Director of Operations Engineering & Lean Manufacturing

CL c0fdc925 851b 46be 8480 3d28feddb668; Brown Deer (WI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Plan

10 Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation and Personal Time

Parental Leave (4 weeks)

401K with Employer Match

Short-Term Disability

Health, Vision, and Dental insurance

Company Events

Employee involvement in TAPCO Happen H

Committee participation

Job summary

TAPCO seeks a Director of Operations Engineering to lead Manufacturing and Applications Engineering, driving cross-functional programs from quote to production release. The role champions continuous improvement and sets policies to raise quality and efficiency in a low-volume, high-mix signage and warning systems environment.

You will guide lean initiatives, optimize labor and equipment use, and partner across functions to meet schedule and budget objectives while supporting growth and digital

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• 8+ years in industrial/manufacturing engineering or operations improvement.
• 3+ years leading engineering or CI teams.
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
• Lean process design experience (e.g., TPS/DFT).
• Experience supporting ERP-driven manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Manufacturing and Applications Engineering teams from quote to production release.
• Drive continuous improvement and act as change agent on projects.
• Develop production and engineering policies to improve quality and efficiency.
• Manage resources and project prioritization to maximize impact.
• Lead Lean initiatives: waste elimination, flow, and standard work.
• Partner with functions to resolve operational challenges and support new product introduction.

Skills

Industrial engineering principles

Lean manufacturing

Data analytics

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering

Master's degree

Tools

Power BI

Excel

SQL

Job description

TAPCO seeks a Director of Operations Engineering to lead Manufacturing and Applications Engineering, driving cross-functional programs from quote to production release. The role champions continuous improvement and sets policies to raise quality and efficiency in a low-volume, high-mix signage and warning systems environment.

You will guide lean initiatives, optimize labor and equipment use, and partner across functions to meet schedule and budget objectives while supporting growth and digital