Head of Operations - Manufacturing

Mai Placement•Monroe, NY

6d•Onsite

About The Position

We are a growing manufacturing company with a strong reputation for operational excellence, product quality, and customer reliability. Our business is built on disciplined manufacturing practices, continuous improvement, and a commitment to delivering value through efficient, scalable operations. As we continue to expand, we are focused on strengthening our leadership team and building a more structured, performance-driven organization. We operate in a fast-paced environment where lean manufacturing principles, cost control, and operational efficiency are critical to success. Our leadership team is deeply committed to improving profitability through smarter operations—reducing waste, optimizing labor and materials, and making data-driven decisions that directly impact the bottom line. We believe in empowering leaders at every level, holding teams accountable to clear performance metrics, and continuously improving how we operate. This is an opportunity to join a company where manufacturing leadership matters, where operational decisions directly influence financial performance, and where the Head of Operations will have full ownership of operational results, including P&L responsibility. The company has experienced significant growth and now needs a senior manufacturing leader to build the operational structure required for its next stage of growth. Today, too much responsibility sits with senior leadership, managers operate without consistent accountability, and operational execution varies across departments. The business needs a leader who can create structure, improve performance, develop managers, and build systems that allow the organization to scale. This role is not about personally solving manufacturing problems. It is about building an organization that consistently solves them without executive intervention. The Head of Operations will own the performance of manufacturing operations by leading multiple operational departments through their managers. This leader will be responsible for improving manufacturing performance, strengthening accountability, building operational systems, and developing leaders capable of owning results. Success requires someone who understands manufacturing firsthand, thinks strategically, moves with urgency, and stays focused on the bigger picture rather than becoming involved in daily production issues.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership.
Proven experience leading multiple operational departments through department managers.
Strong manufacturing background with a practical understanding of how production environments operate.
Demonstrated success improving manufacturing efficiency, labor productivity, quality, and cost performance.
Deep experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and cost reduction initiatives.
Proven ability to reduce expenses while improving output and quality.
Experience owning or directly influencing P&L performance.
Experience building KPI dashboards, accountability systems, SOPs, and operational disciplines that scale.
Track record developing managers into high-performing leaders.
Strong business judgment with the ability to balance strategic priorities and day-to-day operational demands.
Comfortable making decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with changing priorities.

Nice To Haves

Build stronger operational leaders across multiple departments.
Improve manufacturing efficiency and operational profitability.
Reduce operating costs through lean initiatives and process improvements.
Establish clear KPI ownership and accountability throughout operations.
Improve coordination across operational functions and reduce execution gaps.
Build scalable systems that allow the business to continue growing without increasing organizational complexity.
Deliver measurable improvements in margin and overall P&L performance.
Spend the majority of their time improving the business—not personally managing daily production issues.
The ideal candidate is a manufacturing operator who understands both the production floor and the executive table.
They know when to step into operational details, but they don't stay there.
They build leaders instead of becoming the leader everyone depends on.
They create accountability instead of chasing problems.
They improve the business through better systems, better decisions, and stronger people.
Most importantly, they have successfully led multiple manufacturing departments, developed high-performing management teams, driven lean transformation, reduced costs, and consistently improved profitability in growing manufacturing organizations.

Responsibilities

Own the overall performance of manufacturing operations across multiple operational departments.
Lead department managers through clear expectations, accountability, coaching, and performance management.
Build a leadership team capable of solving problems independently and consistently delivering results.
Improve manufacturing efficiency, throughput, labor productivity, quality, and operating costs.
Apply lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, streamline processes, and drive continuous improvement.
Develop KPI-driven operating rhythms that create visibility and accountability across the organization.
Standardize operational processes and ensure consistent execution across departments.
Identify operational bottlenecks, eliminate waste, and implement sustainable process improvements.
Own operational P&L performance, with direct responsibility for cost control, margin improvement, and profitability.
Evaluate production capacity, labor utilization, and future operational needs.
Recommend capital investments, equipment improvements, and operational technology initiatives based on business impact.
Use operational data to improve profitability and support executive decision making.
Drive cross-functional alignment between manufacturing, planning, quality, customer service, and other operational functions.