DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS Reports To: President
Department: Manufacturing Operations
Location: Collingwood, ON
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Salary Range: $150,000.00 - $190,000.00 CAD base salary per year, commensurate with experience
Incentive: Eligible for a performance-based incentive tied to manufacturing improvement objectives and Relocation Assistance: May be considered for the right candidate
Work Schedule: On-site full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday – Friday with occasional weeknight and weekend work
Posting Closing Date: June 26, 2026
SUMMARY: Sensor Technology Ltd. is seeking a new role as
Director of Manufacturing Operations to lead and modernize manufacturing across our ceramic production and assembled acoustic products operations. This is a newly created leadership role responsible for strengthening the manufacturing organization, improving throughput and quality, supporting facility and machinery refresh initiatives, and building scalable production systems for the next stage of company growth.This role will lead two technically distinct but connected areas of the business: piezoelectric ceramic production and assembled/fabricated acoustic products, including hydrophones, transducers, projectors, and related marine acoustic assemblies. The Director will initially be hands-on in understanding both operations, stabilizing day-to-day execution, and identifying the organizational, process, equipment, facility, and leadership changes required to improve performance.As the function matures, the role will shift toward broader manufacturing leadership, including developing or hiring production leaders for ceramics and assembled products, establishing stronger operating cadence, improving production planning discipline, supporting facility and machinery modernization, and building a more scalable manufacturing organization.This is a practical, floor-connected leadership role. The successful candidate must be comfortable working directly with operators, technicians, supervisors, engineering, quality, procurement, and senior leadership to turn complex technical production into repeatable, well-managed manufacturing execution.To be considered for this role, candidates must be able to demonstrate at least one clear manufacturing transformation success story. This should include a real example where they improved an manufacturing organization, production system, facility layout, machinery utilization, throughput, quality, delivery, or team performance in a measurable and sustained way.
RESPONSIBILITIES:Manufacturing leadership and operating cadence· Lead manufacturing operations across ceramic production and assembled/fabricated acoustic products.· Establish clear production priorities, ownership, escalation paths, and daily operating rhythm.· Strengthen coordination between production, quality, engineering, procurement, planning, and finance.· Build practical production management routines, including daily huddles, weekly reviews, constraint tracking, and follow-up discipline.· Develop the manufacturing leadership structure required to support growth, including identifying future production manager or supervisor needs.· Build accountability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Throughput, quality, and production performance· Improve throughput, schedule adherence, labour utilization, production flow, and work-in-process control.· Reduce avoidable production delays caused by unclear priorities, material shortages, quality holds, rework, engineering questions, or capacity constraints.· Partner with Quality to improve first-pass yield, defect reduction, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and process adherence.· Ensure production work is completed according to approved drawings, travelers, work instructions, quality requirements, and customer commitments.· Move production toward more documented, repeatable, teachable processes while respecting the technical complexity of the work.
Ceramic production oversight· Learn and lead the operational flow of piezoelectric ceramic production, including process steps, equipment constraints, yield factors, quality interfaces, and scheduling needs.· Improve production discipline, output consistency, process visibility, equipment utilization, and handoff quality within ceramic operations.· Support practical improvements to tooling, fixtures, maintenance routines, process control, and operator training.· Work with technical and quality personnel to protect ceramic process integrity while improving flow and output.
Assembled and fabricated products oversight· Learn and lead production flow for assembled acoustic products, including hydrophones, transducers, projectors, cable-related work, bonding, potting, assembly, testing, and final production activities.· Improve technician loading, build package completeness, traveler discipline, material readiness, and production execution.· Support the transition of new or improved products from development into repeatable manufacturing.· Improve assembly repeatability, production readiness, and final delivery performance.
Facility, machinery, and modernization· Support facility and machinery refresh planning with practical input from real production needs.· Identify layout, equipment, tooling, fixture, maintenance, and workflow improvements that support safety, quality, throughput, and scalability.· Help prioritize capital and operational improvements based on measurable manufacturing impact.· Support implementation of better production visibility, reporting, and digital manufacturing tools where appropriate.· Ensure modernization efforts improve real operating performance and do not become theoretical exercises.
People and organizational development· Build trust and accountability with operators, technicians, supervisors, and functional leaders.· Coach production teams toward higher standards of safety, quality, delivery, and discipline.· Develop skills matrices, training plans, cross-training approaches, and leadership development priorities.· Identify and help recruit or promote the right production leaders for ceramic and assembled product operations.· Create a culture of practical problem-solving, teamwork, ownership, and continuous improvement.
KEY OUTCOMES:· A stronger manufacturing organization with clear roles, responsibilities, and daily operating rhythm.· Improved throughput, schedule adherence, quality performance, and work-in-process visibility.· Better coordination between production, quality, engineering, procurement, and planning.· Practical facility, machinery, tooling, and workflow improvements that support growth.· Reduced reliance on informal knowledge and production “heroics.”· Stronger production leadership capacity across ceramics and assembled products.· More repeatable, disciplined, and scalable manufacturing execution.· A defined roadmap for continued manufacturing modernization.
QUALIFICATIONS:· 10+ years of progressive manufacturing, production, or operations leadership experience.· Demonstrated success leading technically complex manufacturing environments.· At least one proven manufacturing transformation success story with measurable results.· Proven ability to improve throughput, quality, delivery, production discipline, and team performance.· Strong understanding of production planning, work-in-process control, labour planning, capacity constraints, and shop-floor execution.· Experience developing supervisors, leads, technicians, operators, and production teams.· Practical knowledge of continuous improvement, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and structured problem-solving.· Experience working with quality-managed manufacturing processes, production documentation, drawings, travelers, and work instructions.· Strong cross-functional leadership skills with quality, engineering, procurement, planning, and finance.· Comfortable leading from the floor as well as from the leadership table.· Clear communicator with a practical, accountable, team-first leadership style.· Willing and able to work full-time on-site in Collingwood, Ontario.
HIGH VALUED ASSETS:· Experience in high-mix, low-volume or high-reliability manufacturing.· Experience in defence, aerospace, marine technology, sensors, electronics, ceramics, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, medical devices, or engineered products.· Familiarity with ISO 9001 or similar quality management systems.· Experience supporting facility expansion, machinery refresh, equipment selection, or production layout improvement.· Experience building production leadership structures in a growing company.· Experience implementing daily management systems, visual production controls, skills matrices, and production performance metrics.· Experience moving a manufacturing environment from informal or expert-dependent practices toward scalable, process-driven operations.· Engineering, manufacturing, operations, or technical education is preferred, but equivalent hands-on leadership experience will be strongly considered.
TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:Applicants selected for interview should be prepared to discuss at least one specific manufacturing transformation they have personally led or materially contributed to. The example should include:· The starting condition of the operation.· The business or production problem being solved.· The actions taken to improve the operation.· The people, process, equipment, or organizational changes involved.· The measurable outcomes achieved.· What was sustained after the initial improvement.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU-
Exposure to complex, high-impact programs and technologies
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Competitive compensation commensurate with expereince
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Comprehensive paid time off including vacation and personal days
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Health, dental, and wellness benefits to support your well-being
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Ongoing learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
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Exposure to innovative, cutting-edge acoustic technology
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A people-first culture, where collaboration, support, and inclusion matter
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Engaging in company events and team activities that make work enjoyable
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Direct influence on manufacturing modernization, facility readiness, and production transformation
Sensor Technology is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. We encourage you to contact us if you require accommodation in the recruitment process or need this job posting in an alternative format. We use AI-enabled tools to sort applicants based on job-related criteria. A human decides who moves forward. While we appreciate all interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 