Vice President Operations

Lean Focus; Johnson City (TN); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Lean Focus LLC is seeking a Vice President of Operations to lead manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, and safety across the Americas. This role drives Lean transformation, digitalization, and continuous improvement to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets. You will set strategy, oversee budgets and capital plans, and build a high-performing leadership team.

Travel 25-40% to U.S. facilities, partner with executive peers, and relentlessly pursue scalable operations and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership with multi-site experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Proven success leading lean transformations, cost control, and growth.
• Strong financial acumen with budget and capital planning experience.
• Experience driving organizational transformation and change management.
• Excellent strategic planning and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute operational strategies to support growth and profitability.
• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence initiatives to improve OEE and throughput.
• Oversee materials, production planning, inventory, warehousing, and logistics.
• Champion digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 to enhance visibility and decision-making.
• Build and mentor a high-performing Operations leadership team.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or related field

MBA or other advanced degree a plus

Tools

SAP

Job description

LOCATION: Greater Johnson City / Tri-Cities TN

TRAVEL: 25-40%

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Vice President of Operations will play a pivotal leadership role as a key member of the executive leadership team, championing high-performance standards of a Lean-driven culture. This role is responsible for the overall strategy, direction, planning, cost control, and execution of manufacturing operations across all Americas operations.

This is a critical leadership opportunity in a period of accelerated growth and transformation and is ideal for a hands-on leader who thrives in fast-paced, high-growth environments. The successful candidate must be able to quickly assess the business, establish credibility, scale operations and drive execution. The individual must be comfortable operating with urgency, driving change, and executing with speed. Success will require the ability to build scalable operations, develop organizational capabilities, and drive sustainable growth through disciplined execution and strong leadership.

This executive will provide leadership for Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain Operations, Logistics & Warehousing, Production Planning, Maintenance, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), and Continuous Improvement to ensure world-class performance in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.

The Vice President will Champion our Lean Transformation and drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing principles, digital transformation, process optimization, and organizational development while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and employee engagement.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and execute operational strategies that support company goals and accelerate growth.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President & CEO and executive leadership team on operational performance, capacity planning, capital investments, and organizational growth.
• Lead the execution of strategic initiatives that improve operational effectiveness, scalability, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, increase throughput, and optimize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Provide executive oversight of materials management, production planning, inventory management, warehousing, and logistics operations to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing and customer fulfillment.
• Partner with Supply Chain leadership to optimize Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP), demand planning, inventory performance, and material flow across the organization.
• Provide strategic leadership for Manufacturing Engineering and Quality functions to ensure robust manufacturing processes and consistent product quality.
• Lead initiatives that improve first-pass yield, product reliability, customer quality, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) by ensuring manufacturing readiness and operational scalability.
• Sponsor digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 initiatives that improve operational visibility, automation, and data-driven decision-making.
• Develop and manage annual operating budgets, capital expenditure plans, and productivity initiatives.
• Champion Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) initiatives that promote a zero-incident safety culture.
• Build and lead a high-performing Operations leadership team through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Establish a culture of accountability, empowerment, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Drive leadership development, succession planning, and talent optimization across all functions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including at least 10 years in senior operations leadership within multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field. MBA or other advanced degree a plus.
• Proven experience leading multi-site manufacturing operations with responsibility for production, engineering, quality, supply chain operations, logistics, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Six Sigma, or comparable continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing operating budgets, capital investments, and productivity initiatives.
• Experience leading organizational transformation and change management initiatives.
• Excellent strategic planning, analytical, communication, and executive leadership skills.
• Ability to build strong cross-functional relationships and lead diverse, high-performing teams.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP preferred), manufacturing systems, and operational performance analytics.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–40%, including regular visits to U.S. manufacturing facilities

Preferred

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification.
• Experience within the industrial manufacturing, HVAC, motors, or electromechanical products industries.
• Experience implementing Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, automation, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of advanced manufacturing technologies and operational analytics.

Lean Focus LLC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or protected Veteran status.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

At Lean Focus, we help businesses overcome their biggest challenges by transforming them for the better, and for the long-term. A "who's who" of global leaders in every industry, our clients include some of the world's most respected brands and several members of the Fortune 1000.