Manufacturing Operations Manager

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to direct day-to-day plant operations, lead a large production workforce, and uphold an uncompromised culture of workplace safety and operational excellence. In this role, you will be responsible for driving high-volume throughput, optimizing resource allocation, managing department budgets, and implementing continuous improvement strategies to meet critical business objectives. The ideal candidate blends strategic financial acumen with hands-on shop-floor leadership to build high-performing teams and resilient processes.

Core Responsibilities

• Executive Leadership & Team Development: Oversee multi-shift production departments, shift supervisors, and large direct/indirect workforce teams. Build a culture of accountability, continuous learning, clear communication, and professional development across all operational levels.
• Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Act as the primary champion for health, safety, and environmental (EHS) performance. Lead safety programs, ensure strict adherence to OSHA and environmental regulations, drive near-miss reporting, and integrate proactive engineered safety controls throughout the facility.
• Operational Performance & Execution: Accountable for meeting or exceeding plant key performance indicators (KPIs), including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), on-time delivery, scrap reduction, first-pass quality yield, and total unit cost.
• Strategic Planning & Financial Management: Partner with senior site executive leadership to manage operational budgets, forecast labor and resource requirements, track operational expenditures, and maximize labor efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Collaborate closely with Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, EHS, and Engineering departments to eliminate production bottlenecks, coordinate planned downtime, execute capital expenditure (CapEx) projects, and ensure rapid resolution of operational disruptions.
• Continuous Improvement (Lean/Six Sigma): Lead facility-wide Lean initiatives, root-cause problem-solving events (Kaizen), standard work implementation, and automation efforts to reduce non-quality losses and optimize inventory flow.

Key Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field required. Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent advanced degree is strongly preferred.
• Experience: 8–12+ years of progressive leadership experience in a heavy manufacturing, continuous processing, industrial production, or high-volume assembly environment.
• People Leadership: Proven track record of managing large production teams (100+ direct/indirect employees) across multiple shifts, with demonstrated success in workforce development, union relations (if applicable), and organizational change management.
• Advanced EHS Knowledge: Deep technical expertise in industrial safety management systems, root-cause safety incident investigation, ergonomic design, and regulatory compliance protocols.
• Lean & Business Acumen: Demonstrated mastery of P&L oversight, operational budgeting, material flow, capacity planning, and structured Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma methodologies (Black Belt or Green Belt preferred).
• Technical & Analytical Proficiency: Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and modern data analytics dashboards to drive operational decision-making.

Core Attributes & Leadership Competencies

• High Accountability: Takes full ownership of operational outcomes, safety results, and team performance.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to connect high-level organizational goals to daily floor-level execution and tactical planning.
• Crisis Leadership: Calm under pressure with strong conflict-resolution skills and the ability to make clear decisions during rapid plant outages or high-stress operational challenges.
• Persuasive Communication: Capable of engaging effectively with shop-floor operators, union stewards, engineering specialists, and executive leadership alike.

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive base salary with an executive performance-based annual bonus structure
• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans
• 401(k) retirement plan with aggressive company match and immediate vesting
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and company-paid holidays
• Executive professional development and tuition assistance programs

NuHire, LLC is a direct placement recruiting firm dedicated to helping candidates find long term permanent positions, NOT short term contracts. All the positions we represent are permanent positions with full benefits.