Sr. Director - Operations

Pregis•Elgin, IL

About The Position

The Senior Director of Operations leads operational excellence and plant performance transformation across all facilities within the Mailing Solutions business unit. This hands-on leadership role focuses on identifying inefficiencies, implementing corrective actions, and building a culture of sustainable improvement and accountability. The role is accountable for operational results across multiple manufacturing sites and provides strategic and tactical leadership across production, maintenance, quality, safety, logistics, and planning. It partners with Pregis corporate and business-unit resources and cross-functional teams to improve performance and align operations with broader business objectives. The position also leads plant leadership teams, supports technology adoption and capital investments, and establishes standard work and best practices. Travel is greater than 50%.

Requirements

At least 15 years of progressive operations leadership experience in manufacturing, including previous multi-site leadership experience.
Demonstrated success leading an operational transformation, with measurable KPI improvements.
Deep understanding and application of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement principles.
Proven experience overseeing multi-site operations, preferably in a fast-paced, custom or high-mix environment.
Strong track record of leading cross-functional teams through cultural and organizational change.
Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills at all organizational levels.
Ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities and deliver results under pressure.
Experience mentoring, coaching, and developing teams.
High level of business acumen and financial literacy.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
Experience in packaging and converting is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Prioritize the operational issues that have the greatest impact on top- and bottom-line performance.
Build relationships across business-unit functions and corporate teams to deliver operational excellence results collaboratively and on time.
Communicate clearly and concisely with stakeholders.
Be accountable for KPI results across multiple manufacturing sites, instilling process discipline, performance rigor, and continuous improvement.
Provide strategic and tactical leadership in production, maintenance, quality, safety, logistics, and planning.
Partner with the broader Pregis organization and use available resources to enhance business operations standards.
Champion Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives to reduce waste, improve flow, and increase plant efficiency and responsiveness.
Conduct performance assessments and gap analyses; establish KPIs and lead initiatives to improve OEE and quality, reduce scrap and downtime, and enhance delivery performance.
Build a scalable, data-driven operational model supported by analytics, business cases, and cost-benefit justifications.
Develop performance metrics and dashboards to support real-time decision-making.
Lead, develop, and mentor plant leadership teams, promoting ownership and accountability.
Collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Sales, Customer Service, and Finance to align operational goals with broader business objectives.
Support adoption of new technologies, capital investments, and equipment upgrades to improve productivity and competitiveness.
Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and documentation for standard work and best practices.
Promote safety and compliance, ensuring adherence to OSHA and internal safety standards.