Sr Director, Maintenance & Manufacturing Excellence

Scotts Miracle-Gro•Marysville, OH

23h•$196,700 - $231,400

About The Position

The Sr Director, Maintenance & Manufacturing Excellence serves as the operational heartbeat of Scotts Miracle-Gro's North American manufacturing network, driving the transition from reactive maintenance to a predictive, data-led Operational Excellence culture. Reporting to the SVP — Supply Chain & Transformation, this senior leader owns enterprise-wide Manufacturing Excellence strategy, asset reliability, Total Productive Maintenance, and the disciplined execution of a $110M–$150M annual Capital Expenditure portfolio. The role is both strategic and hands-on: influencing C-suite vision while coaching plant-level teams, embedding Lean/Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 capabilities, and ensuring our facilities lead both the outdoor and indoor growing markets. This leader is a primary cross-functional liaison across Engineering, R&D, Finance, Supply Chain, and Plant Operations, accountable for translating complex technical realities into clear business outcomes that advance our purpose to GroMoreGood.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree, Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, or Chemical), Operations / Supply Chain Management, Master's / MBA (Preferred)
Required: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt minimum (or equivalent demonstrated proficiency)
Desired: Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP); TPM certification; PMP; Industry 4.0 / Smart Manufacturing credentials
10 - 15 Years of experience prefered
10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, engineering, or operations within a complex, multi-site consumer goods, chemical, or process manufacturing environment.
Proven track record leading enterprise-scale Operational Excellence, TPM, and reliability transformations.
Demonstrated experience managing capital portfolios in the $100M+ range, sponsoring major capital installations, and delivering post-investment validation.
Experience operating at the executive level — briefing C-suite leaders and Boards — while remaining hands-on with plant teams.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, purpose-driven culture with diverse facilities and legacy operating models.
Deep, demonstrable expertise deploying Lean, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) across a large, multi-site enterprise.
Mastery of process — proven ability to bring order to complexity and architect operational engines that scale across a diverse manufacturing network.
Strong financial acumen, including managing large capital portfolios and driving rigorous ROI/NPV analysis for industrial investments.
Working fluency in predictive analytics, Industry 4.0 integration, and data-led decision-making.
Exceptional executive communication — the ability to translate complex technical engineering realities into clear business strategies for the C-suite and Board.
Demonstrated change leadership in environments with legacy practices and diverse stakeholder groups.
Talent developer — coaches, mentors, and builds high-performing technical and operational teams.
Strong alignment with SMG core values: Integrity, Consumer Focus, Innovation, Sustainability, Collaboration, and Accountability.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Manufacturing Excellence Strategy: Design and own the end-to-end lifecycle of the Manufacturing Excellence program across the North American network. Evolve existing Lean initiatives into a deeply embedded, sustainable Continuous Improvement culture, partnering with Supply Chain and Analytics to leverage predictive analytics and Industry 4.0 integration for maximum yield and ROI.
Predictive Asset Health & TPM: Transform the maintenance philosophy from reactive firefighting to predictive asset health management. Establish and govern KPIs including MTBF, proactive maintenance ratio, and OEE. Embed Total Productive Maintenance pillars into frontline operator routines to foster a culture of equipment ownership, safety, and stewardship.
CapEx Portfolio Stewardship: Oversee the strategic allocation, prioritization, and execution of the manufacturing Capital Expenditure portfolio ($110M–$150M annually). Serve as executive sponsor for major capital installations, vet incoming project scopes, manage resources and budgets, and lead rigorous post-investment validation to ensure targeted financial and operational returns are realized.
Change Management & Standardization: Act as the enterprise change agent for manufacturing operations. Diplomatically enforce new standardized processes across diverse facilities, educate stakeholders, and overcome legacy resistance to achieve durable, mutually-owned solutions that scale across the network.
Cross-Functional Influence: Serve as the primary liaison between Engineering, R&D, Finance, Supply Chain, and Plant Operations. Ensure communication is seamless and expectations are managed across all functions, translating complex engineering realities into clear business strategies for Executive Leadership and the Board.
Sustainability & Safety Leadership: Align maintenance and equipment strategies with SMG's corporate commitment to environmental responsibility — reducing the network's environmental footprint and ensuring facilities operate safely for associates and surrounding communities.
Talent Cultivation & Succession: Directly mentor and develop regional operational excellence and maintenance leaders. Build a robust succession pipeline of technical talent that reflects SMG's people-first, collaborative culture.