Director of Operations
3 days ago
Fort Wayne
Collaborative Organization seeking a a Servant Leader. High Growth and open to relocate the right candidate! Reports to the President. Dynamic and fast-growing custom metal fabricator specializing in laser/plasma cutting, forming, welding including robotics, wet paint, powder coating and assembly services. We serve a diverse range of industries including telecommunications, AI infrastructure, automotive, industrial equipment and large storage containment to name a few. Our commitment to quality, speed, and client satisfaction sets us apart in the contract manufacturing space. We build in multiple facilities in Northeast Indiana with over 300,000 sf of manufacturing space. Our core values include Built with Integrity, Driven for Success and Focused on Partnerships. Position Summary: We are seeking a high-energy, strategic, and hands-on Director of Operations to lead our three metal fabrication facilities. This role is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive operating strategy to drive double-digit growth, while building and mentoring a high-performing operations team. The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in contract metal manufacturing and a passion for delivering exceptional client experience. The Director of Operations will standardize processes across locations, develop leaders, improve throughput and efficiency, and partner closely with Sales and Engineering to support profitable growth and exceptional customer service. There are 6 direct reports: Plant managers, Facilities Maintenance, Quality Manager, Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing Engineering/Process. Key Responsibilities Operational Leadership • Lead daily operations across all three facilities, ensuring consistent execution of safety, quality, delivery, and productivity standards, • Establish clear expectations, metrics, and accountability for plant managers and department leaders, • Build, mentor, and develop Plant Managers and department leadership, • Support workforce planning, skill development, and succession planning, • Own operational budgets, labor planning, and cost controls, • Identify capital investment needs and support ROI-based decision-making, • Champion a strong safety culture with zero tolerance for unsafe behavior, • Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, and company safety standards, • Standardize manufacturing processes and best practices across cutting, forming, welding, paint, powder coat, and assembly, • Drive Lean manufacturing initiatives including waste reduction, throughput improvement, and setup time reduction, • Partner with Quality to ensure consistent product quality and customer satisfaction, • Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for quality or delivery issues, • Collaborate with Sales and Engineering to support new product introductions, customer requirements, and capacity planning, • Partner with Supply Chain to ensure material availability, inventory optimization, and supplier performance Required • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience), • 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience in metal fabrication or similar manufacturing environment, • Multi-site manufacturing leadership experience, • Strong working knowledge of:, • CNC cutting (laser, plasma, waterjet, or similar), • Forming and press brake operations, • Welding processes including robotics, • Blast, paint and powder coat operations, • Assembly and material flow, • MBA or advanced degree, • Experience scaling operations or supporting organizational growth, • Results-driven operational leadership, • Strong people manager and coach, • Data-driven decision-making, • Change management and standardization, • Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration, • Safety performance, • On-time delivery, • Scrap and rework reduction, • Labor efficiency and productivity, • EBT and operational cost performance, • Employee engagement and leadership development, • Opportunity to lead and shape operations across multiple facilities, • High-impact role with visibility and influence across the organization