Operations Manager

Designwerkes, Inc.; Amesbury (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Performance-based bonus

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Professional development

Job summary

Designwerkes, Inc. in Amesbury, MA is seeking an Operations Manager to lead day-to-day operations in a precision CNC machining and complex mechanical assembly environment serving military, aerospace, and defense customers.

The role emphasizes production execution, scheduling, workforce performance, quality, safety, continuous improvement, and P&L accountability. It requires hands-on leadership, manufacturability coordination, and adherence to AS9145, ITAR, and quality standards.

Qualifications

• 15+ years manufacturing experience with 5+ years in senior management.
• CNC machining knowledge: setups, tooling, cycle time, routing, workholding, inspection flow, scheduling.
• Experience in regulated/high-precision environments (aerospace/defense preferred).
• Oversee complex mechanical assembly, documentation control, and customer-specific build requirements.
• Proven ability to lead teams, drive performance, and ensure delivery.
• Experience with ERP/MRP and production status reporting.
• Interpreting drawings, tolerances, and GD&T.
• Lean manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement methods.
• U.S. person status may be required for ITAR work.
• Experience managing sub-tier suppliers and vendor performance.
• P&L budgeting and cost-control accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily CNC manufacturing and assembly operations, including scheduling, inspection coordination, and flow management.
• Develop and execute production schedules to meet delivery commitments and contract requirements.
• Manage shop-floor priorities, labor allocation, machine utilization, routing, and capacity across active work orders.
• Supervise and develop machinists, setup personnel, leads, programmers, inspectors, and support staff.
• Partner with Quality to maintain compliance with ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR and contract requirements.
• Drive on-time delivery, first-pass quality, scrap/rework reduction, and throughput improvements.
• Coordinate maintenance priorities to reduce downtime and protect equipment availability.
• Prepare regular status updates on production performance and risk to leadership.

Skills

CNC machining

Shop-floor leadership

Production scheduling

Quality systems

AS9145

ITAR

Leadership

Budget & P&L

ERP/MRP

Materials planning

Continuous improvement

GD&T interpretation

Education

BSME degree

Job description

The company is a medium-sized military and aerospace precision manufacturer located in Amesbury, MA. The operation supports CNC machining, complex mechanical assembly, AS9145 design-support activities, AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality-system expectations, ITAR-controlled work, and regulated defense/aerospace customer requirements.

Position Summary

The Operations Manager will lead day-to-day operations in a precision CNC machining, complex mechanical assembly, and AS9145 design-support environment serving military, aerospace, and defense customers. This role is accountable for production execution, scheduling, workforce performance, quality, safety, continuous improvement, cost control, operational P&L results, supplier performance, and leadership of several direct reports. The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing executive who can combine disciplined shop-floor execution with customer focus, aerospace-quality expectations, design-for-manufacturability coordination, people leadership, and financial accountability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily CNC manufacturing and complex mechanical assembly operations, including milling, turning, assembly flow, inspection coordination, deburring, shipping coordination, and production support.
• Develop and execute production schedules to meet customer delivery commitments, contract requirements, and internal revenue goals.
• Manage shop-floor priorities, labor allocation, machine utilization, job routing, and capacity planning across active work orders.
• Supervise, coach, and develop machinists, setup personnel, leads, programmers, inspectors, and support staff as applicable.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable several direct reports across operations-related functions.
• Partner with Quality to maintain compliance with customer, military, aerospace, ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR, and contract-specific requirements.
• Drive on-time delivery, first-pass quality, scrap reduction, rework reduction, setup reduction, and improved throughput.
• Maintain a safe, organized, and accountable work environment through consistent use of safety practices, 5S, visual management, and standard work.
• Work with Engineering, Programming, Quality, Purchasing, and Customer Service to resolve production issues, drawing questions, material shortages, tooling needs, and schedule risks.
• Manage sub-tier supplier performance for raw materials, plating, painting/coating, outside processing, and MIL-SPEC hardware, with focus on quality, lead time, documentation, and production risk.
• Monitor key performance indicators such as on-time delivery, labor efficiency, spindle utilization, scrap, rework, overtime, schedule adherence, and customer escapes.
• Lead continuous improvement projects that reduce waste, improve flow, increase machine uptime, and strengthen profitability.
• Support quoting and planning by providing operational input on capacity, cycle time, routing assumptions, outside processing, and manufacturability.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Quality on design-for-manufacturability, production planning, risk management, and launch-readiness activities aligned with AS9145 expectations where applicable.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance priorities to reduce unplanned downtime and protect critical equipment availability.
• Manage department spending, overtime, tooling usage, consumables, and operational cost drivers within approved budgets.
• Own operations-related P&L drivers, including labor, overtime, material usage, outside processing, supplier spend, scrap/rework cost, margin performance, and shipment performance against revenue targets.
• Prepare regular status updates for ownership or senior leadership on production performance, risks, staffing needs, and improvement actions.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 15 years of manufacturing experience, including at least 5 years in a senior management role with accountability for operations, production, people leadership, financial performance, and customer delivery.
• Strong working knowledge of CNC machining operations, including setups, tooling, cycle time, routing,
• workholding, inspection flow, and production scheduling.
• Experience in a regulated or high-precision manufacturing environment, preferably aerospace, defense, medical device, or other tight-tolerance industry.
• Experience overseeing complex mechanical assembly operations, including assembly planning, inspection coordination, documentation control, hardware control, and customer-specific build requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, hold people accountable, resolve conflict, and build a performance-driven shop-floor culture.
• Proven experience managing multiple direct reports, including setting expectations, conducting performance reviews, developing team members, and addressing personnel issues promptly and professionally.
• Familiarity with ERP or MRP systems, work orders, job travelers, labor reporting, inventory transactions, and production status reporting.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, tolerances, GD&T concepts, customer specifications, and quality documentation.
• Working knowledge of aerospace design-support, production planning, APQP/PPAP concepts, and AS9145 expectations, including risk management, design review participation, and manufacturing launch readiness.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, planning, and follow-through skills.
• Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, 5S, root-cause corrective action, and continuous improvement methods.
• U.S. person status may be required due to ITAR-controlled work and military/aerospace customer requirements.
• Proven experience managing sub-tier suppliers, including raw material vendors, plating suppliers, painting/coating suppliers, and MIL-SPEC hardware sources, with accountability for vendor performance, lead times, quality documentation, and production risk.
• Demonstrated experience managing operational budgets, cost controls, margin drivers, and P&L-related performance metrics in a manufacturing environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience with AS9100, ISO 9001, supplier audits, customer source inspection, first article inspection, corrective action, and aerospace documentation discipline.
• Experience managing a small to mid-sized CNC manufacturing company or department with direct accountability for delivery, quality, labor efficiency, and profitability.
• Knowledge of military/aerospace contract requirements, ITAR awareness, DFARS flow-downs, and customer compliance expectations.
• Hands-on background as a machinist, CNC programmer, manufacturing engineer, production planner, or shop supervisor.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, SMED, cellular manufacturing, or structured daily management systems.
• BSME degree or equivalent technical degree required; equivalent senior-level technical manufacturing experience may be considered.

KEY SUCCESS METRICS

• Schedule adherence and production throughput
• Scrap, rework, and customer quality escapes
• Labor efficiency, overtime control, and machine utilization
• Corrective action closure and audit readiness
• Employee productivity, training progress, retention, and accountability
• Revenue shipment performance and contribution to profitability
• Operational P&L performance, including margin improvement, cost control, and revenue shipment
• execution.

LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS

The Operations Manager is expected to be a visible, hands-on leader who communicates priorities clearly, makes data-informed decisions, and builds a culture of safety, quality, urgency, and accountability. This person will lead through several direct reports, set clear expectations, develop supervisors and team leads, address performance issues, and maintain alignment across production, quality, purchasing, engineering, and support functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is an onsite leadership position in a CNC manufacturing facility. The role requires frequent presence on the production floor and regular interaction with machinery, inspection areas, materials, tooling, suppliers, and production personnel. Schedule flexibility may be required to support customer deadlines, production recovery, audits, or urgent operational needs.

SALARY RANGE AND BENEFITS

Target salary range: $140,000 to $175,000 annually, depending on experience, technical background, leadership capability, aerospace/defense manufacturing experience, and demonstrated P&L responsibility. Final compensation may vary based on qualifications, market conditions, and overall fit for the position.

• 401(k) plan with company match or employer contribution, if applicable
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Performance-based bonus opportunity tied to operational, financial, quality, and delivery results
• Company-paid or voluntary life and disability insurance options
• Professional development, technical training, and leadership development support
• Opportunity to lead a growing, high-precision military/aerospace CNC manufacturing operation with
• direct impact on profitability, customer performance, and company growth.