Vice President, Operations

Company Description

Altek Advanced Materials is a high-growth innovator in the design and manufacture of next-generation advanced materials solutions. From high-grade composites to sustainable high-performance polymers, we partner with global leaders to solve the world’s toughest material challenges. Our state-of-the-art facilities and proprietary processes demand operational excellence at scale—and that’s where you come in.

Role Description

We are seeking a strategic, hands-on Vice President of Operations to lead our manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem. You will own end-to-end operational performance, driving efficiency, resilience, and scalability across multi-site production, international logistics, and inventory optimization.

This is a high-impact leadership role reporting directly to the CEO, with full P&L accountability for operational KPIs including on-time delivery, cost of goods, inventory turns, and quality compliance.

Job Responsibilities

• Global Supply Chain Leadership: Design and execute a robust international supply chain strategy spanning raw material sourcing (Asia, Europe, Americas), contract manufacturing, and tier-1 supplier partnerships.
• Manufacturing Excellence: Oversee multi-site production operations, implementing Lean, Six Sigma, and Industry 4.0 principles.
• Inventory & Systems Mastery: Lead implementation and optimization of enterprise-grade inventory management systems (ERP/MRP/WMS) to achieve 20–30% working capital reduction while maintaining 100% service levels.
• Risk Mitigation & Resilience: Build redundancy, dual-sourcing, and real-time visibility to protect against geopolitical, logistical, and material shortages.
• Team & Culture: Build and mentor a world-class operations organization (100+ headcount) across engineering, planning, logistics, and plant management.
• Sustainability & Compliance: Ensure ISO 9001, AS9100, and REACH compliance while advancing carbon-neutral manufacturing goals.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership in materials, or specialty chemicals manufacturing.
• Proven expertise in international supply chain management (multi-continent sourcing, INCO terms, customs, trade compliance).
• Deep experience selecting, implementing, and scaling inventory management systems (SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Kinaxis, etc.).
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, or Operations (Master’s/MBA preferred).
• Track record of delivering cost savings through process re-engineering and supplier negotiation.
• Experience in high-mix, low-to-mid volume production environments with tight tolerances.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Strategic executor: Translates board-level goals into daily plant-floor reality.
• Data-driven operator: Lives in Power BI/Tableau dashboards and real-time KPIs.
• Global mindset: Fluent in cultural and regulatory nuances across APAC, EMEA, and NAFTA.
• Change agent: Thrives in rapid-scale environments (100%+ YoY growth).

Why Altek?

• Competitive salary
• Option package with uncapped upside in a pre-IPO trajectory.
• Lead operations for advanced materials manufacturing
• Collaborate with PhD material scientists and Fortune 100 customers.
• Benefits package