Director of Operations

Materion•Buffalo, NY

About The Position

The Director of Operations, Premium Targets provides strategic and operational leadership for a complex, multi-site manufacturing organization with domestic and international operations. The role leads Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering teams and is accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, customer performance, talent development, capital execution, and continuous improvement. As the organization’s senior operations safety leader, the Director sets safety expectations, models visible safety leadership, empowers employees to identify and address hazards, and holds leaders accountable for proactive risk reduction and continuous EHS improvement. Working across Technology, Quality, Supply Chain, Commercial, Engineering, EHS, and other functions, the Director translates business priorities into sustainable results, standardizes processes, and delivers service to internal and external customers. The Director leads operations strategy and financial performance, including gross margin, inventory turns, and cost management. The role oversees manufacturing across Buffalo, Wheatfield, Albuquerque, Limerick, and Brewster, with matrix partnerships supporting Alzenau and Taiwan. It also serves as executive sponsor for the Premium Targets Lean manufacturing transformation and leads major capital programs, equipment installations, expansions, and facility transitions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, business, or a related field.
At least 10 years of progressive experience in a manufacturing environment.
Significant manufacturing operations people-leadership responsibility, with demonstrated ability to develop leaders and build high-performing teams.
Demonstrated success leading safety and EHS performance, manufacturing operations, continuous improvement, engineering, and capital projects.
Ability to lead end-to-end processes and deliver results through cross-functional and matrixed teams.
Ability to travel up to 50%.
Export compliance eligibility for access to U.S. controlled technology under ITAR and EAR. Candidates must qualify under an applicable eligibility category or receive the required export license; any offer dependent on a license is conditional on Materion determining it can obtain the license within business requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in engineering, business administration, or a related field.
Leadership experience in a multi-site or international manufacturing organization.
Experience leading a Lean transformation or enterprise-wide operating system.
Experience managing major capital programs, facility expansions, installations, or transitions.
Strategic and systems-oriented thinking, with the ability to translate business priorities into executable operating plans.
Strong influence, collaboration, and negotiation skills, including securing alignment and resources across functions.
Clear, concise written and verbal communication with team members, peers, customers, and senior leaders.
Sound judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity, reconcile differing viewpoints, and make timely decisions.
Visible, values-based leadership grounded in safety, integrity, accountability, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.
Commitment to coaching, succession planning, and talent growth across all levels.

Responsibilities

Lead a proactive, prevention-focused safety culture in which employees identify hazards, stop unsafe work, and take ownership of a safe and healthy workplace.
Lead manufacturing operations across Buffalo, Wheatfield, Albuquerque, Limerick, and Brewster, with matrix partnerships supporting Alzenau and Taiwan.
Own performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, reliability, and customer commitments; establish metrics, review performance, and hold site leaders accountable.
Set and execute the Premium Targets operations strategy, multi-year roadmap, and long-range capital and workforce plans.
Ensure facilities deliver high-quality products on time to internal business units and external customers.
Partner with Technology, Quality, Supply Chain, Commercial, Engineering, EHS, and other functions to align priorities and improve end-to-end performance.
Develop, coach, and hold operational leaders accountable for business results, team effectiveness, and talent growth.
Strengthen communication, operating discipline, and knowledge sharing across Premium Targets facilities.
Provide timely business updates and recommendations to senior leaders and key stakeholders.
Champion EHS excellence through regulatory compliance, audit readiness, risk assessments, incident and near-miss investigations, corrective-action closure, and use of safety indicators.
Serve as executive sponsor for the Premium Targets Lean manufacturing transformation.
Advance daily management, structured problem solving, kaizen, standard work, process improvement, and cost-reduction practices across sites.
Partner with Lean resources and site leaders to implement improvements and sustain measurable gains.
Lead major capital programs, equipment installations, expansions, and facility transitions in partnership with Engineering, corporate, business-unit, and capital teams.
Ensure capital initiatives meet approved cost, schedule, quality, and performance objectives, with safety integrated into design, installation, commissioning, and startup.
Develop manufacturing and supply chain strategies that support production, maintenance, planning, EHS, technical capability, and customer requirements.
Partner with Commercial teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
Enable best-practice sharing and process standardization across manufacturing locations.
Lead financial performance improvement, focusing on gross margin, inventory turns, and cost management.