Director of Operations

Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.•Graham, KY

4d•$175,000 - $225,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Operations leads a growing energetics manufacturing site in Graham, Kentucky, serving as the operational leader for a 150-person, high-risk manufacturing facility. The role has full ownership of site performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost, and is responsible for scaling operations while maintaining safety, compliance, and execution in a mission-critical environment. The Director ensures adherence to explosive safety, process controls, and regulatory standards in a PSM-regulated environment, and leads production ramp, capacity expansion, and operational readiness in line with customer demand. The role also develops teams and leaders, builds a safety-first and accountability-driven culture, and drives performance through EBAD’s operating system and lean execution discipline. The position reports to the VP of Operations.

Requirements

15+ years of operations leadership in high-hazard manufacturing environments.
Direct experience in energetics or explosives manufacturing, such as propellants, detonators, or high explosives such as RDX or similar.
Background in aerospace and defense or similarly regulated industries.
Experience supporting DoD programs and contracts.
Ability to obtain DoD Security Clearance.
Working knowledge of energetic materials, including RDX, HMX, propellants, and detonators.
Strong understanding of explosive safety, hazard analysis, and risk mitigation.
Experience with ITAR, ATF, and DoD regulatory environments.
Proven ability to lead teams in high-consequence environments where safety is critical.
Track record of driving continuous improvement without compromising safety or quality.
Experience building teams, developing leaders, and scaling operations through growth.

Responsibilities

Lead the site in a high-mix, low-volume, high-consequence manufacturing environment.
Own site performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Ensure adherence to explosive safety, process controls, and regulatory standards.
Maintain compliance with federal, DoD, and explosive safety requirements in a PSM-regulated environment.
Build and develop teams with a safety-first, accountability-driven culture.
Drive performance through EBAD’s operating system (EBOS) and lean execution discipline.
Lead production ramp, capacity expansion, and operational readiness aligned to customer demand.
Develop operational capability and leadership to support long-term growth.