Director, Manufacturing Operations - Texas

STULZ•Denton, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing Operations is the senior manufacturing operations leader for the Denton, Texas campus. Plant 1 performs final assembly of make-to-order precision cooling units. Plant 2 is a new, vertically integrated plant in start-up, bringing component fabrication and finishing in-house, including an automated powder coat system. The Director will integrate both plants into one site with a common operating system, leadership team, and KPIs. The role leads Production, Planning & Materials (including Warehouse, Receiving, Material Handling, and Inventory), Maintenance, and Manufacturing Engineering. It partners closely with Quality, Supply Chain/Procurement, Engineering, Finance, HR, and PMO. The position calls for a hands-on, visible leader who turns strategy into measurable shop-floor results and builds a team capable of sustaining them. The Director is accountable for site safety, people and culture, production and delivery, planning and materials, maintenance and manufacturing engineering, Plant 2 start-up and site integration, operating-system deployment, continuous improvement, site budgeting, and performance reporting. In the first 12 months, success includes bringing Plant 2 to stable planned-rate production, operating both plants as one integrated site, staffing the leadership team, establishing consistent tiered meetings and KPI reporting, and improving safety, on-time delivery, productivity, and inventory accuracy versus baseline. The role combines office work with regular presence on the manufacturing floor. Plant-floor work may involve operating machinery, moving material-handling equipment, production noise, airborne dust or fumes, and varying temperatures. Site safety procedures and designated personal protective equipment must be followed in production and other designated areas.

Requirements

Proven multi-department plant leadership covering production, materials/planning, and maintenance and/or manufacturing engineering.
Experience in high-mix, low-volume, make-to-order manufacturing of engineered equipment, such as HVAC, electrical equipment, or industrial machinery.
Track record of measurable results using Lean manufacturing and a structured operating system, including tiered meetings, KPIs, and standard work.
Advanced working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; SAP is preferred.
Strong analytical skills, including data analysis and trending in Excel.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, bills of material, and specifications.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations/Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related field, and 10+ years of manufacturing experience.
7+ years managing managers in a manufacturing environment, including multi-department or multi-shift responsibility.
Ability to read and understand English instructions.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Visible, hands-on leadership style with daily shop-floor presence; leads through the team rather than doing the team’s work.
Communicates clearly and respectfully with employees at all levels and delivers difficult information directly and diplomatically.
Turns strategy into concrete plans, owners, and dates, and follows through to results.
Shares data openly in a structured, consistent format, is open to feedback, and is committed to developing others.

Nice To Haves

Power BI or similar data-analysis tools.
Master’s degree or MBA.
Experience leading a greenfield plant start-up, major expansion, or integration of multiple facilities.
Exposure to fabrication and finishing processes such as sheet metal, welding/brazing, and powder coating, and to automated equipment.
Experience with ISO 9001 quality systems.
Experience in the data center, HVAC, or mission-critical equipment industry.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
APICS/ASCM CPIM or CSCP.
OSHA 30.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the site leadership team; hire, onboard, coach, and evaluate managers, and develop succession depth for key roles.
Set clear expectations and hold employees accountable fairly and consistently, applying company policy in partnership with HR.
Create a respectful, engaged workplace where concerns are raised early and problems are solved at the lowest effective level.
Own site safety performance, driving hazard and near-miss reporting, root cause analysis, and timely corrective-action closure.
Deliver the annual production and revenue plan while meeting customer commitments for on-time delivery and quality.
Manage capacity, staffing, and shift structure across both plants to support growth with appropriate headcount and overhead.
Synchronize Plant 2 component output with Plant 1 assembly demand.
Lead site planning, scheduling, receiving, warehousing, material handling, and inventory management to secure material availability, reduce lead times, and prevent shortages and stock-outs.
Partner with corporate Supply Planning and Procurement on SAP master data, MRP, and supplier performance; provide procurement guidance when needed.
Ensure supply chain policies and procedures are followed and drive inventory accuracy and inventory-turn targets.
Lead preventive and predictive maintenance programs to improve equipment uptime, particularly for automated and capital-intensive Plant 2 equipment.
Direct Manufacturing Engineering on process design, standard work, line balancing, work instructions, and new-product-introduction handoffs.
Lead installation, commissioning, and acceptance (FAT/SAT) of capital equipment, and build and justify site capital plans.
Lead Plant 2 start-up and ramp-up to stable, rate-capable production with PMO and cross-functional partners, addressing schedule, readiness, and staffing.
Integrate Plant 1 and Plant 2 into a single site organization with common roles, processes, meetings, and reporting.
Deploy the STULZ Manufacturing Operating Model, including Tier 1–3 daily meetings, a weekly site staff meeting, standard KPIs, and visual management.
Translate annual strategy deployment (Hoshin Kanri / X-matrix) into site objectives, owners, and action plans, and review progress monthly.
Provide accurate, timely, data-based reporting on safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and inventory, and share results with the site team in a structured way.
Lead continuous improvement using Lean tools, including 5S, standard work, kaizen, and problem solving; share best practices with other STULZ plants and adopt theirs.
Manage the site budget and cost performance with Finance, understand plant financials and margin drivers, and support senior leadership in long- and short-range U.S. manufacturing planning, policies, and objectives.