Operational Manager

Actalent; Whitsett (NC); On-site; USD 100,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Retirement savings plans

Paid time off (PTO)

Career development opportunities

Onsite job in Whitsett, NC

Job summary

Actalent, based in Whitsett, NC, seeks an Operational Manager to lead all manufacturing operations, driving Lean practices and deep technical expertise in AI/HPC infrastructure manufacturing. You will oversee schedules, staffing, equipment utilization, and implement performance KPIs to ensure safety, quality, and on-time delivery.

The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, experience with data center hardware, and a track record of capacity planning and cost control.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, plant operations, or production management.
• Proven experience in manufacturing operations management within server and data center hardware manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience supporting manufacturing of servers, storage, networking hardware, AI infrastructure, GPU-based platforms, or rack-scale data center solutions.
• Expertise with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) and Direct Water Cooling (DWC), thermal-management systems, liquid-cooled server platforms or high-density computing solutions.
• Experience leading system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer-specific hardware deployment operations.
• Working knowledge of power distribution, cooling infrastructure, data center hardware architecture, and enterprise compute platforms.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations for AI, HPC, cloud, or enterprise infrastructure products.
• Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven site leadership experience including workforce leadership and plant management responsibilities.
• Ability to manage operating budgets, financial performance, and capital investment plans.
• Capacity planning and resource management in complex manufacturing environments.
• Strong production management skills including scheduling, staffing, and equipment utilization.
• Establishing and managing KPIs related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and OEE.

Responsibilities

• Lead all manufacturing operations to achieve production, quality, inventory, delivery, cost and safety objectives.
• Direct daily production activities including schedules, staffing, equipment utilization, materials management and capacity planning.
• Establish manufacturing standards and ensure operational accountability across the facility.
• Mentor managers, supervisors, engineers, technicians, and production personnel to build a high-performing team.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and Operational Excellence to improve efficiency, quality and throughput.
• Track and improve KPIs related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and OEE.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve flow, capacity and reliability.
• Support NPI, product launches, manufacturing readiness and scalability for AI, HPC, cloud and enterprise infrastructure products.
• Manage operating budgets, forecasts, capital investments and resource plans.
• Report performance, trends and business risks to executive leadership with clear analysis and recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EHS, environmental regs, quality standards and internal policies.
• Lead system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test and customer-specific hardware deployment operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align capabilities with strategy and roadmaps.
• Influence large-scale manufacturing growth and workforce development initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Budget management

KPIs & metrics

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous improvement

NPI & launches

Staff development

Capacity planning

Governing standards

Cross-functional collaboration

Data center hardware

AI/HPC infrastructure

Thermal management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Indust Eng/Operations Management

Job description

• Lead all manufacturing operations to consistently achieve production, quality, inventory, delivery, cost, and safety objectives.
• Direct daily production activities, including production schedules, staffing plans, equipment utilization, materials management, capacity planning, and overall resource allocation.
• Act as the operational leader responsible for establishing manufacturing standards and ensuring operational accountability across the facility.
• Develop and mentor managers, supervisors, engineers, technicians, and production personnel to build a high-performing operations team.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Establish, track, and improve key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve flow, capacity, and reliability of manufacturing processes.
• Support new product introductions (NPI), product launches, manufacturing readiness, and scalability initiatives for AI, HPC, cloud, and enterprise infrastructure products.
• Manage operating budgets, forecasts, capital investments, and resource plans to meet financial targets and support growth objectives.
• Report operational performance, trends, and business risks to executive leadership, providing clear analysis and recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EHS, environmental regulations, quality standards, and internal company policies.
• Lead system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer-specific hardware deployment operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align manufacturing capabilities with business strategy, customer requirements, and technology roadmaps.
• Influence large-scale manufacturing growth, operational strategy, and workforce development initiatives across the organization.
  
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, plant operations, or production management.
• Proven experience in manufacturing operations management within server and data center hardware manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience supporting the manufacturing of servers, storage systems, networking hardware, AI infrastructure, GPU-based platforms, or rack-scale data center solutions.
• Demonstrated expertise with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), Direct Water Cooling (DWC), thermal-management systems, liquid‑cooled server platforms, or high-density computing solutions.
• Experience leading system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer‑specific hardware deployment operations.
• Working knowledge of power distribution, cooling infrastructure, data center hardware architecture, and enterprise compute platforms.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations for AI, high‑performance computing (HPC), cloud, or enterprise infrastructure products.
• Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven site leadership experience, including workforce leadership and plant management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operating budgets, financial performance, and capital investment plans.
• Capacity planning and resource management expertise within complex manufacturing environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong production management skills, including scheduling, staffing, and equipment utilization.
• Ability to establish and manage KPIs related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and OEE.

Job Title: Operational Manager

Responsibilities

• Lead all manufacturing operations to consistently achieve production, quality, inventory, delivery, cost, and safety objectives.
• Direct daily production activities, including production schedules, staffing plans, equipment utilization, materials management, capacity planning, and overall resource allocation.
• Act as the operational leader responsible for establishing manufacturing standards and ensuring operational accountability across the facility.
• Develop and mentor managers, supervisors, engineers, technicians, and production personnel to build a high-performing operations team.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Establish, track, and improve key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve flow, capacity, and reliability of manufacturing processes.
• Support new product introductions (NPI), product launches, manufacturing readiness, and scalability initiatives for AI, HPC, cloud, and enterprise infrastructure products.
• Manage operating budgets, forecasts, capital investments, and resource plans to meet financial targets and support growth objectives.
• Report operational performance, trends, and business risks to executive leadership, providing clear analysis and recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EHS, environmental regulations, quality standards, and internal company policies.
• Lead system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer-specific hardware deployment operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align manufacturing capabilities with business strategy, customer requirements, and technology roadmaps.
• Influence large-scale manufacturing growth, operational strategy, and workforce development initiatives across the organization.
  

Job Description

• Lead all manufacturing operations to consistently achieve production, quality, inventory, delivery, cost, and safety objectives.
• Direct daily production activities, including production schedules, staffing plans, equipment utilization, materials management, capacity planning, and overall resource allocation.
• Act as the operational leader responsible for establishing manufacturing standards and ensuring operational accountability across the facility.
• Develop and mentor managers, supervisors, engineers, technicians, and production personnel to build a high-performing operations team.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Establish, track, and improve key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve flow, capacity, and reliability of manufacturing processes.
• Support new product introductions (NPI), product launches, manufacturing readiness, and scalability initiatives for AI, HPC, cloud, and enterprise infrastructure products.
• Manage operating budgets, forecasts, capital investments, and resource plans to meet financial targets and support growth objectives.
• Report operational performance, trends, and business risks to executive leadership, providing clear analysis and recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EHS, environmental regulations, quality standards, and internal company policies.
• Lead system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer-specific hardware deployment operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align manufacturing capabilities with business strategy, customer requirements, and technology roadmaps.
• Influence large-scale manufacturing growth, operational strategy, and workforce development initiatives across the organization.
  

Essential Skills

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, plant operations, or production management.
• Proven experience in manufacturing operations management within server and data center hardware manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience supporting the manufacturing of servers, storage systems, networking hardware, AI infrastructure, GPU-based platforms, or rack-scale data center solutions.
• Demonstrated expertise with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), Direct Water Cooling (DWC), thermal-management systems, liquid‑cooled server platforms, or high-density computing solutions.
• Experience leading system integration, rack build, system configuration, manufacturing test, and customer‑specific hardware deployment operations.
• Working knowledge of power distribution, cooling infrastructure, data center hardware architecture, and enterprise compute platforms.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations for AI, high‑performance computing (HPC), cloud, or enterprise infrastructure products.
• Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven site leadership experience, including workforce leadership and plant management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operating budgets, financial performance, and capital investment plans.
• Capacity planning and resource management expertise within complex manufacturing environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong production management skills, including scheduling, staffing, and equipment utilization.
• Ability to establish and manage KPIs related to quality, productivity, safety, cost, delivery, inventory, yield, and OEE.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• MBA or advanced business degree is preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing Certification is highly desirable.
• Six Sigma Certification is highly desirable.
• Operational Excellence Certification is a strong plus.
• Experience in multi-site manufacturing management.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Whitsett, NC.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $186000.00/yr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Benefits include comprehensive healthcare coverage, retirement savings plans, paid time off, career development opportunities, and the chance to lead operations within a rapidly expanding AI infrastructure and advanced server manufacturing environment.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Whitsett,NC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 16, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.