Director of Operations

Design & Production Inc.; Springfield (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Paid vacation

Dental insurance

Job summary

Design and Production Inc. seeks a Director of Operations to lead the entire delivery chain—detailing, shop operations, fabrication, facilities and field installation—ensuring flawless execution from design to closeout.

You will build the operating rhythm, drive accountability on schedule, cost, quality and safety, and scale the organization for growing, bespoke museum projects across the United States.

Qualifications

• Builder and operator who understands how complex, bespoke projects get made.
• Able to run shop and field operations while improving the system.
• Strong operational leadership with structure and accountability.
• Commercially minded with grasp of cost, productivity, schedules and margins.
• Hands-on yet capable of leading through others in a fast-moving environment.
• Proven ability to build scalable, high-performance teams.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of day-to-day operations across production, detailing, shop and field teams.
• Build an operating rhythm with clear priorities to manage multiple projects.
• Drive accountability for schedule, cost, quality, productivity and safety.
• Oversee transition from design through fabrication to installation.
• Develop capital plans for equipment, tools and facilities and manage maintenance.
• Lead site supervisors and field leads for seamless shop-to-site coordination.
• Partner with Project Management and leadership to align operational priorities with business goals.

Skills

Operational leadership

Fabrication environments

Project delivery

Cost & margin awareness

People leadership

Problem solving

Job description

Interested in joining one of the top providers of exhibit project management, production and technology services to museums, educations institutions, and so much more? Want to leave your mark on some of the top exhibits across the United States and abroad?

As we continue to grow, D&P is looking for new team members to join our team, and you are maybe just what we are looking for.

Open positions

Position:Director of Operations

Location: 7110 Rainwater Place

Lorton, VA

Job Id:369

# of Openings:1

Design and Production Inc. is a renowned builder of museum experiences, offering a comprehensive range of specialty services for museums and high-profile institutions. D&P’s expertise lies in prefabrication consulting, project management, exhibit engineering, detailing, prototyping, installation, media, and lighting systems. Projects are custom, large scale, complex, multi-year experiences. Based in Lorton, Virginia.

The Role

We are looking for a high-impact Director of Operations to lead the operational engine of D&P. This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for the entire delivery chain — detailing, shop operations, fabrication, facilities and field installation — ensuring that ambitious, highly customized projects move seamlessly from design intent to fabrication and final installation. You will bring together people, processes and resources to create an operation that is fast, disciplined, scalable and consistently delivers exceptional quality.

This is a role for someone who wants to lead, improve and transform operations, not simply manage them.

Lead the operational engine:

• Take ownership of day-to-day operations across production, detailing, shop and field teams.
• Build an operating rhythm that gives teams clear priorities, anticipates bottlenecks and keeps multiple complex projects moving simultaneously.
• Drive accountability around schedule, cost, quality, productivity and safety.
• Own the critical transition from design intent and shop drawings through fabrication and installation.
• Ensure detailing is accurate, coordinated and fabrication-ready, while strengthening collaboration between project management, technical teams, the Shop and the field.
• Challenge processes and solve problems before they affect production or installation.
• Build a high-performance Shop
• Lead production planning and resource allocation across concurrent projects.
• Continuously improve workflows, capacity planning, productivity and quality.
• Make smart decisions about people, equipment, technology and infrastructure to increase D&P's ability to deliver increasingly ambitious projects.
• Oversee field operations and installation teams across active job sites.
• Lead and support site supervisors and field leads, ensuring seamless coordination between what happens in the shop and what happens on site.
• Set high expectations for execution, safety, quality and client experience through final installation and closeout.
• Develop the operation for the future.
• Identify where D&P can operate faster, smarter and more efficiently.
• Develop capital investment plans for equipment, tools and facilities.
• Oversee preventative maintenance, repairs and upgrades across shop equipment, facilities and the company vehicle fleet.
• Create scalable processes and operating standards that support D&P's next stage of growth.
• Lead people: Build, develop and challenge strong operational teams.
• Partner closely with Project Management and company leadership to anticipate resource requirements, resolve delivery issues and ensure operational priorities remain aligned with the business.

Who we're looking for:

We are looking for a builder and an operator.

Someone who understands how complex, bespoke projects actually get made — from technical drawings and procurement through fabrication, logistics and installation.

You know how to run a shop and field operation, but you also know how to step back, improve the system and build an organization capable of delivering more.

You are:

• A strong operational leader who creates structure and accountability.
• Highly comfortable in fabrication, construction, millwork, exhibits, specialty interiors or another bespoke production environment.
• Commercially minded, with a strong understanding of cost, productivity, schedules and margins.
• Hands-on enough to understand what is happening on the shop floor or job site, but senior enough to lead through others.
• Obsessed with solving problems and improving how things are done.
• Comfortable making decisions in a fast-moving environment with multiple concurrent projects.
• A strong people leader who can earn credibility with craftspeople, technical teams, project managers and senior leadership alike.

Experience in museum exhibits, experiential environments, architectural fabrication, high-end millwork, themed entertainment or complex specialty construction would be particularly valuable.

Why this role matters - D&P delivers projects where design ambition meets the reality of making and building.

The Director of Operations sits right at that intersection. Your job is to make sure great ideas can actually be built — beautifully, safely, efficiently and profitably — while building the operational platform that will take D&P to its next stage of growth.

Design and Production Incorporated (D&P) is an Equal Opportunity Employer - All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Design and Production Incorporated (D&P) is an E-Verify Employer.

Our competitive benefits package offers items to both full-time and part-time employees. Benefits include paid vacation and holidays, health insurance (including vision), dental insurance, 401K, corporate discounts, and more.

Design and Production Incorporated is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, U. S. veteran status, or any other category protected by Federal, State or Local Law.