Director of Operations – Metal fabrication Plant

THE COMPANY

We have been retained by a growing privately owned global company involved with the manufacturing and distribution of metal storage products and other building products to find their next Director of Operations for a single plant for the storage division to be based at their Ciudad Juarez, Mexico plant location which currently has 500 employees.  This global leader has a footprint with over 14 sites globally. In the Juarez area there are many companies but very few have world class vertically integrated operations.  The key challenge is ramping up operations successfully.  The companies’ focus is on Safety as a key deliverable and ensuring that employees follow company Values in everything that employees do. If you have the drive to make a difference and enjoy a challenge, then consider joining this global leader as a Director of Operations for this large 400,000 sq/ft plant with 500 employees and scheduled to grow to over 1000 employees.

THE POSITION

This position is responsible for the overall leadership, direction and coordination of the Juarez Storage Division.  Charged with the development and motivation of all Division Leadership and Team Members (approximately 500 employees), as well as creating a positive team culture.  Position must drive division to meet/exceed overall objectives in safety, quality, productivity, inventory, delivery, customer service/satisfaction, and cost.  Required to foster a continuous improvement environment that is driven by operational excellence, providing world class products in the pursuit of total customer satisfaction.  

Key Responsibilities (Essential Job Functions):
This self-motivated individual will provide leadership for, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Fostering a Team Environment which focuses our team on behaviors to drive a safety
• Directing, motivating and leading the Juarez J6 Storage Division team in the accomplishment of divisional objectives
• Establishing key performance indicators/metrics to drive continuous improvement through a comprehensive strategic planning process
• Optimizing and Strengthening operational excellence program to drive continuous improvement
• Communicating divisional performance to all team members on a regular basis
• Coaching/mentoring and developing members of the team to perform at their highest levels
• Leading by example, reinforcing company values, principles, safety and quality practices
• Coordinating division activities in collaboration and alignment with corporate objectives
• Developing succession planning process, along with skip level meetings, to help team members grow their careers
• Directing the development, planning and execution of manufacturing methods.
• Improve efficiencies, quality and safety of manufacturing processes; accountability for new or old technology, and new or existing products. This also includes:

• Compliance with quality, safety and efficiency expectations for all manufactured operations
• Compliance with federal and state safety and human resources laws and regulations
• Directing the annual budget planning process
• Driving year over year productivity improvements
• Utilizing six sigma tools to identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities in systems and processes
• Hiring, training, supervising and evaluating managers and supervisors who are responsible for maintenance, materials, quality, purchasing or obtaining raw materials, production/manufacturing, distribution and shipping finished products to customers; dotted line responsibility for finance, HR and IT
• Assesses and uses the facility’s existing capacity to maximize the use of the assets and meet production demands
• Supporting New Product Development (NPD) activities as required
• Other responsibilities and/or assignments as required from time to time

THE CANDIDATE

Experience & Education:

• 12+ years of progressive career growth within the areas of Operations specifically Leadership and Management (i.e. Plant Manager, Director of Operations, Director of Manufacturing) in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience with Metal fabrication or metal processing is required. Manufacturing experience in automotive, heavy industrial, heavy equipment and machinery, steel or foundry is preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement expertise.
• Experience with NPI and Production transfers is ideal.
• Experience with plant start-ups or plant ramp-ups is highly preferred.
• Lean Six-Sigma Training and Certification
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial Engineering Preferred) related field
• MBA with professional certifications in inventory management, finance or quality (preferred)

Computer Skills:

• Intermediate level expertise with the full MS Office suite of products
• Experience with MRP, ERP, CMMS systems

Key Competencies:

• Ability to communicate effectively with all employees including hourly, salaried, management and executive level
• High energy, inspirational leadership/management skills which inspire and motivate employees to keep operations running smoothly
• High Sense of Urgency to accomplish items that will affect the business
• Ability to quickly ascertain a situation and be decisive in solving it, along with educating the team to perform the same methods.
• Commitment to meeting production deadlines, shipping dates and managing time commitments effectively
• Comprehensive understanding of financial reports and ability to react accordingly to ensure cost expectations are met (including ability to prepare operational budgets)
• Demonstrated lean skills coupled with expert business and financial skills
• Highly developed interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively in presentations and verbally and in writing.
• Fluent in English and Spanish