Operations Manager

Index Search Group; Kentucky; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Index Search is seeking an Operations Manager to lead production, safety, and continuous improvement at a heavy industrial facility. The role emphasizes building frontline leadership, standardizing processes, and driving accountability across multiple shifts.

The ideal candidate will be hands-on, capable of guiding teams through operational change and ensuring safety, quality, and productivity goals are met.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of operations, production, or manufacturing leadership in a heavy industrial environment.
• Experience implementing operating systems, standard work, procedures, and accountability processes.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA/environmental and industrial safety requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production and operating activities across a multi-shift facility.
• Establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, attendance, and accountability.
• Develop supervisors and team leaders into stronger frontline managers.
• Improve production systems, standard operating procedures, and management routines.
• Monitor throughput, downtime, yield, quality, labor efficiency, and other operating metrics.
• Partner with Maintenance and technical teams to reduce equipment failures and improve uptime.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Continuous improvement

Employee development

Team leadership

Change management

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in operations, engineering, manufacturing, business, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Our client, an established metals processing organization, is seeking an Operations Manager to lead production, safety, workforce performance, and continuous improvement at a multi-shift manufacturing facility.

This role is designed for a strong operational leader who can bring greater structure, accountability, and consistency to the organization. The Operations Manager will oversee daily production, develop frontline leaders, improve operating processes, and ensure the facility achieves its safety, quality, efficiency, and production goals.

The ideal candidate is a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable working in a heavy industrial environment and has successfully led teams through operational change.

The Environment

The facility operates continuously and uses complex metals processing and recycling equipment. The Operations Manager will lead production employees and frontline supervisors across multiple shifts while partnering closely with maintenance, technical, safety, quality, and senior leadership.

The organization has invested in its facility and is now focused on strengthening operating systems, standardizing processes, improving safety performance, and developing its workforce.

The position generally follows a weekday leadership schedule, with shared responsibility for responding to urgent operating issues outside normal business hours.

Key Focus Areas

• Lead daily production and operating activities across a multi-shift facility.
• Establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, attendance, and accountability.
• Develop supervisors and team leaders into stronger, more consistent frontline managers.
• Improve production systems, standard operating procedures, and management routines.
• Monitor throughput, downtime, yield, quality, labor efficiency, and other operating metrics.
• Identify process constraints and implement solutions that improve reliability and performance.
• Partner with Maintenance and technical teams to reduce equipment failures and improve uptime.
• Strengthen preventive maintenance, equipment ownership, and reliability practices.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, health, and facility safety requirements.
• Lead corrective actions following safety incidents, quality issues, or operating disruptions.
• Create a more disciplined approach to shift communication, production reporting, and issue escalation.
• Build employee capability through coaching, training, performance management, and clear feedback.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, cost, quality, and productivity.
• Help create a culture that embraces accountability, teamwork, and operational change.
• Communicate performance, risks, and improvement priorities to senior leadership.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role includes:

• Improved safety performance and stronger compliance with operating standards.
• Clear systems, processes, and accountability across all production shifts.
• Supervisors who lead consistently and address employee and performance issues effectively.
• Improved throughput, equipment reliability, labor efficiency, and production stability.
• Reduced downtime, operating disruptions, and preventable safety incidents.
• Standard operating procedures that are documented, followed, and continuously improved.
• Stronger communication between production, maintenance, technical, and leadership teams.
• An engaged workforce that understands expectations and takes greater ownership of results.
• A sustainable operating foundation that supports future growth.

Candidate Profile

• Five or more years of operations, production, or manufacturing leadership experience in a heavy industrial environment.
• Experience in metals processing, recycling, smelting, foundry operations, refining, or a related process-manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
• Experience working around molten metal or other high-temperature industrial processes is a plus.
• Demonstrated success leading supervisors, team leaders, and hourly production employees.
• Experience implementing operating systems, standard work, procedures, and accountability processes.
• Proven ability to improve underperforming operations, develop people, and lead organizational change.
• Strong knowledge of environmental, health, OSHA, and industrial safety requirements.
• Experience using production metrics to improve throughput, reliability, quality, and labor performance.
• Maintenance, reliability, or equipment-management experience is helpful.
• Familiarity with ISO 9000 or related quality-management systems is preferred.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to make decisions and address difficult issues.
• Practical, floor-focused approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Strong communication, organization, and employee-development skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience using business or operating systems.
• Military leadership experience may be considered when combined with relevant industrial operations experience.
• Bachelor's degree in operations, engineering, manufacturing, business, or a related field is preferred but not required.
• Ability to work on-site in Northeast Ohio.
• Ability to provide occasional after-hours support for a continuously operating facility.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

About Index Search

Index Search is an executive and professional search firm exclusively focused on manufacturing, distribution, and industrial technology. We use proactive search, industry expertise, and recruiters aligned to specific functions and role types to connect experienced professionals with opportunities where they can make a meaningful impact.