VP of Operations

Spirax-Sarco Ltd.•Wilmington, MA

1d•$163,895 - $245,842•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Operations is a senior executive leadership role responsible for defining and executing the operations strategy for WMFTS USA. This position ensures alignment with global and divisional priorities while delivering best-in-class customer experience, operational performance, and financial outcomes. Reporting directly to the President, the VP of Operations is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, with accountability for shaping business strategy, driving enterprise-wide performance, and leading transformation across operations, customer service, and supply chain functions. This role plays a critical part in enabling profitable growth through operational excellence, customer-centric execution, and scalable infrastructure, with an immediate focus on shipping backlog elimination and sustained on-time delivery performance.

Requirements

Executive leadership experience across operations, customer service, technical services/application engineering, and supply chain
Demonstrated success leading large, multi-functional, customer-facing organizations
Strong commercial acumen, with direct or indirect customer-facing experience
Proven ownership of P&L, including cost structure and working capital management
Track record of leading transformation initiatives (e.g., operational scaling, service improvement, backlog recovery)
Ability to influence and partner across executive leadership teams
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or a related field
Experience across Life Sciences and Process Industries environments
Experience aligning operations strategy with commercial growth initiatives
Strong ERP and CRM systems experience (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics or similar)
Background in manufacturing, process, or technical product environments

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree

Responsibilities

Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to business strategy, growth planning, and performance management
Define and execute the operations strategy aligned with WMFTS global and divisional priorities
Act as a strategic partner to the President across commercial, operational, and organizational priorities
Lead transformation initiatives to enhance scalability, agility, and customer experience
Provide executive oversight across logistics, inventory, manufacturing/assembly, application engineering, technical services, customer service, returns/repairs, and facilities
Drive a high-performance operating model with strong accountability, transparency, and execution discipline
Establish and govern key performance indicators including service levels, backlog, inventory, cost, and quality
Own and elevate the end-to-end customer service strategy, positioning it as a competitive differentiator
Lead large, multi-site customer service teams to deliver a high-quality, responsive customer experience
Define enterprise standards for order management, communication, and issue resolution
Drive improvements in customer satisfaction, response times, and first-time resolution
Ensure proactive and transparent communication with customers, including order status and backlog recovery
Partner closely with Sales, Operations, and Engineering to deliver a seamless customer journey
Leverage CRM systems and analytics to enhance visibility, forecasting, and decision-making
Own enterprise backlog performance, ensuring both short-term stabilization and long-term improvement
Lead cross-functional efforts to address root causes across supply chain, planning, and production
Implement scalable processes, governance, and metrics to sustain on-time delivery performance
Provide regular visibility and progress updates to senior leadership
Provide leadership to application engineering and technical services teams, ensuring alignment with customer and commercial needs
Partner with Product/Design Engineering to support manufacturability and lifecycle readiness (without direct design ownership)
Oversee customer solution development, technical consultation, and product application support
Lead field technical services, including installation, repair, and troubleshooting
Drive technical capability development across internal teams, distributors, and channel partners
Ensure consistent, high-quality technical support and customer engagement
Lead end-to-end supply chain strategy including logistics, warehousing, inventory, and distribution
Optimize working capital and inventory performance while maintaining service levels
Establish and drive S&OP and demand planning rigor
Build scalable and resilient supply chain capabilities aligned with growth
Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence
Lead Lean/CI initiatives to improve cost, efficiency, quality, and customer outcomes
Leverage ERP, CRM, and data analytics to support data-driven decision-making
Transform aftermarket and service operations into a scalable, customer-focused capability
Improve turnaround time, service quality, and reliability
Align service model with long-term business and customer strategy
Own enterprise safety strategy and promote a strong safety culture across all sites
Ensure compliance with all regulatory, health, and safety requirements
Lead operational risk management and business continuity planning
Own the Operations P&L, including cost management, productivity, and working capital
Drive margin improvement through operational efficiency and service excellence
Partner with Finance on forecasting, budgeting, and capital allocation
Build and lead high-performing, scalable teams across all operational functions
Develop future leaders and succession plans aligned with WMFTS talent strategy
Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and performance

Benefits

5% employer 401K contribution
50% match on up to 3% of your contributions for added financial security
16 weeks of gender-neutral parental leave at 100% pay
Gradual transition with an 80% work schedule while still receiving 100% of your pay for the first 6 months upon return from parental leave
Generous vacation and well-being days
9 observed holidays
1 floating holiday day
Up to 15 caregiver days
80 hours of annual sick leave
3 paid volunteer days each year
3 healthcare plans with HSA contributions