Vice President, Operations

Graham Packaging Company•West Hempfield Township, PA

About The Position

The Vice President, Operations is responsible for the overall performance of manufacturing operations across the Business Unit. Reporting directly to the BU President and serving on the BU leadership team, this leader manages Operations Directors and ensures a common, data-driven approach to plant leadership and performance. The role establishes an operating environment where safety and quality are non-negotiable while improving productivity, cost, reliability, customer service, and overall operational performance. This hands-on leadership role calls for bold leadership, confident decision-making, and relentless urgency. The leader sets direction, builds strong teams, establishes consistent operating standards, and remains close to the business to identify problems and drive them to resolution. The position leads multi-site manufacturing performance, develops and executes BU manufacturing strategy, builds leadership capability, and partners across functions and with customers.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
At least 15 years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership experience, including responsibility for complex, multi-site operations.
Demonstrated success improving safety, quality, productivity, cost, reliability, and overall manufacturing performance.
Strong experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, operational excellence, capital planning, and asset optimization.
Proven ability to build, assess, and develop strong Operations leadership teams and create a culture of accountability.
Strong business and financial acumen, including the ability to translate operational improvements into improved financial performance.
Bold, hands-on leadership, with urgency, confident decision-making, and credible communication across plants, customers, and senior leadership.
Ability to travel up to 70%.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Establish employee safety as the highest operating priority and hold leaders accountable for a strong safety culture.
Ensure consistent execution of environmental, health, safety, and quality standards across all facilities.
Build quality into manufacturing through operating discipline, process capability, root cause analysis, and corrective action.
Partner with EHS, Quality, and Engineering to improve performance, reduce defects and customer complaints, and eliminate recurring issues.
Drive sustainable improvements in productivity, labor efficiency, equipment reliability, scrap, waste, asset utilization, and conversion cost.
Lead execution of Graham’s Operating System (GOS), lean manufacturing principles, standard work, and continuous improvement across the manufacturing network.
Establish performance metrics and operating rhythms that turn operational, customer, and financial data into insight, identify risks and opportunities, reinforce accountability, and accelerate corrective action.
Scale proven practices across plants to improve cost, margin, and operational performance.
Lead multi-site manufacturing performance with accountability for safety, quality, service, cost, productivity, and people.
Identify underperforming operations, establish improvement plans, and ensure actions produce measurable, sustainable results.
Develop and execute the BU manufacturing strategy, translating business priorities, customer commitments, and growth plans into operational priorities and actions.
Optimize capacity, asset utilization, capital investment, automation, and technology to support current requirements and future growth.
Lead, develop, and retain Operations Directors, strengthening leadership capability, succession, and accountability for results.
Develop plant leaders who operate like business owners and understand the connection between operational decisions, customer performance, and financial results.
Set expectations, provide direct feedback, coach leaders, and address difficult talent or performance issues decisively.
Build organizational capability and succession plans for critical Operations roles.
Ensure manufacturing operations meet customer expectations for quality, service, cost, and reliability.
Build relationships with key customers and provide senior Operations leadership when manufacturing performance affects customer relationships.
Partner with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, EHS, Commercial, Finance, and HR to deliver BU priorities and execute new products, volume changes, and operational improvements.
Bring an Operations perspective to BU strategy, planning, and decision-making.
During the first 12 months, assess safety, quality, plant performance, organizational capability, and leadership effectiveness across the manufacturing network.
During the first 12 months, deliver measurable improvements in productivity, labor efficiency, equipment reliability, scrap, cost, safety, and quality.
During the first 12 months, deliver key projects on time and ensure all BU plants achieve established safety, quality, and EBITDA targets.
During the first 12 months, strengthen standard work, performance management, problem solving, and accountability across facilities.
During the first 12 months, develop a longer-term Operations strategy aligned with BU priorities, customer requirements, capital needs, and growth plans.