Senior Operations Manager - Fabrication

The New IEM, Llc; Surrey; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A manufacturing firm seeks a Senior Operations Manager to oversee fabrication and paint operations. Applicants should have a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years in manufacturing, with 3+ years in a leadership role. This position is in a high-growth environment and requires skills in operations management and lean manufacturing principles.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in manufacturing or operations.
• 3+ years in a fabrication or machining leadership role.
• Experience in a vertically integrated manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee fabrication and paint departments across Jacksonville facilities.
• Collaborate with various teams to resolve supply or design issues quickly.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to throughput and inventory management.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Lean manufacturing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or Operations Management

CPIM or relevant certifications

Job description

Job Description

IEM, (Industrial Electric Manufacturing, Inc.) is the largest independent full-line manufacturer of custom electrical distribution and power quality equipment in North America. IEM has delivered customer-specific solutions to meet the ever-changing power requirements of growth industries in North America for over half a century. This position offers an exciting opportunity within an innovative, employee-oriented company.

PURPOSE OF POSITION :

IEM has experienced rapid and sustained growth over the past several years. As part of this expansion, we are seeking a Senior Operations Manager - Fabrication to provide strategic oversight of all fabrication and paint operations at our Jacksonville facilities to ensure on-time start, optimized capacity utilization across several different plants, and to meet business objectives. We are looking for a Senior Operations Manager with knowledge and experience of fabrication in high volume / high mix, vertically integrated manufacturing operations. IEM has seen tremendous growth, particularly over the last few years, and will continue on this growth curve. We need someone with experience in a high-growth environment to help scale the organization.

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of fabrication expertise, operational leadership, and a continuous improvement mindset to drive safety, quality, efficiency, and cross-functional collaboration. This position will report to the Director of Manufacturing and will serve as a key driver of operational success, supporting all product lines and facility initiatives.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :

• Oversee the fabrication and paint departments across Jacksonville facilities, ensuring all fabricated and purchased parts are delivered per production schedules and project timelines.
• Manage and balance capacity between Jacksonville fabrication assets, optimizing throughput and on-time delivery across Jax 1 and Jax 2.
• Collaborate with planning, engineering, procurement, quality, and production teams to coordinate part flow and resolve supply or design issues quickly.
• Lead a team of supervisors, team leads, and specialists to ensure safe, timely, and efficient execution of daily fabrication operations.
• Foster a culture of safety and compliance; address physical safety issues and build employee ownership of safe practices.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to throughput, inventory management, takt alignment, labor utilization, and machine uptime.
• Minimize waste, WIP, and lead times by improving material and information flow from raw stock to staged part kits.
• Integrate purchased parts into fabrication flow and ensure all kits are released complete, with clear communication to stakeholders.
• Maintain and improve equipment health by partnering with maintenance to drive preventive maintenance execution and support capital planning.
• Ensure accountability within the team by setting clear KPIs and performance expectations; develop frontline leadership bench strength.
• Support quality by using data to address non-conformances and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Promote lean manufacturing principles, visual management, and standard work adoption throughout fabrication and paint operations.
• Maintain detailed performance metrics to monitor throughput, yield, labor productivity, and equipment effectiveness.
• Partner with other facility and operations leaders to align schedules, manage constraints, and support IEM’s strategic growth plans.

SUPERVISION OF PERSONNEL :

Fabrication Value Stream Managers

COMPETENCIES :

Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust, engage employees, and manage change

Excellent communication skills and the ability to work across departments to drive shared outcomes.

Hands-on and proactive leadership style, comfortable balancing strategic decision-making with direct operational oversight and bias for action and accountability.

Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making experience required.

Proactive change agent who thrives in a scaling business and has successfully led process transformations in high-growth environments.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, or a related field preferred. CPIM or other relevant certifications a plus.

Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in manufacturing or operations, with 3+ years in a fabrication or machining leadership role.

Demonstrated experience in a vertically integrated manufacturing environment with cross-functional collaboration and a strong understanding of fabrication processes including CNC cutting, punching, bending, welding, grinding, painting, and material flow.

Experience working in a high-mix, high-volume environment strongly preferred.

Proven ability to manage large teams (75+ employees) with direct and matrixed reports.