Director, Operations, Assembly

gategroup•Chantilly, VA

5d•$120,000 - $125,000

About The Position

The Director, Operations, Assembly provides overall leadership and tactical direction for the Assembly department within a Gate Gourmet hub. As a member of the Unit Senior Leadership team, the Director contributes to unit-wide development and improvement, particularly in production and labor planning and people management. The role oversees the Wash & Pack, Make & Pack, and Pick & Pack operating areas and works closely with other unit functions, especially the Supply Chain Process Director and HR. The position focuses on optimizing assembly processes and work areas, planning labor and schedules, meeting productivity and efficiency targets, and ensuring compliance with HACCP, customer specifications, and applicable safety, security, hygiene, and food-safety requirements. The Director develops the Assembly leadership team through coaching, involvement, feedback, and performance management; supports cross-training and maintains a skills matrix; and leads continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives. The Director sets and facilitates departmental KPIs and active labor planning through OPRS, aligns material and labor targets with Supply Chain, and is accountable for financial indicators such as hours, waste, and specification compliance. The role also coordinates with other operational areas, supports audits, leads meetings, supervises managers and supervisors, and ensures compliance with company policies, wage-and-hour requirements, and applicable union agreements. The position is full-time, with limited travel expected and a rotating schedule of over 55 hours per week typical.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in operations within a manufacturing environment.
Experience providing leadership through a middle-management layer.
Experience managing a team of more than 100 people.
Experience in change-management projects.
Strong people-management skills.
Planning and coordination skills, including the ability to oversee multiple activities at once.
IT literacy, basic MS Office skills, and general SAP understanding.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor's degree in a relevant subject or business management is preferable; specialization in operational and people management is desirable.
Process-improvement experience is a plus.
Experience in a food hygiene, health and safety, or high-security environment is preferred.
Knowledge of airline catering operations is preferred but not essential.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate the Assembly operating areas: Wash & Pack, Make & Pack, and Pick & Pack.
Optimize assembly structures, workstations, floor maps, and work processes.
Plan labor proactively across short-, medium-, and longer-term needs in cooperation with Supply Chain, including hiring needs, rosters and schedules, and daily or weekly labor adjustments.
Ensure quality assurance and compliance with HACCP, customer specifications and requirements, hygiene, food-safety, safety, and security procedures.
Develop the Assembly leadership team through coaching, involvement, feedback, and consistent performance management.
Drive staff cross-training and establish and maintain a skills matrix to improve flexibility and support roster and labor planning.
Coordinate with other unit operational areas to provide optimal service to internal and external customers.
Ensure output meets customer volume and quality specifications.
Promote and support continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives, including GateOpex and central and local CI programs.
Implement and facilitate improvements to agreed US and Group standard processes, including forecasting, planning, and IDS interfaces, and share best practices with Assembly peers and Supply Chain/OP&C.
Align material and labor targets with Supply Chain and contribute to forecasting, planning, and unit MPS alignment.
Set up, communicate, delegate, and facilitate the use of departmental KPIs, OPRS, and active labor planning.
Manage departmental financial indicators, including hours, waste, and specification compliance.
Manage productivity and efficiency through labor adjustments intended to meet or exceed targets.
Capture, track, analyze, and ensure correction of departmental incidences (I.F.B.L.).
Optimize departmental resources through process improvement, lean, and continuous improvement, collaborating with operational and support departments, particularly Forecasting/Planning and IDS.
Participate in customer and authority audits.
Recognize good performance and promote the company reward and recognition scheme and People First behaviors.
Resolve conflicts and address issues proactively using influencing, negotiation, and communication skills.
Contribute operational and management expertise to the unit and senior management team and support unit-wide initiatives.
Organize and lead leadership team and Assembly staff meetings.
Supervise and support lower-level managers and supervisors in daily operations.
Conduct employee performance evaluations and provide detailed feedback on management and leadership skills and achievement of goals.
Ensure compliance with the company Wage & Hour policy, including rest and meal breaks and required company processes.
Train and monitor employees on proper work procedures to support productivity and control labor and food expenses.
Monitor daily manpower planning and schedule employees.
Support employee retention and reduce turnover.
Coach, counsel, and prepare corrective actions in compliance with applicable union or collective bargaining agreements.
Ensure employees in the chain of command are assigned to the correct cost centers and job titles, and that union employees' pay rates reflect applicable wage scales and seniority.
Ensure compliance with required company policies, procedures, processes, and training.