Department Manager

Dandy•Indianapolis, IN

23h•Onsite

About The Position

Dandy is seeking a Department Manager to join its rapidly growing venture-backed company as a senior founding leader for a brand-new Indianapolis facility. This role involves owning the end-to-end performance of specific product lines and a fleet of sophisticated automated equipment within the Quality, Fixed, or Removables departments. The manager will lead a team of 40+ Machine Operators and 4 Supervisors in a state-of-the-art Advanced Automated Manufacturing Center operating across 24/7 shifts. The position is ideal for someone looking to disrupt traditional manufacturing by scaling a high-tech facility from the ground up. The role requires up to 70% travel during the first 1–2 months for training at Dandy's hubs in Provo, UT or Dallas, TX.

Requirements

7+ years managing a department in a manufacturing environment; proven track record of owning and scaling end-to-end automated production lines.
Experience in a facility launch or greenfield project where processes were built from the ground up in a high-tech setting.
Comfortable performing data analysis and making decisions based on results to help the team work through launch-phase ambiguity.
High level of comfort with digital tools, specifically GSuite (Google Docs, Sheets, etc.) and Slack.
A "people person" with a natural curiosity, a great sense of humor, and a positive attitude that inspires a founding team.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to work with multiple internal and external teams (including OEM vendors) to push initiatives to completion.

Nice To Haves

Previously built and/or led departments in an automated manufacturing environment, including the operational infrastructure and written SOPs.
Background in medical device, automotive, or high-tech hardware manufacturing.
Experience managing high-volume, 24/7 automated production environments.

Responsibilities

Own the operational success of end-to-end automated product lines; ensure equipment uptime, throughput, and output quality meet Dandy’s high standards.
Lead the physical and systematic setup of your department’s equipment; manage the installation and calibration phases of new automated cells during the facility launch.
Continuously seek opportunities to improve automated workflows and processes for optimal efficiency and scalability.
Outline, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive accountability and informed decision-making as the facility reaches new milestones.
Partner closely with Factory Automation Engineering, OEM Vendors, and internal Dandy teams to troubleshoot technical issues and refine equipment configurations.
Quickly solve people, process, and technology issues as you operate within a large-scale and fast-paced automated manufacturing environment.
Lead, scale, and continuously train a team of 40+ Machine Operators and 4 Supervisors, fostering a culture of technical excellence and a "builder" mindset.
Report directly to the facility’s Director of Manufacturing.