Director of Manufacturing

Fortem Technologies•Lindon, UT

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing leads Fortem’s day-to-day manufacturing operations across multiple product lines, with accountability for production execution, inventory control, warehouse operations, and manufacturing systems. The role improves throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and lead times while maintaining safe operations and product quality. Reporting to the VP, Manufacturing and Operations, the Director develops manufacturing leaders, establishes consistent operating practices, and turns delivery priorities into executable production plans. The Director partners with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management to resolve constraints and prepare operations for growth, while building a scalable organization that meets customer, quality, cost, and schedule commitments. The Director oversees production managers and operational leaders, establishes standard work and operating routines, and communicates manufacturing forecasts, risks, and recovery plans to the VP and cross-functional stakeholders. The role directs production planning and performance reviews, leads continuous improvement, and monitors safety, quality, delivery, throughput, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, work in progress, and lead times. The position also oversees material flow and warehouse activities, inventory accuracy, and effective use of ERP and manufacturing systems. It maintains manufacturing accountability for quality and safety while preserving Quality Assurance’s independent authority. The Director manages expenses and labor performance within approved budgets, assesses capacity and staffing needs, recommends investments, and leads readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles managing managers or multiple operational teams.
Experience leading production across multiple product lines in a hardware or technical manufacturing environment.
Experience overseeing inventory control, warehouse operations, and material flow.
Demonstrated results improving throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and manufacturing lead times.
Strong working knowledge of ERP systems, work-order control, inventory transactions, and manufacturing reporting.
Experience developing production leaders and establishing consistent operating practices during organizational growth.
Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, capacity planning, root-cause problem-solving, and quality improvement.
Strong financial and analytical skills, including labor planning, budgeting, cost analysis, and productivity measurement.
Ability to resolve competing priorities and collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management.
Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, engineering, operations, business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant education, training, and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, defense, unmanned aircraft systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical manufacturing.
Experience scaling operations through facility expansion, new product introductions, or substantial production growth.
Experience implementing or improving ERP, manufacturing execution, warehouse management, or production reporting systems.
Familiarity with ISO 9001, AS9100, or comparable quality management systems and controlled manufacturing practices.
Experience in mixed-volume manufacturing with changing product configurations.
Lean or Six Sigma certification; APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or comparable operations credentials.
Master’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop production managers and operational leaders through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
Establish consistent standard work, operating routines, ownership, decision-making authority, and accountability across manufacturing and warehouse teams.
Provide the VP and cross-functional stakeholders with manufacturing forecasts, risks, delivery impacts, and recovery plans; recommend actions and communicate issues early.
Build a scalable manufacturing organization and ensure teams meet safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
Translate delivery requirements into coordinated production plans, staffing requirements, and operating targets.
Own schedule attainment and throughput; lead operating reviews, resolve competing priorities, and direct recovery actions.
Lead improvements to reduce bottlenecks, work-in-progress delays, material shortages, and rework, improving productivity and lead times.
Monitor safety, quality, delivery, throughput, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, work in progress, and lead time; verify that improvements are sustained.
Establish measurable manufacturing performance targets, use data-driven reviews to identify gaps, assign corrective actions, and sustain improvements.
Oversee receiving, storage, kitting, production replenishment, material movement, and shipment preparation.
Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined transactions, cycle counting, and reconciliation with Finance and Supply Chain.
Ensure accurate and timely use of ERP and manufacturing systems for work orders, inventory records, production status, and operational reporting.
Partner with Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to maintain manufacturing documentation and material requirements and control product and process changes.
Ensure production plans are executable based on material availability, labor capacity, and equipment constraints; maintain ERP execution that provides accurate production status, shortage, and completion-date visibility.
Maintain manufacturing accountability for quality at the source; support defect containment, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions to reduce scrap and rework.
Reinforce safety, housekeeping, and process compliance, ensuring production demands do not bypass required inspections, approvals, or safe work practices.
Preserve Quality Assurance’s independent authority for inspection, product acceptance, and quality-system compliance while ensuring manufacturing promptly addresses defects and corrective actions.
Manage manufacturing expenses and labor performance within approved budgets; identify cost drivers and implement productivity improvements.
Monitor labor utilization, cost per unit, scrap, rework, and other significant operating cost drivers to drive cost and productivity improvements.
Assess capacity and staffing needs and recommend hiring, cross-training, equipment, facility, and capital investments to the VP.
Lead manufacturing readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas, coordinating staffing, training, tooling, materials, and documented processes.
Develop and execute manufacturing capacity plans covering production layout, staffing models, equipment utilization, material flow, and facility readiness to support forecasted demand and growth.