Director of Operations — Fermentation & Growth Leader

Locus Fermentation Solutions; Solon (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Matching

Generous PTO

Paid Holidays

Floating Holidays

Continuing Education Reimbursement

Job summary

Locus Fermentation Solutions is seeking a Director of Operations in Solon, OH to provide strategic and operational leadership across fermentation, production, and related activities. You will drive scalable processes and cost-efficient operations to meet current demand and support future growth.

You will partner with leaders to set priorities, develop KPIs, and cultivate a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement, while guiding multi-site manufacturing and technical teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field required; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive operations experience with leadership responsibility.
• 5+ years leading managers or teams in manufacturing or biotech settings.
• Experience with fermentation or batch/continuous processes preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma or other CI certification preferred.
• Experience with budgets, forecasts, capital projects, and resource planning.
• Experience with ERP systems; NetSuite preferred.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for fermentation, production, agricultural, and related operational activities.
• Develop and execute operational strategies that support growth objectives, production requirements, customer commitments, and financial goals.
• Establish long-term operational plans including capacity planning, staffing, and process improvements.
• Partner with VP Operations and other leaders to establish priorities and KPIs.
• Translate objectives into actionable departmental strategies and measurable KPIs.
• Lead Operations leadership and teams to achieve safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Oversee execution of production plans, evaluate equipment and capacity for efficiency and risk.
• Develop systems and processes providing visibility into performance and progress.
• Drive continuous improvement across safety, quality, productivity, and cost.
• Manage budgets, labor, materials, equipment, and capital expenditures across locations.
• Foster collaboration with HR and other leaders on workforce planning and development.
• Travel between locations to provide leadership and support.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Problem solving

Communication

Safety culture

Cost management

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

NetSuite

ERP systems

Job description

Locus Fermentation Solutions is seeking a Director of Operations in Solon, OH to provide strategic and operational leadership across fermentation, production, and related activities. You will drive scalable processes and cost-efficient operations to meet current demand and support future growth.

You will partner with leaders to set priorities, develop KPIs, and cultivate a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement, while guiding multi-site manufacturing and technical teams