Director of Manufacturing Operations

Our firm has been engaged by a Tier 1 automotive supplier to find a Director of Manufacturing Operations to oversee production for a growing plant in Northern Oakland County, Michigan. Our client is a global leader in cutting edge automotive component manufacturing. This plant has a 400+ headcount, and revenue exceeding $300 million. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will be the successor to the current long-time leader in a few years. To be considered, candidates must have proven leadership experience and be able to run the day-to-day operations of a plant this size. Must have solid continuous improvement experience to go with ISO Quality or QMS, OEE best practices and data driven analytical skills. The best candidate backgrounds are most likely from automotive, aerospace, electronics, or possibly safety systems. Our client is targeting a base salary of $150-165k with 20-30% annual target bonus, generous benefits and will stretch or consider relocation for the optimal candidate, if needed.

Responsibilities:

• Be the #2 to the Plant Director and specifically lead operations by motivating and developing skills of managerial personnel to foster productivity, growth, and higher morale, through a team environment.
• Lead production planning meetings.
• Manage and lead continuous improvement with all available tools including Six Sigma, DMAIC, 5S, 5 Why, Gemba walks, Kaizen events, KPIs, Paretos, and data analysis.
• Coordinate manufacturing activities ensuring production and quality of products that meet specifications, delivery timing, and customer satisfaction.
• Improve profitability and efficiency, especially around inventory management.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field is required.
• Automotive supplier experience is highly desired, and some electronics experience is a strong plus.
• A minimum of 7+ years of manufacturing leadership, and 10+ years experience in operations management
• Strong and proven background in plant operations, assembly, quality, project management, and OpEx.
• Excellent oral communication skills are required, including the ability to chair meetings, make presentations, and speak equally as well in either the board room or the shop floor.