US Operations Leader: Growth, Service & Projects

Morgan Latif | B Corp™; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Latif | B Corp™ is assisting a leading German industrial machinery and plant manufacturer to recruit an Operations Manager for its US subsidiary in the Chicago area. The role oversees day-to-day operations, with a transition period and an early rotation to German headquarters to shape the US strategy.

You will drive service, spare parts, installation and project management while building local capabilities and reporting to senior management in Germany.

Qualifications

• Several years’ management experience within industrial plant, machinery, automation or engineering.
• Experience leading a small or medium-sized technical or service-oriented organisation or business unit.
• In-depth knowledge of planning and deploying field staff for maintenance, installation or commissioning.
• Proven track record of establishing processes and organisational structures in a growing environment.
• Strong customer focus and commercial acumen.
• Ability to balance day-to-day operational delivery with long-term organisational development.
• Experience within an international company, ideally headquartered in Europe or Germany.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to bridge cultural and organisational differences between US customers, the US team and a German headquarters.
• Hands-on, pragmatic and entrepreneurial, and comfortable in a small organisation where not every process is yet defined.
• Willingness to travel within the US and occasionally to Germany.
• Experience in project management, business development or technical sales is a strong advantage.

Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations and further development of the US business.
• Establish clear structures, processes, responsibilities and priorities across service, spare parts, purchasing, finance and administration.
• Lead, develop and motivate the existing team.
• Drive key hires, starting with service technicians and accounting/administrative support, and later a Project Manager and a Sales/Business Development Manager.
• Grow the service and spare parts business, moving from reactive call-outs to proactive customer care.
• Identify opportunities in maintenance, modifications and retrofits.
• Plan and deploy field staff and resources for the installation, commissioning and handover of new plant.
• Build local project management capability, with clear interfaces between customers, the US team and German headquarters.
• Introduce KPIs and a monthly management report covering both financial and operational performance.
• Build strong, long-term relationships with key US customers, including regular on-site visits.
• Act as the key link between the US organisation and German headquarters across sales, engineering, project management, service, finance and logistics.
• Support commercial growth alongside the German sales team and lay the foundations for local sales and business development.
• Develop a 12-24 month growth plan covering revenue targets, aftermarket development, staffing, investment and key strategic projects.
• Several years’ management experience within industrial plant, machinery, automation or engineering.
• Experience leading a small or medium-sized technical or service-oriented organisation or business unit.

Skills

Executive leadership

Operations management

Project management

Cross-cultural leadership

Business development

Job description

Morgan Latif | B Corp™ is assisting a leading German industrial machinery and plant manufacturer to recruit an Operations Manager for its US subsidiary in the Chicago area. The role oversees day-to-day operations, with a transition period and an early rotation to German headquarters to shape the US strategy.

You will drive service, spare parts, installation and project management while building local capabilities and reporting to senior management in Germany.