Director of Manufacturing Operations

AFL Telecommunications•Duncan, SC

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing Operations oversees all operational activities associated with extruded cable manufacturing. This leader is accountable for nurturing the safety culture, ensuring products meet required quality parameters, delivering products to customers on agreed dates, and fostering continuous improvement to reduce manufacturing costs. The role has six direct reports: Operations Manager, two Quality Control Managers, Maintenance Manager, Materials Manager, and Engineering Manager. As part of the Operations Leadership team, the director collaborates with Finance, Human Resources, Safety, Continuous Improvement, Quality, Planning & Scheduling, and leaders of Metal Cables, Accessories, and Connectivity operations. Other important relationships include Supply Chain, Procurement, IT/OT, Product Development, and the Business Units. The position reports to the Executive Director of Cable Operations to support Product Solutions. The director promotes employee engagement and participation in the AFL Safety Process, works with the Safety Function to reduce operational risk, and owns agreed safety KPIs. The role enables AFL Manufacturing Excellence and supports processes and systems that allow the business to scale, while reviewing and driving performance across Extruded Cable Plants. It ensures quality controls are followed, customer complaint corrective and preventive actions are implemented, compliance with quality systems is maintained, and quality KPIs are achieved. The director owns execution of the production plan and operational delivery commitments, ensures adequate equipment and staffing capacity, and works with Supply Chain and the Business Unit on long-term capacity planning through IBP. The role owns processing costs, promotes cost and efficiency improvements, collaborates to improve gross margin, manages critical capital projects, and owns cost KPIs. It also approves staffing plans, collaborates with Human Resources on talent management and development, and shapes the organization for the future of manufacturing. The successful candidate models the Operating Principles and demonstrates flexibility, attention to detail, independence, analytical problem-solving, results focus, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and adaptability in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities.

Requirements

10+ years of manufacturing and operations management experience preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field preferred.
Experience leading technical and manufacturing personnel.
Experience with quality documentation, including ISO 9000, and auditing.
Knowledge of general manufacturing EHS requirements.
Ability to travel as required.
Ability to collaborate on projects, maintain effective relationships, and communicate clearly at all levels of the business.
Ability to work with limited supervision and demonstrate analytical thinking and complex problem-solving.
Ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment, respond to change, and prioritize multiple work assignments.

Nice To Haves

Manufacturing and operations management experience of 10+ years.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field.

Responsibilities

Foster engagement and participation in the AFL Safety Process across Cable Manufacturing.
Collaborate with the Safety Function to reduce operational risk and own agreed leading and lagging safety KPIs.
Enable implementation of AFL Manufacturing Excellence in collaboration with the Continuous Improvement team.
Support processes and systems that enable efficient scaling and growth, such as MES and IBP.
Create an environment to review and drive performance for the Extruded Cable Plants.
Ensure quality control procedures are executed so shipped products meet requirements.
Ensure corrective and preventive actions for customer complaints are implemented in collaboration with other functions.
Collaborate with the Quality Function to maintain compliance with quality systems and foster continuous improvement in product quality.
Own quality KPIs related to customer requirements, customer complaints, internal scrap, remakes, reworks, and cost performance.
Own execution of the production plan and delivery to customer commitments, including on-time delivery.
Ensure adequate equipment and manpower capacity to meet customer demand.
Work with Supply Chain and the Business Unit through IBP to plan long-term capacity.
Own operations KPIs that drive customer satisfaction, including on-time delivery.
Own processing costs and ensure efficient use of materials, labor, utilities, supplies, and other manufacturing costs.
Foster continuous improvement in cost and efficiency across cable operations.
Collaborate with Supply Chain, Finance, and the Business Unit to drive gross margin across the P&L.
Manage critical capital projects that sustain operations, improve EHS, and enable growth.
Own cost KPIs.
Approve staffing plans for efficient plant operations.
Collaborate with Human Resources on succession planning, associate development, hiring, retention, and performance management.
Shape the organization to prepare for the future of manufacturing.