Director of Operations

ASSA ABLOY Group; Mason City (IA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Paid Vacation and Holidays

Medical, Dental, Vision coverage

401(k) with company contributions

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Curries, an ASSA ABLOY company, is seeking a Director of Operations to lead a major hollow metal door and frame manufacturing operation in Mason City, IA. You will drive KPI-based performance, safety, quality, and customer alignment while building a high-performing team and partnering with HR for workforce planning.

The role requires a strong background in Lean, manufacturing leadership, budgeting, and capacity planning, with on-site presence across shifts and up to 30% travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelors required; MBA/engineering preferred for senior leadership.
• Progressive operational leadership experience with P&L and budgeting.
• Strong Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement background.

Responsibilities

• Lead KPI-driven operations strategy aligned with financial goals.
• Oversee end-to-end production and logistics, including scheduling and inventory.
• Develop and coach a high-performing operations leadership team.
• Ensure safety, compliance, and regulatory standards across sites.

Skills

Operations leadership

KPI management

Lean Manufacturing

Kaizen

Root cause analysis

Production planning

Team leadership

Safety compliance

Data analytics

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Engineering

Master’s Degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

AI

Business Objects

Job description

Are you a hands-on operations leader who enjoys being visible on the production floor and partnering with employees at all levels? Do you thrive on using data, KPIs, and continuous improvement tools to solve problems and drive measurable results? Are you energized by building strong teams while keeping safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement at the center of the operation?

If you answered yes to these questions, we should talk!

Curries (an ASSA ABLOY company) is looking for a Director of Operations. This role will be based on-site at our manufacturing facility located in Mason City, Iowa.

What would you do as our Director of Operations?

You will lead and execute a comprehensive, KPI‑driven operations strategy for one of the largest hollow metal door and frame manufacturing operations in the country. In this role, you will lead functional managers and supervisors, align operations with business and financial objectives, drive operational excellence and continuous improvement, and build a high‑performance culture rooted in safety, accountability, employee engagement, and customer alignment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute a KPI‑driven operations strategy aligned with business objectives, financial goals, growth initiatives, and long‑term capacity needs.
• Promote a strong safety‑first culture while ensuring compliance with OSHA, company standards, regulatory requirements, company policies, and the ASSA ABLOY Code of Conduct.
• Own operational financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, capital planning, labor, materials, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, root cause analysis, process optimization, standardization, automation, and year‑over‑year performance improvement.
• Maintain a visible presence on the production floor, engaging with teams across shifts to remove barriers, solve problems in real time, and reinforce accountability.
• Lead daily operational management systems, including Gemba walks, KPI reviews, 5S, safety engagement activities, audits, corrective actions, and performance metrics.
• Oversee end‑to‑end production and logistics flow, including capacity planning, production scheduling, inventory management, distribution, warehouse operations, freight strategies, and service‑level performance.
• Build, develop, and lead a high‑performing operations leadership team while partnering with HR on workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, organizational design, employee relations, and performance management.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with customer service, order management, engineering, quality, supply chain, commercial teams, and other Door Group locations to support customer expectations, sales objectives, and network‑wide best practices.
• Perform special assignments and projects as assigned.
• Actively participate in providing a safe and harmonious working environment for all employees.

The Skills and Experience you need

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related field required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive operational leadership experience with proven results delivered through teams.
• Manufacturing leadership experience with strong business and financial acumen, including P&L, cost control, productivity, budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning.
• Proven ability to drive KPI performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.
• Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, continuous improvement, root cause analysis, process optimization, and advancing manufacturing technologies.
• Strong understanding of OSHA, state/federal regulations, company standards, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience with capacity planning, production scheduling, workforce planning, logistics, inventory management, and operations systems.
• Leadership presence with the ability to coach, develop, influence, and build accountable, high‑performing teams.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, decision‑making, communication, presentation, interpersonal, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, results‑driven environment.
• High level of comfort and passion for being present on the production floor across all shifts, including weekends and off‑hours as needed.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), AI, Business Objects, and other business systems.
• Must live in or relocate within three months to the Mason City, IA area.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

What we offer!

• Competitive Salary
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and paid Company Holidays
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Short and Long‑term Disability, Life and AD&D Insurance
• 401(k) Program with company contributions
• Tuition Reimbursement, Learning and Career Development opportunities
• Flexible Spending
• Employee Assistance Program
• Gym reimbursement
• On‑site Health Clinic
• Discount portal
• Recognition, well‑being, and employee experience programs designed to support and celebrate you throughout your career

AADG, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veteran