Vice President of Production

CEL Critical Power; Williamsburg (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

A rapidly growing manufacturer is seeking a strategic VP of Production in Williamsburg, Virginia. The successful candidate will oversee production operations, ensuring efficiency, safety, and quality. With over 10 years of leadership in manufacturing environments, especially in lean processes and operational scaling, this role demands strong analytical and communication skills. The company offers a dynamic work environment focused on innovation and collaboration, making this an exciting opportunity for impactful career progression.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in operational / production leadership roles.
• Proven track record in Lean Manufacturing and operational scaling.
• Experience in high-growth environments, preferably in switchgear, automotive, or aerospace.
• Strong commercial awareness and ERP systems understanding.
• Experience in high-growth or transformation environments; switchgear, automotive or aerospace is desirable.
• Excellent leadership and change management skills.
• Willingness to travel approx. 15–20%.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations and optimize production workflows.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA and other regulations.
• Manage the implementation and maintenance of ISO 9001.
• Warehousing & Inventory Control: Develop warehousing strategy; optimize material flow and inventory accuracy.
• Financial & Performance Management: Provide operational reports, manage budgets and KPIs.
• Team Development: Lead managers across production, EHS, QA, and warehousing; foster collaborative culture and One CEL alignment.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Process Optimization

Cross-functional Leadership

EHS Compliance

Change Management

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in production engineering or operations management

Job description

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Reporting to the Director of Manufacturing, we are seeking a highly motivated / strategic VP of Production who will be responsible for delivering excellence across all production-related functions, including Production Operations, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Quality Assurance (QA), Warehousing and Facilities Management (FM). This role will ensure operational efficiency, compliance and continuous improvement to meet business objectives and profitability. The ideal candidate will bring extensive knowledge in establishing a robust production process, implementation of verifiable Lean Manufacturing systems, DFM, Process Development, CI processes. This role is critical in scaling our US operations, enhancing efficiency and ensuring world-class product quality and delivery performance on behalf of our customers.

What You'll Be Doing

Strategic Leadership

• Assume full accountability for the profitable performance of the US manufacturing program.
• Develop / execute the end-to-end strategy to align with CEL growth objectives and customer expectations.
• Responsible for all factory operations, with a committed focus on utilising all peer resources to build all aspect Best-in-Class products for our customers.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing, automation and best practices.

Production Management

• Oversee daily operations across assembly, testing and shipping of switchgear products, optimising production workflows, reducing waste and improving throughput.
• Ensure adherence to production schedules and optimize resource utilization.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to aggressively scale consistent and repeatable manufacturing processes, capabilities / capacity.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing principles / introduction of automated production systems into our facility.
• Support demand planning and inventory optimization efforts (SIOPS).
• Implement and sustain Continuous Improvement programs e.g. Kaizen, Six Sigma.
• Implement appropriate NPI tools to manage / sign-off the NPI / customer onboarding process.

EHS & Compliance

• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, IEC, and local regulations.
• Implement proactive risk management and sustainability initiatives.

Quality Assurance

• Manage the implementation and maintenance of ISO 9001 and other relevant certifications.
• Ensure an audit ready facility which complies with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement in product quality and reliability.

Warehousing & Inventory Control

• Oversee the development of our warehousing operational and management strategy.
• Ensure we optimize material flow and inventory accuracy to support production efficiency.
• Implement advanced warehouse management systems and processes.

Financial & Performance Management

• Provide accurate, timely and consistent operational reports, identifying clear escalation paths / solutions.
• Develop and manage production budgets, cost control measures and financial KPIs.
• Develop and implement appropriate operational KPIs, track trends and implement corrective actions.

Team Development

• Lead and mentor managers across production, EHS, QA, and warehousing functions.
• Foster a culture of attention to detail, accountability, collaboration and innovation.
• Utilize a hands-on, collaborative leadership style for your team leading by example at all times.
• Co-ordinate with your Irish counterpart to align / standardise processes to develop a ‘One CEL’ approach.

Must-Have Skills, Experience, and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in production engineering, operations management or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in operational / production / supply chain leadership roles.
• Proven track record in Lean Manufacturing, process optimization and significant operational scaling.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of end-to-end supply chain and ERP systems.
• Experience in high-growth or transformation environments is highly desirable – switchgear, automotive or aerospace experience is appropriate for this role.
• Excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal and change management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to ensure our business goals and your functional goals are met / exceeded.
• Highly energetic and curious with the ability to empower your teams to ‘push-the-envelope’ to drive CEL to be the best supplier in our industry.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach, with strong analytical skills which drive decision making.
• Passionate about using CI methodologies to drive constant progress and momentum.
• Ability to travel are required – approx. 15% / 20%.

Company Description

CEL has an opportunity for you to join our rapidly growing US business, where you will have an opportunity to make a significant impact on our immediate and long-term success of our Supply Chain function.

CEL is an Irish based 40-year manufacturer, distributor and exporter of electrical switchgear and controls, and related products and services, now focused on the supplying the global Data Centre industry.

Operating from our newly acquired 400,000ft2 facility in Williamsburg, Virginia, we aim to double in size each year for the next three years.

CEL is led by a hard-working team who follow traditional working practices, value collaboration, continuous improvement, excellence in quality and commercial curiosity; this is your chance to develop your career as part of a dynamic US SMT who will shape the future of our business.

We strongly believe that seeking out and hiring the most diverse talent and creating an inclusive workplace is the way to create an exceptional and innovative workplace for our employees which will deliver excellence in service to our customers.

We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experience to join this multicultural, hard-working team.