Chief Operating Officer

NEXT LEVEL Partners®, LLC; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 280,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

NEXT LEVEL Partners®, LLC is conducting a retained executive search for a Chief Operating Officer to stabilize and scale a global manufacturing footprint across the US, Mexico, and Canada. The role focuses on building a lean operating system, improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost, and aligning site operations with P&L performance.

Reporting to the CEO and PE sponsor, you will develop a high-performing operations leadership team, drive growth initiatives including plant transfers and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership across multiple sites.
• Proven plant transfers, start-ups, stabilization and ramp-up experience.
• Hands-on manufacturing leadership in Mexico is a plus.
• Built a lean business system (DBS/TPS/FBS or similar).
• Experience in labor-intensive assembly environments (medical/electronics).
• Strong financial acumen linking shop-floor gains to margin/value.
• Clear executive communicator able to partner with CEO and PE board.
• PE-backed experience with large and entrepreneurial organizations.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Stabilize and scale a new Mexico operation, improving safety, quality, delivery and cost.
• Build an updated lean operating system: daily management, standard work, visual controls, problem solving.
• Turn legacy knowledge into robust, repeatable processes that scale and train easily.
• Strengthen link between Engineering and Operations to improve manufacturability and first-pass quality.
• Set KPI and operating review cadence across dispersed sites, tying results to P&L.
• Partner with CEO and PE sponsor on growth, footprint and acquisition integration.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Lean operating system

Multi-site management

P&L understanding

Executive communication

Plant transfers/start-ups

Mexico operations experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

We're leading a retained executive search for a Private Equity-backed global manufacturer of industrial technologies serving water, food & beverage, life sciences, and other industrial markets.

The company is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to stabilize and scale its manufacturing footprint, build a lean operating system, and drive the next phase of growth and value creation. This executive role reports directly to the CEO and oversees manufacturing, supply chain, quality, engineering, maintenance, and EHS across sites in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

• Stabilize and scale a new Mexico manufacturing operation, improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost
• Build an updated lean operating system: daily management, standard work, visual controls, and structured problem solving
• Turn legacy knowledge into robust, repeatable processes that are easy to train and scale
• Strengthen the link between Engineering and Operations to improve manufacturability, yield, and first-pass quality
• Set the KPI and operating review cadence across geographically dispersed sites, and tie operational results to P&L performance
• Partner with the CEO and PE sponsor on growth, footprint, and acquisition integration initiatives
• Develop a high-performing operations leadership team with clear structure and accountability

Ideal Background:

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership, including multi-site responsibility
• Proven track record with plant transfers, start-ups, stabilization, and ramp-up
• Hands-on leadership of manufacturing operations in Mexico is a plus
• Has built a lean business system, not just inherited one (DBS, TPS, FBS, or similar)
• Experience in labor-intensive assembly environments (e.g., medical device, electronics, engineered products)
• Strong financial acumen, with the ability to connect shop-floor improvements to margin and enterprise value
• Clear, concise executive communicator with the presence to partner with a CEO and PE board
• PE-backed experience and exposure to both large and entrepreneurial organizations preferred
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to step into a true build-and-scale mandate. You'll partner directly with the CEO and PE sponsor to stabilize a critical operation, build the operating infrastructure for growth, and play a central role in enterprise value creation. The role offers broad executive visibility, real strategic influence, and long-term leadership upside.

This search is being led by Next Level Partners, LLC as the retained executive search partner. While NLP is the job poster, this opportunity is not within NLP directly, and additional company details will be shared with qualified candidates throughout the search process.