves annual business plan goals.

What you will bring

• 10+ years of related experience in manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated success of overseeing production, maintenance and or production planning functions.
• Post secondary education in Engineering, Operations Management, or Business Management.
• Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment.
• Strong, principled leadership skills with the ability to motivate teams.
• Ability to balance a strategic mindset with being hands on as appropriate to solve challenges; gets things done.

Cultural Fit

Hands on – an individual who promotes a culture of interaction and engagement across all levels and group of companies. A leader who knows when to “roll up the sleeves” to pitch in or to understand challenges at a deep level and is oriented to lean into a problem and solve it through collaboration, seeking clarity and with energy and drive.

High Emotional Intelligence – along with leadership maturity. An open, engaging leader who builds trust, inspires others, listens well, holds people accountable and drives positive change and growth.

Adaptable – Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast paced, informal and collaborative culture.

Entrepreneurial mindset – a business builder with a bias for action, driving results, and creating value for clients, and stakeholders (owners, associates, etc.).

Change Maker – Able to lead significant change with good change management practices, bringing people along with strong communication, clear processes, expectations.

Client Focused – a leader who understands the importance of the client in every decision and fosters a client centered approach.

Caring – fosters a values‑based culture, caring & empathetic towards associates and all stakeholders. Demonstrates an appreciation of others, works with people holistically, and knows we only win as a team.

Ownership – makes sound judgements for the long term and owns the results; pragmatically manages risk. Takes pride in work and relationships.

Integrity – Acts in good faith and takes pride in getting things right, not necessarily perfect and knows when each is required. Guided by a sense of purpose and enabled by an optimistic outlook.

Humility – a low ego leader who treats others with respect, is approachable to all, and places the larger organizational interest first.

Intellectual Curiosity – enjoys learning, problem solving, and brings emotional stamina & passion that drive results.

What you should expect

An opportunity to join a company whose new owners are the gold standard in terms of leadership and embrace & inspire continued learning and curiosity. The corporation exemplifies a value‑based respect for its employees throughout their entire portfolio of assets.