Director of Manufacturing Operations
About The Position
At Pierce Manufacturing, we build trucks that protect people and communities around the world. To our team, there is no room for anything less than providing the absolute best. Since 1913, building truck bodies on Model T Ford chassis in an old converted church has evolved to creating highly customized, carefully designed and engineering pumpers, aerials, tankers and rescue units that have no equal. Today, you'll find more than 30,000 Pierce apparatuses on the road that are making a difference in people's lives, every day. To us, every step in the process of building our trucks is personal. From innovation and expertise, to the customization and service. Our trucks are designed to perform under the toughest conditions. The Director of Manufacturing is responsible for leading manufacturing operations within an assigned Pierce manufacturing facility, ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives are consistently achieved. This role provides operational leadership across fabrication, welding, assembly, materials flow, and production support functions while driving operational excellence, workforce engagement, and continuous improvement. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Manufacturing, this leader is responsible for executing enterprise manufacturing strategies at the plant level and partnering cross functionally with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, and Safety teams to support customer satisfaction and business performance. The Director of Manufacturing is one of three manufacturing leaders supporting Pierce operations and plays a critical role in delivering safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing operations.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 12+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within a complex manufacturing environment
- Demonstrated experience leading large scale manufacturing operations focused on safety, quality, delivery, and operational performance
- Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, materials flow, production systems, and operational execution
- Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies
- Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
Nice To Haves
- Experience leading operations within heavy equipment, industrial, or highly configurable manufacturing environments
- Proven success leading manufacturing transformation and operational excellence initiatives
- Experience supporting implementation of automation, advanced manufacturing technologies, or Industry 4.0 initiatives
- Strong cross functional leadership experience partnering with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations teams
- Experience managing operational metrics, budgets, and performance improvement initiatives
- Prior experience leading large manufacturing teams across multiple operational functions
- Aligned to the VP Manufacturing structure and operating model outlined in the supporting Pierce leadership materials.
Responsibilities
- Champion a safety-first, high-performance culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement
- Lead day to day manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives
- Execute enterprise manufacturing strategies and operational priorities established by the Vice President of Manufacturing
- Implement and sustain Team Daily Management systems that drive accountability, problem solving, and operational discipline
- Drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing principles, process standardization, and continuous improvement initiatives
- Partner closely with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Materials, and Maintenance teams to ensure operational readiness and production continuity
- Support implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies, automation initiatives, and Industry 4.0 capabilities
- Build, coach, and develop high performing manufacturing teams and frontline leaders
- Establish and monitor key operational performance indicators to improve throughput, productivity, quality, and operational reliability
Benefits
- competitive total rewards package
- people-first culture
- various opportunities to support team member growth and success
- reasonable accommodation to job applicants with disabilities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
