Vice President Operations

About the role

The company is a market‑leading manufacturer of high‑mix, low‑volume industrial equipment. It seeks a Vice President of Operations to act as an on‑the‑ground leader who can be deployed to any facility that needs immediate operational focus, turnaround, or interim leadership.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership to prioritize and deploy to sites requiring urgent operational support.
• Lead turnarounds addressing safety, quality, delivery, productivity, inventory, labor utilization and profitability.
• Serve as a trusted operating partner to site Presidents, General Managers and Operations leaders, holding teams accountable for results.
• Personally conduct Kaizen events, value‑stream improvements, production recovery and continuous‑improvement initiatives.
• Diagnose operational issues on the shop floor and create practical action plans.
• Standardize best practices across business units while respecting each operation’s unique needs.
• Mentor plant leadership to build sustainable capability.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Commercial teams to remove execution barriers.
• Support facility launches, capacity expansions and strategic manufacturing projects.
• Step into interim VP/General Manager roles during leadership transitions.
• Monitor performance through KPIs and maintain a strong floor presence.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business or related field; MBA preferred.
• 15+ years progressive leadership in high‑mix, low‑volume industrial manufacturing.
• Proven track record of hands‑on operational turnarounds and continuous‑improvement leadership.
• Ability to earn credibility quickly with frontline teams.

Required skills

• Lean manufacturing
• Kaizen methodology
• Continuous improvement
• KPI monitoring and analysis

What we offer

• Strategic, high‑impact role with autonomy to drive change.
• Opportunity to work across multiple facilities and business units.
• Competitive executive compensation package.