THE OPPORTUNITY & POSITION OVERVIEW
The Director of Manufacturing is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership across all manufacturing functions to ensure the safe, efficient, and profitable production of the Company's products. This role oversees all aspects of manufacturing operations, including production, manufacturing engineering, production planning and scheduling, quality, continuous improvement, process optimization, maintenance coordination, and workforce development.
The Director of Manufacturing is accountable for delivering operational excellence by driving productivity, improving quality, reducing costs, optimizing manufacturing processes, and ensuring customer delivery commitments are consistently achieved. This individual will establish performance expectations, implement best practices, and foster a culture focused on accountability, collaboration, innovation, safety, and continuous improvement.
Working closely with the President and senior leadership team, the Director of Manufacturing will play an integral role in executing the Company's strategic objectives while ensuring the manufacturing organization is scalable to support future growth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership Responsibilities
This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role requiring a strong and consistent presence on the manufacturing floor. The successful candidate will lead by example, building credibility and trust through regular engagement with supervisors, team leads, engineers, and production employees.
The Director of Manufacturing is expected to:
· Provide daily leadership, coaching, mentoring, and direction to manufacturing teams.
· Foster a culture of accountability where employees understand expectations, receive timely feedback, and are empowered to solve problems.
· Develop leaders within the organization by identifying talent, providing coaching, succession planning, and creating opportunities for professional growth.
· Promote open communication across all departments while encouraging teamwork and cross-functional collaboration.
· Lead with integrity, fairness, and consistency while reinforcing the Company's values and commitment to operational excellence.
· Remove operational barriers that impact productivity, quality, employee engagement, or customer satisfaction.
Operational Excellence
The Director of Manufacturing is responsible for developing and executing manufacturing strategies that improve operational performance while supporting business objectives. This includes:
· Establishing and monitoring key operational metrics related to safety, quality, productivity, efficiency, delivery performance, inventory, and cost.
· Driving Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the operation.
· Identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, eliminate waste, improve throughput, and increase manufacturing capacity.
· Leading process improvements through data analysis, root cause investigations, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
· Ensuring manufacturing resources, equipment, and staffing levels are appropriately aligned with customer demand and business growth.
· Collaborating with Manufacturing Engineering to improve processes, tooling, equipment utilization, and overall production capability.
Quality and Safety
The Director of Manufacturing is responsible for promoting a culture where quality and safety are embedded into every aspect of the operation.
Responsibilities include:
· Ensuring all manufacturing activities consistently meet customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and internal quality standards.
· Supporting continuous improvement of the Quality Management System and manufacturing processes.
· Championing workplace health and safety initiatives while ensuring compliance with all applicable legislation and company policies.
· Driving proactive safety improvements and fostering employee engagement in maintaining a safe working environment.
Strategic Leadership
As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director of Manufacturing contributes to the overall direction and success of the business by:
· Participating in strategic planning and organizational decision-making.
· Developing annual operational plans, budgets, and capital investment recommendations.
· Identifying opportunities for automation, technology adoption, and manufacturing innovation.
· Supporting new product introduction and capacity planning initiatives.
· Collaborating closely with Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customer Service to ensure alignment across the organization and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
CNC & Precision Manufacturing Expertise
The ideal candidate will bring hands-on experience within a CNC machining and precision manufacturing environment. They must have a strong understanding of CNC manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, fixturing, programming, setup, production flow, and quality requirements. While this is a leadership role rather than a CNC Programmer position, the Director must possess sufficient technical knowledge and practical experience to effectively assess manufacturing challenges, support problem-solving, and make informed decisions regarding equipment, processes, capacity, and investment.
The successful candidate will be comfortable spending significant time on the manufacturing floor and working directly with CNC machinists, supervisors, engineers, and other technical team members. They will be expected to understand the practical realities of CNC production and use this knowledge to drive improvements in productivity, throughput, quality, setup times, machine utilization, scrap reduction, and overall operational efficiency.
Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured by the ability to:
· Improve manufacturing productivity and operational efficiency.
· Meet or exceed quality and on-time delivery objectives.
· Reduce manufacturing costs while maintaining product quality.
· Develop and retain a high-performing manufacturing team.
· Strengthen employee engagement and leadership capability throughout the operation.
· Drive measurable continuous improvement initiatives across the business.
· Support the Company's long-term growth through scalable manufacturing processes and operational excellence.
Key Qualifications Required:
· Significant leadership experience within a CNC machining/precision manufacturing environment.
· Strong working knowledge of CNC machining processes, equipment, tooling, fixturing, setups, and production workflows.
· Demonstrated success improving CNC productivity, machine utilization, throughput, quality, and/or manufacturing efficiency.
· Ability to engage credibly with machinists, CNC supervisors, engineers, and other technical personnel.
· Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives within a CNC manufacturing operation.
Pay: $110,000.00-$140,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
