Senior Operations Manager

Find Great People | FGP; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Find Great People | FGP is seeking a Director of Operations in Columbia, SC to lead a multi-product polymers, fibers, and plastics manufacturing business. The role focuses on operational excellence, safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance across the operation.

You will oversee cross-functional teams, partner with senior leadership on budgets and capital planning, and drive continuous improvement using data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline required.
• Chemical Engineering background strongly preferred.
• MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within polymers, chemicals, extrusion, fibers, plastics, resin processing, or other continuous manufacturing environments.
• 5+ years of experience leading managers and multi-functional operational teams.
• Proven success improving safety, quality, productivity, cost performance, and operational reliability.
• Experience managing capital projects, process improvements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Demonstrated financial acumen including budgeting, cost control, and capital investment analysis.
• ERP experience and strong analytical skills preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for multiple manufacturing product lines.
• Lead and develop department managers and cross-functional teams across manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality, planning, and EH&S.
• Drive a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Improve key performance metrics including productivity, yield, scrap reduction, quality, inventory accuracy, and on-time delivery.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action efforts related to safety, quality, downtime, and operational performance.
• Partner with finance and senior leadership on budgeting, forecasting, cost reduction, and capital planning initiatives.
• Oversee production planning and inventory management to align manufacturing capacity with customer demand.
• Support and prioritize capital projects that improve safety, capacity, reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Utilize KPIs and data-driven decision making to drive performance and achieve business objectives.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operational excellence

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Team development

Data-driven decision making

Budgeting & cost control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

MBA or advanced business degree

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

A growing industrial manufacturing organization is seeking a Director of Operations to lead a multi-product manufacturing business focused on polymers, conductive fibers, and performance monofilaments. This executive leadership role is responsible for driving operational excellence, safety, quality, productivity, cost performance, and continuous improvement across the operation. Looking for a strong background in polymer, chemical, extrusion, or fiber manufacturing environments and a proven ability to lead high-performing teams while improving business results.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for multiple manufacturing product lines.
• Lead and develop department managers and cross-functional teams across manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality, planning, and EH&S.
• Drive a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Improve key performance metrics including productivity, yield, scrap reduction, quality, inventory accuracy, and on-time delivery.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action efforts related to safety, quality, downtime, and operational performance.
• Partner with finance and senior leadership on budgeting, forecasting, cost reduction, and capital planning initiatives.
• Oversee production planning and inventory management to align manufacturing capacity with customer demand.
• Support and prioritize capital projects that improve safety, capacity, reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Utilize KPIs and data-driven decision making to drive performance and achieve business objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline required.
• Chemical Engineering background strongly preferred.
• MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within polymers, chemicals, extrusion, fibers, plastics, resin processing, or other continuous manufacturing environments.
• 5+ years of experience leading managers and multi-functional operational teams.
• Proven success improving safety, quality, productivity, cost performance, and operational reliability.
• Experience managing capital projects, process improvements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Demonstrated financial acumen including budgeting, cost control, and capital investment analysis.
• ERP experience and strong analytical skills preferred.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will be measured through improvements in safety performance, quality, customer service, operational efficiency, asset utilization, inventory management, cost reduction, and leadership development.