Vice President of Operations

Crecera Brands•Park Township, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Stow Company is seeking a Vice President of Operations for its facility in Holland, MI. This company is a premier source for custom closets and organizational solutions. The Vice President of Operations will be responsible for leading all manufacturing, fulfillment, engineering, maintenance, quality, safety, and related operational activities. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for approximately 220 team members, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and employee development. The position requires establishing an operating strategy, maintaining a strong presence in daily operations, and fostering a disciplined, performance-oriented culture focused on continuous improvement, accountability, and developing a capable operations organization. The VP of Operations reports directly to the COO.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations Management, Engineering, Finance, or related discipline.
Significant progressive leadership experience in manufacturing and operations.
Demonstrated experience leading a complex manufacturing and fulfillment organization.
Experience successfully leading Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
Strong experience managing operational budgets, productivity, cost, quality, safety, and delivery performance.
Strong strategic and operational leadership capability.
Deep knowledge of manufacturing operations, production systems, Lean principles, quality, safety, engineering, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
Strong financial and business acumen.
Ability to develop strategy while remaining close enough to daily operations to ensure effective execution.
Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills.
Ability to establish priorities and allocate resources across competing needs.
Strong coaching, delegation, and leadership-development capabilities.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and resolve complex operational issues.
Strong commitment to executional excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
Experience in leading engineering and/or technical organizations is preferred.
Experience with highly automated manufacturing environments is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership and direction for manufacturing and fulfillment operations at the Holland facility.
Establish and execute operating plans that support company objectives and customer requirements.
Review daily, weekly, and monthly operating metrics and drive corrective actions where performance falls short of expectations.
Ensure achievement of cost, quality, delivery, productivity, and service objectives.
Maintain a hands-on understanding of operational performance, constraints, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Present operating performance, priorities, risks, and improvement plans to executive leadership.
Champion a culture in which employee safety and product quality are fundamental operating priorities.
Ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal safety and environmental requirements.
Drive continuous improvement in workplace safety and injury prevention.
Ensure quality procedures, production standards, and operating disciplines are consistently followed.
Monitor key indicators including production yield, scrap, process interruptions, holds, and customer quality issues and drive corrective action as needed.
Establish and sustain a culture of continuous improvement throughout the operation.
Drive improvements in labor efficiency, throughput, yield, scrap, equipment effectiveness, material flow, and overall cost.
Lead implementation of Lean manufacturing principles, standard work, problem solving, and other operational excellence practices.
Identify opportunities for automation, technology, process redesign, and capital investment that improve operating performance.
Ensure operational improvements are sustainable through clearly defined processes, ownership, metrics, and accountability.
Provide leadership and direction to the engineering organization through the Director of Engineering.
Ensure engineering resources and priorities are aligned with manufacturing and business requirements.
Drive effective execution of manufacturing engineering, process improvement, automation, equipment, and capital initiatives.
Strengthen collaboration among engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, quality, supply chain, and product development.
Develop and manage the annual operating budget for the facility.
Ensure disciplined management of labor, material, overhead, capital, and other operating expenses.
Identify and execute opportunities to reduce total manufacturing and fulfillment costs while maintaining quality and service.
Partner with Finance to understand operating performance, variances, risks, and opportunities.
Develop business cases and recommendations for capital investments and major operational improvements.
Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing operations leadership team.
Establish clear expectations and accountability throughout the organization.
Develop leadership capability and succession plans for critical operations positions.
Partner closely with Human Resources on organizational structure, workforce planning, recruiting, retention, employee development, and performance management.
Create an environment that promotes teamwork, engagement, accountability, continuous improvement, and professional development.
Ensure consistent application of company policies and performance expectations.
Partner closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, Technology, Product Development, and other functions to align operations with overall company priorities.
Participate as a senior leader in business planning and execution.
Translate company strategy into clear operational priorities and measurable results.
Identify risks and resource requirements and communicate them proactively to executive leadership.
Lives Company values on a daily basis.
Poses no direct threat to the health or safety of themselves, of others, or to property.
Requires regular attendance to perform essential elements as contained herein between the assigned start and end times for work.
Establishes and maintains effective work relationships within the department, the Corporation and the community; and maintains the professional competence, knowledge and skill necessary for the satisfactory performance of all assigned responsibilities.
The Stow Company may temporarily assign any team member with duties outside of their normal responsibilities.