Director of Operations

ODL, Inc; Zeeland (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

ODL, Inc. is seeking a Director of Operations to lead the Zeeland, Michigan headquarters plant. The role drives safety, quality, cost control, and on-time delivery while improving margins and supporting customer relationships.

The successful candidate will shape strategy with a commercial mindset, leverage automation and AI, and develop talent across shifts to sustain competitive performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years manufacturing experience, 5+ in plant leadership with P&L responsibility.
• Proven track record improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Creative thinker who finds new solutions to operational and commercial challenges.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with comfort engaging with customers.
• Lean and continuous improvement experience.
• Ability to lead large, multi-shift teams.
• Proven ability to leverage technology, automation, and data across a plant to improve productivity.
• Proven ability to collaborate across functions, including Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Drive a zero-injury safety culture and regulatory compliance.
• Own plant quality performance including yield, scrap, and PPM.
• Own On-Time Delivery and drive schedule adherence and capacity planning.
• Support key customer relationships via plant visits and business reviews.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Engineering to align production with demand and cost priorities.
• Align production with demand, pricing, and margin goals; weigh tradeoffs.
• Deliver plant P&L and drive year-over-year margin improvement.
• Lead lean initiatives and capital projects to reduce waste and increase OEE.
• Leverage technology, automation and data to improve visibility and decision making.
• Develop plant talent and foster accountability across shifts.

Skills

Team leadership

P&L ownership

Commercial acumen

Lean & continuous improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

AI / automation awareness

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Business

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

The Director of Operations

leads all manufacturing operations at ODL's Zeeland, Michigan headquarters plant. This leader delivers safety, quality, cost, and on-time delivery, drives year-over-year margin improvement, and supports strong customer relationships. The role requires a commercial mindset and a creative approach to problem solving: understanding customer needs, the economics of the business, and how plant decisions affect revenue and margin.

The Impact You'll Drive

• Safety: Drive a zero-injury culture and ensure compliance with all safety and regulatory requirements.
• Quality: Own quality performance at the plant, including first-pass yield, scrap, and PPM. Create a culture of quality where every employee takes ownership of getting it right the first time.
• On-Time Delivery: Own On-Time Delivery Performance as a top priority. Drive schedule adherence, capacity planning, and recovery plans so commitments to customers are met consistently.
• Customer Support: Support key customer relationships by participating in plant visits and business reviews, and by helping resolve service or quality issues when needed.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Engineering to align production with demand, cost, and product and process priorities.
• Commercial Partnership: Align production with demand, pricing, and margin goals. Weigh product mix, capacity, and cost-to-serve tradeoffs from a business perspective.
• Plant Performance: Deliver the plant P&L and drive year-over-year margin improvement through productivity, yield, scrap reduction, and conversion cost.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead lean initiatives and capital projects that reduce waste, improve OEE, and increase capacity.
• Technology Leverage: Leverage technology, automation, and data across the plant to improve visibility, productivity, and decision making. Serve as an AI champion, identifying and driving practical AI use cases and building adoption across the plant.
• People Leadership: Develop plant talent at all levels, from hourly team members to plant leaders. Build succession depth and foster accountability and engagement across shifts.

Required Qualifications

What sets you up for success:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of manufacturing experience, including 5+ in plant leadership with P&L responsibility.
• Track record of improving safety, quality, delivery performance, and cost.
• Demonstrated creative thinker who finds new solutions to operational and commercial challenges.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with comfort engaging with customers.
• Lean and continuous improvement experience.
• Ability to lead large, multi-shift teams.
• Proven ability to leverage technology, automation, and data across a plant to improve productivity, quality, and decision making.
• Proven ability to collaborate across functions, including Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Engineering.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree.
• Experience in building products, glass, fenestration, or similar discrete manufacturing.
• Experience applying AI or advanced analytics in a manufacturing environment.

Shift

First Shift (United States of America)