Senior Director of Operations, Optical Systems (US)

Gooch & Housego Florida•New Port Richey, FL

About The Position

G&H is seeking an accomplished Senior Director of Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership across its Tampa, Florida, and Keene, New Hampshire manufacturing facilities within the Optical Systems US Business Unit. The role is accountable for manufacturing execution, operational performance, resource optimization, and continuous improvement, supporting business growth and alignment among manufacturing capabilities, customer requirements, and financial objectives. The Senior Director will lead operational strategy and execution across both sites, strengthen manufacturing capabilities, establish disciplined operating processes, and drive performance in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity. Working with Business Unit leadership and cross-functional partners, this leader will oversee operational transformation, financial performance, capacity planning, capital recommendations, and the development of site operations leadership teams. The role requires extensive travel between the Keene and Tampa locations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including significant responsibility for multisite operations in complex, highly engineered manufacturing environments.
Demonstrated success leading operations in aerospace, defense, photonics, precision optics, or similarly sophisticated manufacturing industries.
Proven ability to develop and execute operational strategies that measurably improve profitability, productivity, quality, delivery, and manufacturing efficiency.
Strong expertise in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, operational excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies, with a track record of leading transformational initiatives.
Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience managing manufacturing budgets, capital investments, cost structures, and operational performance against financial targets.
Experience developing and implementing operational KPIs, performance dashboards, and structured accountability frameworks across multiple manufacturing locations.
Comprehensive understanding of production planning, capacity management, supply chain integration, manufacturing systems, and quality management requirements.
Proven ability to lead, develop, and influence high-performing teams across geographically dispersed operations, including through organizational change and business growth.
Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, problem-solving, and executive-level influencing skills, with the ability to balance long-term priorities with hands-on execution.
Willingness to undertake extensive travel to the Keene, New Hampshire, and Tampa, Florida locations.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced technical degree.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership across the Tampa and Keene manufacturing facilities, aligned with Business Unit priorities, customer commitments, and growth objectives.
Develop and execute strategies to strengthen manufacturing capabilities, optimize capacity and resources, and improve efficiency, scalability, and business performance.
Set operating priorities, performance expectations, and accountability across both sites, supporting safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity objectives.
Lead operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other methodologies to improve throughput, reduce waste, and enhance manufacturing performance.
Establish standardized operating processes, performance management routines, and operational KPIs across both facilities.
Partner with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and commercial leadership on manufacturing readiness, new product introductions, operational challenges, and customer delivery performance.
Drive operational financial performance, including manufacturing costs, labor efficiency, productivity, inventory, capital expenditures, budgets, and business targets.
Lead capacity planning, resource optimization, and capital investment recommendations, including development of business cases for profitable growth and operational scalability.
Work with Finance and Business Unit leadership to evaluate performance, identify risks and improvement opportunities, and implement corrective actions to improve margins, cost competitiveness, and financial predictability.
Lead, coach, and develop site operations leadership teams, building organizational capability, succession readiness, ownership, accountability, and high performance.
Champion safety and quality, ensuring compliance with applicable environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
Foster collaboration across sites and functions, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness while reinforcing G&H's core values.
Undertake other reasonable and related tasks allocated by the manager.