Site Director (Red Wing/Hager City Area)

Vaco; Red Wing (MN); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

401k match

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring in Red Wing, MN seeks an experienced Site Director to lead operations at its manufacturing facility. The role oversees production, warehousing, logistics, scheduling, quality, safety, and workforce management in a high-volume, make-to-order environment with tight delivery timelines.

The preferred candidate has deep manufacturing leadership, with strong paper production and commercial printing exposure, and a strategic, methodical approach to building processes and driving

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership experience.
• 5+ years in a plant, site, or equivalent senior operations leadership role.
• Manufacturing experience in paper production is a top priority, ideally involving calendars or similar printed paper products.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong background in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational best practices.
• Experience managing and developing manager-level direct reports.
• Proven ability to establish processes, improve operational discipline, and drive measurable performance improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead Site Operations: Direct all facility operations to achieve production targets, cost objectives, quality standards, and customer service goals.
• 6 Direct Reports: Molding Manager, Master Scheduler, Printing Manager, Quality Manager, Warehousing Manager, Maintenance Manager.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Establish and implement standardized processes, lean manufacturing practices, and continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Oversee Production and Fulfillment: Manage production scheduling, warehousing, logistics, and order fulfillment in a fast-paced, make-to-order environment with short customer lead times.
• Champion Safety and Quality: Build a strong culture of safety, quality, accountability, and compliance with all applicable regulatory, environmental, and workplace safety requirements.
• Lead and Develop Talent: Manage, coach, and develop a team of six managers while fostering employee engagement, collaboration, and a high-performance culture.
• Support Strategic Growth: Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning, capital investments, process improvements, and long-term business objectives.
• Optimize Resources and Performance: Identify opportunities to improve labor utilization, equipment effectiveness, capacity, cost management, and overall site performance.
• Build Strong Partnerships: Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners to align operational priorities with business and customer needs.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Lean manufacturing

People management

Cross-functional leadership

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field

Job description

Compensation: $160,000-180,000 + 15% target bonus

Benefits, unlimited pto plan, 401k match

Reports to: VP Process Improvement

Job Summary

Onsite M-F in Red Wing/Hager City area

A well-established, growing manufacturer of branded and custom consumer products is seeking an experienced Site Director to lead operations at its manufacturing facility in Red Wing, MN.

The Site Director will oversee all aspects of facility operations, including production, warehousing, logistics, scheduling, quality, safety, and workforce management. This leader will drive operational excellence, strengthen manufacturing processes, and foster a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate brings significant manufacturing leadership experience, with a strong preference for paper production and commercial printing experience, including print, bindery, and finishing operations. Success in this role requires a strategic, methodical leader who can build effective processes, optimize performance, and lead a high-volume, make-to-order manufacturing environment with demanding customer delivery timelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Site Operations: Direct all facility operations to achieve production targets, cost objectives, quality standards, and customer service goals.
• 6 Direct Reports: Molding Manager, Master Scheduler, Printing Manager, Quality Manager, Warehousing Manager, Maintenance Manager
• Drive Operational Excellence: Establish and implement standardized processes, lean manufacturing practices, and continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Oversee Production and Fulfillment: Manage production scheduling, warehousing, logistics, and order fulfillment in a fast-paced, make-to-order environment with short customer lead times.
• Champion Safety and Quality: Build a strong culture of safety, quality, accountability, and compliance with all applicable regulatory, environmental, and workplace safety requirements.
• Lead and Develop Talent: Manage, coach, and develop a team of six managers while fostering employee engagement, collaboration, and a high-performance culture.
• Support Strategic Growth: Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning, capital investments, process improvements, and long-term business objectives.
• Optimize Resources and Performance: Identify opportunities to improve labor utilization, equipment effectiveness, capacity, cost management, and overall site performance.
• Build Strong Partnerships: Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners to align operational priorities with business and customer needs.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership experience.
• 5+ years of experience in a plant, site, or equivalent senior operations leadership role.
• Manufacturing experience in paper production is a top priority, ideally involving calendars or similar printed paper products.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong background in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational best practices.
• Experience managing and developing manager-level direct reports.
• Proven ability to establish processes, improve operational discipline, and drive measurable performance improvements.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Commercial printing experience, including offset or digital printing on paper products.
• Experience with bindery and finishing operations, including cutting, collating, binding, and packaging.
• Experience managing seasonal production peaks or fluctuating demand for paper-based products, such as calendars.
• Background in consumer products, plastics, promotional products, or other custom manufacturing environments.
• Experience with make-to-order, high-mix production and rapid order fulfillment.
• Six Sigma certification.

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

the individual's skill sets, experience and training;

licensure and certification requirements;

office location and other geographic considerations; and

other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).