Vice President, Manufacturing

Dorman Products; Colmar (PA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k with company match

Paid time off & holidays

Parental leave

PTO starts on hire date

Stock purchase plan

Job summary

Dorman Products is seeking a Vice President of Manufacturing to steer strategic direction, drive operational excellence, and champion continuous improvement across its manufacturing footprint. This senior leader will oversee safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity while supporting growth and margin objectives.

The role requires 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership, multi-site responsibility, and deep lean discipline.

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading large, multi-site manufacturing organizations.
• Deep knowledge of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and cost management.
• Strong financial acumen including budgeting and capital planning.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute manufacturing strategy aligned with goals and commitments.
• Lead safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity across sites.
• Drive lean initiatives and continuous improvement to improve margins.
• Oversee capital planning, automation, and technology investments.
• Coach plant leaders and build leadership depth in manufacturing.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Engineering, Product, Finance, and Commercial teams.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Lean manufacturing

Operational excellence

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial acumen

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Supply Chain

Master's degree a plus

Job description

Dorman was founded on the belief that people should have greater freedom to fix motor vehicles. For over 100 years, we have been driving new solutions, releasing tens of thousands of aftermarket replacement products engineered to save time and money, and increase convenience and reliability. Founded and headquartered in the United States, we are a pioneering global organization offering an always-evolving catalog of automotive, heavy-duty and specialty vehicle products. Today, we have more than 3,800 employees across 29 different locations, with a family of brands that also includes SuperATV and Dayton Parts. Reaching a revenue of $2.13 billion in 2025, Dorman is publicly traded under the stock ticker DORM.

Everyone who works at Dorman is called a Contributor. We need everyone, regardless of role and experience, to contribute to our success. That means everyone has a unique ability to make an impact on the business. We encourage all our Contributors to bring their authentic selves to work. The freedom to pursue new ideas, offer different perspectives, and grow in your career is fundamental to working at Dorman.

Job Summary

The Vice President, Manufacturing is a senior operations leader responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and continuous improvement of the company's manufacturing footprint. This role provides enterprise-wide leadership across manufacturing operations, driving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity performance while supporting business growth and margin objectives.

Primary Duties

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the manufacturing strategy aligned with corporate goals, growth plans, and customer commitments.
• Serve as a key member of the Operations leadership team, contributing to enterprise strategy, capital planning, and operational priorities.
• Translate business strategy into scalable manufacturing capabilities, capacity plans, and operational roadmaps.

Manufacturing Operations

• Lead all aspects of manufacturing operations across multiple sites, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Ensure consistent execution of standard work, operating disciplines, and performance management systems across all facilities.
• Drive manufacturing excellence through the adoption of lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement, and best practices.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all environmental, health, and safety regulations in partnership with EHS leadership.
• Ensure robust quality systems are in place to meet customer, regulatory, and internal standards.
• Partner with Quality and Engineering teams to drive root cause analysis, corrective actions, and defect reduction.

Continuous Improvement & Cost Management

• Lead productivity, cost reduction, and waste elimination initiatives that improve margins and competitiveness.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation, and technology investments that enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Own manufacturing-related capital planning, justification, and execution.

Talent & Leadership Development

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing manufacturing leadership team.
• Coach and mentor plant leaders, fostering accountability, engagement, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Drive leadership development, succession planning, and organizational capability building within manufacturing.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Distribution, Engineering, Product, Finance, and Commercial teams to ensure manufacturing readiness for new products, volume changes, and customer requirements.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) efforts to ensure manufacturability, quality, and cost targets are achieved.
• Act as a trusted operational advisor to senior executives and business leaders.

Education / Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Engineering, Operations, or Supply Chain preferred. Master's degree a plus.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing or operations, including multi-site responsibility.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading large, complex manufacturing organizations with strong operational and financial results.
• Deep knowledge of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational excellence frameworks.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, capital planning, and cost management.
• Experience in industrial, automotive, transportation, or related manufacturing environments preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, influence acrossfunctions, and drive execution at scale.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will depend on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge and skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Compensation decisions are made based on the specific facts and circumstances of each role and candidate.

Benefits

• medical
• dental
• vision
• basic life insurance
• paid time off (sick/vacation)
• Paid Parental Leave
• paid holidays
• floating holidays
• paid time off starting in their first year of employment depending on hire date
• 401k retirement plan (with company match and profit-sharing)
• Discounted Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Dorman Products is an equal opportunity employer; we value a combination of ideas, perspectives, and cultures at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. EEO/AA Employer M/F/D/V. www.DormanProducts.com

Nearest Major Market: Philadelphia

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Supply Chain, VP, Executive, Supply, Operations, Management, Automotive