Operations Manager

South Bay Sand Blasting & Tank Cleaning; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

South Bay Sand Blasting & Tank Cleaning, Inc. is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee day-to-day production, manpower planning, scheduling, logistics, and field operations across ship repair projects in Washington state.

The role requires strong leadership, problem-solving, and the ability to coordinate with QA, Safety, Purchasing, and management teams. The successful candidate will manage field crews, maintain daily manpower plans, monitor productivity, and ensure safe,

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in ship repair or similar production environment preferred.
• Experience with Tank Cleaning, Preservation, and Non-Skid operations strongly preferred.
• Experience supervising multiple crews, supervisors, or projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day production and operational activities.
• Oversee Production Superintendents, Foremen, Leads, and field personnel as assigned.
• Develop and maintain daily and weekly manpower plans based on workload and project priorities.
• Coordinate staffing between projects to maximize labor utilization and minimize overtime or downtime.
• Review production schedules and ensure crews understand daily priorities and expectations.
• Monitor project progress, productivity, manpower, and schedule performance.
• Identify potential delays, manpower shortages, material issues, or operational conflicts before they impact production.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and warehouse personnel to ensure materials, tools, consumables, and equipment are available when required.
• Coordinate equipment, vehicle, and logistical needs for field operations.
• Conduct regular field visits and verify work is progressing safely and efficiently.
• Maintain accountability of supervisors and production leadership.
• Support development of recovery plans when projects fall behind schedule.
• Assist with estimating manpower and resource requirements for upcoming work.
• Coordinate with QA to ensure inspections, checkpoints, reports, and documentation are completed without unnecessary production delays.
• Coordinate with EHS to ensure operations are conducted safely and company safety requirements are followed.
• Participate in project planning, kickoff, and coordination meetings.
• Maintain effective communication with customers, shipyard representatives, subcontractors, and internal management.
• Assist in resolving field conflicts and operational issues.
• Review daily production reports, manpower reports, and project status information.
• Help ensure labor hours and resources are allocated correctly to projects.
• Assist with employee performance management, coaching, discipline, and development.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and training of production personnel.
• Enforce company policies, procedures, and standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, organization, communication, and operational efficiency.
• Provide regular operational updates to the General Manager.
• Assume additional operational responsibilities as required.

Skills

Manpower planning

Scheduling

Field operations

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Tools

Excel

Outlook

Job description

SOUTH BAY SANDBLASTING & TANK CLEANING, INC. located in Washington State, shipyard related subcontractor looking to hire an Operations Manager.

Job Summary: South Bay Sand Blasting & Tank Cleaning, Inc. is seeking an experienced and hands-on Operations Manager to support and oversee our Washington operations. The Operations Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day execution of production activities, manpower planning, scheduling, logistics, material coordination, and operational support across multiple ship repair and industrial projects. Experience with Tank Cleaning, Preservation, and Non-Skid operations is strongly preferred. This position will work closely with the General Manager, Production Superintendents, Foremen, QA, Safety, Purchasing, and administrative staff to ensure work is properly planned, staffed, supported, and executed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with customer requirements. The ideal candidate is a strong field leader who can manage multiple priorities, hold teams accountable, solve problems quickly, and maintain effective communication between management and production personnel.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate day-to-day production and operational activities.
• Oversee Production Superintendents, Foremen, Leads, and field personnel as assigned.
• Develop and maintain daily and weekly manpower plans based on workload and project priorities.
• Coordinate staffing between projects to maximize labor utilization and minimize unnecessary overtime or downtime.
• Review production schedules and ensure crews understand daily priorities and expectations.
• Monitor project progress, productivity, manpower, and schedule performance.
• Identify potential delays, manpower shortages, material issues, or operational conflicts before they impact production.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and warehouse personnel to ensure materials, tools, consumables, and equipment are available when required.
• Coordinate equipment, vehicle, and logistical needs for field operations.
• Conduct regular field visits and verify work is progressing safely and efficiently.
• Maintain accountability of supervisors and production leadership.
• Support development of recovery plans when projects fall behind schedule.
• Assist with estimating manpower and resource requirements for upcoming work.
• Coordinate with QA to ensure required inspections, checkpoints, reports, and documentation are completed without unnecessary production delays.
• Coordinate with EHS personnel to ensure operations are conducted safely and company safety requirements are followed.
• Participate in project planning, kickoff, and coordination meetings.
• Maintain effective communication with customers, shipyard representatives, subcontractors, and internal management.
• Assist in resolving field conflicts and operational issues.
• Review daily production reports, manpower reports, and project status information.
• Help ensure labor hours and resources are being properly allocated to the correct projects.
• Assist with employee performance management, coaching, discipline, and development.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and training of production personnel.
• Enforce company policies, procedures, and standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, organization, communication, and operational efficiency.
• Provide regular operational updates to the General Manager.
• Assume additional operational responsibilities as required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in ship repair, marine industrial, construction, coatings, tank cleaning, or a similar production environment preferred.
• Direct experience with Tank Cleaning, Preservation, and Non-Skid operations is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience supervising multiple crews, supervisors, or projects.
• Strong understanding of manpower planning, scheduling, and field operations.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and changing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong leadership and accountability skills.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work effectively with Production, QA, Safety, Purchasing, and management.
• Comfortable making decisions in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Stong organizational and documentation skills.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and other business software.
• Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.
• Ability to access shipyards, industrial facilities, and customer work sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous Navy ship repair or commercial shipyard experience.
• Hands-on or management experience in Tank Cleaning, Preservation, and Non-Skid operations.
• Familiarity with Navy Standard Items and ship repair work packages.
• Experience managing multiple simultaneous availabilities or projects.
• OSHA 30 or similar safety training.
• AMPP, NACE, SSPC, or other relevant industry certifications are a plus.

Leadership Expectations

The Operations Manager is expected to remain engaged with field operations, understand what is happening across active projects, anticipate problems, and ensure supervisors have the manpower, materials, equipment, and direction needed to execute successfully. The successful candidate will help create accountability throughout the production organization while maintaining a collaborative relationship with QA, Safety, Purchasing, and administrative support personnel. The Operations Manager will serve as a key operational leader for the Washington division and will work directly with the General Manager to support continued growth of the operation.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Predominantly seated occasionally standing and walking to access different areas of the office. Frequent typing on a keyboard, mouse clicking, and other hand movements associated with computer use. Close-up focus on computer screens for extended periods, requiring good visual acuity. Able and willing to follow all applicable site and company safety procedures.

Other Requirements

All positions require a pre-employment medical test. This employer participates in E-Verify. Must be able to qualify for DBIDS security clearance. Ability to read technical English is a must. U.S. Citizenship is preferred (for some work locations it is required). Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Women, veterans and their spouses are encouraged to apply. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. EEO/AA M/F D/V. Job Type: Full-time.