Chief Operating Officer

W3Global; Miamisburg (OH); On-site; USD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Relocation assistance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Employee assistance program

Job summary

W3Global seeks a Chief Operating Officer to lead manufacturing, supply chain, and operations for a rapidly expanding aerospace and defense business. You will translate strategic goals into production plans, staffing, and capital allocation, while building scalable systems and leadership.

This hands-on executive role demands delivering safety, quality, and cost improvements. The COO will drive efficiency, customer alignment, and enterprise-wide operating cadence, working with the CEO and

Qualifications

• Executive-level leadership experience in large-scale manufacturing.
• Proven ability to scale operations while improving safety and quality.
• Experience with aerospace, defense, or complex production environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing and operations across multiple functions.
• Translate strategic objectives into production, staffing, and capital plans.
• Establish KPIs, escalation paths, and disciplined execution.
• Drive year-over-year growth with practical Lean and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership experience

Operational planning

Lean manufacturing

Quality systems

Supply chain management

Production scheduling

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/operations/business

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Location: Miamisburg, Ohio

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Employment Type: Full-Time

Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance as required

About Us

we are an aerospace and defense company focused on enabling affordable mass through high-rate production. We partner with customers to industrialize and scale advanced airframe and vehicle solutions by combining innovative materials and manufacturing methods, production-focused engineering, and disciplined execution.

Our work spans advanced composite structures, UAS airframes, defense systems, and vehicle integration, with an emphasis on reducing cost, compressing takt time, minimizing capital requirements, and creating production systems built to scale.

Position Summary

• we are seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead the operational execution and continued scaling of a rapidly growing aerospace and defense company delivering advanced air systems at production scale.
• Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will have primary responsibility for translating company's strategic and financial objectives into disciplined operational execution across manufacturing, supply chain, inventory and material handling, quality, facilities, and related operating functions. The COO will build the systems, leadership structure, accountability, and operating cadence necessary to support company's continued growth while improving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.
• This is a hands-on executive leadership role. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable establishing scalable operating systems, developing leaders, and working directly with teams on the production floor to solve immediate execution challenges.
• The COO will be a critical member of company's executive leadership team and will help position the company for its next stage of growth as a scaled aerospace and defense enterprise.

Operational Leadership And Execution

• Lead company's manufacturing and operating organization, including manufacturing, supply chain, inventory and material handling, quality, and facilities, with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Translate company revenue, program, and customer commitments into executable production, staffing, capacity, and capital plans.
• Establish a rigorous operating cadence with clear KPIs, ownership, escalation paths, and corrective actions.
• Drive predictable execution against weekly, monthly, and annual production commitments.
• Develop capacity and operational plans capable of supporting significant year-over-year growth across multiple programs and facilities.
• Maintain strong visibility to constraints, risks, and resource requirements and ensure critical issues are addressed with urgency.
• Coordinate with customers, where appropriate, to align operational systems, planning processes, and demand signals to support effective production planning and execution.

Manufacturing And Operational Excellence

• Build scalable manufacturing systems appropriate for high-rate aerospace composite production and air-system integration.
• Improve throughput, takt time, labor efficiency, yield, first-pass quality, schedule adherence, and overall equipment effectiveness.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using practical Lean, Six Sigma, root-cause, and data-driven problem-solving methodologies.
• Ensure production organizations effectively transition from prototype and new-product introduction into stable, repeatable rate production.
• Develop standardized processes and operating discipline while preserving the speed and entrepreneurial culture that have enabled company's growth.
• Partner with Engineering, Programs, and Systems leadership to ensure effective DFM, NPI, production readiness, and program ramp.

Quality, Supply Chain And Infrastructure

• Ensure operational execution supports AS9100, NADCAP, customer, regulatory, and contractual requirements.
• Strengthen quality ownership throughout operations, emphasizing prevention and process control rather than downstream inspection and rework.
• Oversee supply chain, purchasing, inventory, material handling, production planning, and material-management disciplines necessary to support high-rate production.
• Lead manufacturing footprint, equipment, facilities, and capital planning to ensure capacity is available ahead of customer demand.
• Support implementation and adoption of enterprise systems, including ERP, production planning, inventory management, performance management, and operational reporting.

Organization And Leadership

• Build and develop an operations leadership organization capable of supporting a substantially larger enterprise.
• Establish clear accountability throughout the organization, from executive leadership through production supervision and individual work centers.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing operational leaders and technical talent.
• Create clear roles, decision rights, expectations, and performance standards across operating functions.
• Foster a culture of extreme ownership, urgency, transparency, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with the CEO, CFO, and Finance organization, VP of Operations, VP of Technology, VP of Programs, VP of Systems, and other executives on company strategy, financial performance, budgeting and forecasting, resource allocation, customer commitments, capital investment, and organizational development.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, automotive, or another complex production environment.
• Significant executive or senior operational leadership experience within a rapidly scaling manufacturing organization (300% year over year).
• Demonstrated success increasing production rates while simultaneously improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
• Strong experience with manufacturing operations, supply chain, inventory and material management, production planning, quality systems, capital planning, and organizational development.
• Experience building operational infrastructure for significant growth rather than simply managing an established operating system.
• Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause corrective action, and production metrics.
• Experience operating within AS9100 and NADCAP-accredited or similarly rigorous aerospace manufacturing environments strongly preferred.
• Aerospace composites, UAS, defense systems, aircraft production, or systems-integration experience is highly desirable.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, or related discipline required; advanced degree preferred.

Leadership Profile

• The successful candidate will be a builder and operator, not simply an administrator. we requires a COO who can create structure without creating unesseary bureaucracy and who understands that rapid growth requires speed, discipline, and accountability.
• This leader should demonstrate exceptional operational judgment, personal accountability, decisiveness, and an ability to prioritize the issues that matter most. The COO must be comfortable challenging assumptions, making difficult decisions, holding leaders accountable, and communicating clearly when commitments or operating plans are at risk.
• Most importantly, the COO must be capable of helping company evolve from a fast-growing entrepreneurial organization into a high-performance, rate-ready aerospace enterprise without losing the innovation, responsiveness, and customer focus that differentiate the company.

competitive salary plus 20 - 50% bonus targets

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Referral program
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance