Manufacturing Operations Manager - 24/7 Lean Leader

FitzDrake Search; South Boston (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity

Great benefits package

Relocation assistance

Job summary

FitzDrake Search seeks a Manufacturing Operations Manager for its South Boston, VA campus to lead daily 24/7 manufacturing operations, drive performance, and build a high-performing team while implementing systems to scale proprietary technologies.

The role collaborates with engineering, quality, maintenance, safety, and supply chain to improve reliability, cut waste and increase OEE, while advancing workforce planning and Lean initiatives as the operation grows to 200–300 employees.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or another relevant technical discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing, production, process engineering, heavy industry, chemical processing, metals, advanced materials, or another complex technical manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of experience leading manufacturing teams, ideally in a multi-shift or 24/7 production environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and motivate production teams while establishing accountability and a strong culture of safety, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes and equipment, with the ability to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve complex operational challenges.
• Demonstrated experience using KPIs, data analysis, and root cause analysis to improve production throughput, equipment reliability, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles, Six Sigma, Kaizen and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with production scheduling, capacity planning, workforce planning, and manufacturing resource planning (MRP/ERP) systems preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across production, engineering, quality, maintenance and site leadership teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build and implement scalable operating systems, establish standardized processes, and drive sustainable improvements in a growing manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee daily manufacturing operations in a 24/7 environment to ensure safe, efficient execution across all shifts.
• Develop shift supervisors and production leaders, establishing safety culture and continuous improvement.
• Manage KPIs: throughput, downtime, scrap, quality, costs and on-time delivery.
• Establish production schedules and standardized processes.
• Collaborate with engineering, quality, maintenance, safety, and supply chain to improve reliability and capacity.
• Implement Lean initiatives and continuous improvement programs to raise OEE.
• Support workforce planning as operations scale from ~100 to 200–300 employees.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Kaizen

KPIs

Data analysis

Root cause analysis

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Tools

MRP/ERP systems

Job description

FitzDrake Search seeks a Manufacturing Operations Manager for its South Boston, VA campus to lead daily 24/7 manufacturing operations, drive performance, and build a high-performing team while implementing systems to scale proprietary technologies.

The role collaborates with engineering, quality, maintenance, safety, and supply chain to improve reliability, cut waste and increase OEE, while advancing workforce planning and Lean initiatives as the operation grows to 200–300 employees.