Associate Vice President, Manufacturing Operations, Security & Facilities

Jeeter•Detroit, MI

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, Security & Facilities provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for manufacturing operations, physical security, and facilities management across company locations. The role is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, secure, compliant, and cost-effective operations while supporting company growth and operational excellence. It develops and executes enterprise-wide strategies for production performance, asset protection, facility effectiveness, operational resilience, continuous improvement, standardization, and capital planning, partnering with executive leadership and cross-functional teams. The position oversees multi-site manufacturing performance, enterprise OEE initiatives, operational KPIs, manufacturing financials, supervisory training, and replication of best practices. It also directs physical security programs and incident response, facilities and maintenance operations, construction and capital projects, and enterprise continuous improvement. The AVP leads manufacturing, facilities, security, plant, and operational teams; develops scalable organizational structures and succession plans; and fosters collaboration across functions. The role is based onsite in Hazel Park, Michigan; Desert Hot Springs, California; Tyngsboro, Massachusetts; or Tempe, Arizona, with travel to core markets and up to 50% travel to manufacturing, distribution, and corporate facilities. It is a full-time, exempt position requiring flexibility to work hours needed for business requirements, potentially including extended hours, weekends, and holidays. Regular travel between business locations and work in office, manufacturing, warehouse, and outdoor environments are required. Production facility exposure may include cannabis plant material, dust, and other potential allergens; required PPE is provided.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in operations management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Facilities Management, or a related field.
15+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including at least 7–8 years in senior multi-site leadership roles at Director level or above with full P&L or operational financial accountability.
Demonstrated success creating and deploying supervisory training and development programs covering manufacturing principles, root cause analysis, Lean manufacturing, cycle time analysis, bottleneck identification, and corrective action systems.
Proven track record as the primary driver of enterprise OEE initiatives with measurable improvements in equipment performance and manufacturing capacity.
Hands-on experience managing manufacturing financials across multiple locations, including budgeting, cost control, labor productivity, and translating operational gains into financial results.
Experience overseeing manufacturing operations in highly regulated industries.
Experience managing facilities, maintenance, construction, physical security programs, and capital improvement projects.
Experience leading large, cross-functional operational teams across geographically dispersed sites.
Executive leadership and strategic planning capabilities.
Advanced understanding of manufacturing operations, facilities management, and physical security.
Deep expertise in Lean manufacturing, root cause analysis, cycle time analysis, bottleneck identification and elimination, and OEE measurement and improvement.
Strong manufacturing financial acumen and ability to link operational metrics to cost, margin, and capacity outcomes.
Strong knowledge of operational risk management and business continuity planning.
Expertise in process optimization and continuous improvement.
Financial acumen including budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning.
Ability to lead geographically dispersed teams in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.
Exceptional communication, executive presence, and management skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a focus on operational excellence.
Knowledge of state cannabis regulations, including track-and-trace requirements.
Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
Willingness to submit to a background check.
Ability to travel regularly between business locations, walk manufacturing floors, warehouses, and construction sites for extended periods, occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds, sit and work at a computer for extended periods, perform repetitive hand and arm motions and extended periods of typing, and look at a screen for extended periods or entire shifts.
Ability to work in office, manufacturing, warehouse, and outdoor environments as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in business administration, Engineering, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
Experience in cannabis, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, food manufacturing, or similarly regulated industries.
Experience with enterprise security technologies, including access control technologies and surveillance platforms, and business continuity planning.
Prior responsibility for developing and leading multi-site supervisory academies or formal manufacturing leadership development programs.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.
CPIM or CSCP certification.
Certified Protection Professional (CPP) or Physical Security Professional (PSP) certification.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute enterprise-wide manufacturing strategies aligned with organizational objectives and growth plans.
Oversee production operations across multiple facilities to ensure safe, efficient, compliant, and cost-effective manufacturing.
Drive enterprise OEE initiatives by establishing standards, targets, and accountability to improve availability, performance, and quality.
Establish and monitor operational KPIs for productivity, quality, labor utilization, equipment performance, throughput, cycle time, and bottleneck elimination.
Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, Automation, and Compliance to optimize manufacturing performance.
Lead initiatives to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and maximize manufacturing capacity.
Design and implement supervisory training and development programs covering manufacturing principles, root cause analysis, Lean manufacturing, cycle time analysis, bottleneck identification, and corrective actions.
Drive multi-site manufacturing standardization and replication of best practices.
Oversee the company's physical security strategy across manufacturing, warehouse, office, and distribution facilities.
Develop enterprise security standards, policies, and procedures to protect employees, visitors, facilities, inventory, cash, equipment, and intellectual property.
Oversee internal security leadership and third-party security providers.
Partner with Compliance, Human Resources, Legal, and Operations on investigations into theft, workplace violence, regulatory concerns, and other security incidents.
Direct executive response planning for emergencies, business continuity, crisis management, and physical security threats.
Ensure security operations comply with applicable cannabis regulations, licensing requirements, company standards, and privacy and recording laws.
Monitor security technologies, including surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, alarm monitoring, and visitor management systems.
Develop asset protection strategies to minimize operational risk and financial loss.
Ensure security personnel and third-party providers maintain required state licenses and permits, including guard cards and firearms permits where applicable.
Provide strategic oversight of facility operations, maintenance programs, utilities management, infrastructure planning, and capital improvement projects.
Develop long-term facility strategies that support expansion, manufacturing growth, and operational scalability.
Oversee preventative maintenance, asset lifecycle management, and facility improvement initiatives.
Ensure facilities comply with applicable building, environmental, fire, and life safety regulations.
Partner with Expansion and Engineering teams on facility renovations and capital projects.
Lead enterprise continuous improvement and operational excellence programs rooted in Lean manufacturing, including root cause analysis, cycle time reduction, bottleneck elimination, and sustainable corrective actions.
Standardize operational processes across manufacturing facilities.
Develop performance dashboards and executive reporting, including visibility into OEE, capacity utilization, and manufacturing financial metrics.
Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce costs, and increase operational efficiency; champion accountability, quality, safety, and continuous improvement.
Build supervisory capability through structured training and coaching to improve frontline leadership effectiveness across sites.
Direct maintenance teams and programs, establishing standards, schedules, and response times for planned and unplanned production equipment and facility system maintenance.
Lead construction, build-out, and renovation projects from planning through completion, including scope, budgets, schedules, permitting, and contractor performance.
Select, manage, and hold maintenance and construction contractors and vendors accountable, including for safety and insurance compliance.
Ensure maintenance and construction work meets applicable building, fire, life safety, environmental, and cannabis licensing requirements.
Develop and manage manufacturing, facilities, and security capital expenditure plans.
Evaluate investments in production equipment, facility infrastructure, automation, and physical security technologies.
Support new facility development and operational readiness initiatives.
Ensure capital investments align with long-term business strategy and deliver measurable improvements in OEE, throughput, and manufacturing cost performance.
Develop and manage multi-site manufacturing operating and capital budgets, focusing on cost of goods, labor efficiency, yield, capacity utilization, and contribution margin.
Monitor operational costs and identify opportunities to improve financial performance.
Establish and own manufacturing financial metrics that support executive decisions and accountability across locations.
Optimize allocation of personnel, equipment, and operational resources.
Partner with Finance to translate operational improvements into quantifiable financial results.
Lead and develop Manufacturing Leadership, Facilities leadership, Security leadership, Plant Managers, and operational teams.
Build scalable organizational structures and develop succession plans and leadership development initiatives.
Foster collaboration across Manufacturing, Compliance, EHS, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Automation, IT, and Quality.
Promote safety, operational excellence, accountability, and employee engagement.
Comply with applicable labor peace and neutrality agreements, including the agreement covering New York operations, and ensure managers and supervisors do the same.
Travel regularly, up to 50%, to manufacturing, distribution, and corporate facilities; walk manufacturing floors, warehouses, and construction sites; and perform the stated physical activities and work across office, manufacturing, warehouse, and outdoor environments.