Director of Operational Excellence

Company History:

Fathom is a premier U.S. contract manufacturer with a legacy of manufacturing innovation dating back more than 50 years. Across seven locations and a global sourcing network, we offer 25+ advanced technologies spanning additive manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding and more. We serve leading companies across aerospace and defense, medical, robotics, automotive, semiconductor, and data center and energy markets, delivering highly complex parts from concept through production. Our expert-driven approach, white-glove service, and extensive certifications help our customers scale with confidence.

Position Overview

The Director of Operational Excellence & Transformation provides on-site leadership and oversight to strengthen operational discipline, develop robust processes, and drive effective change management across the organization

This individual is a proven change agent with deep manufacturing expertise and a history of transforming high-mix/low-volume environments into highly efficient, stable, and scalable operations.

They will visit to help further assess current-state performance, identify gaps, and design improvement plans, then own the execution, monitoring, and sustained advancement of those improvements.

In this role, the director ensures that operational routines, scheduling systems, quality processes, Lean principles, customer service standards, and daily management disciplines are consistently implemented, strengthened, and maintained at the focus site. They act as the on-the-ground operational leader to drive change, reinforce new behaviors, and stabilize processes until the facility reaches the expected level of performance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Assessments & Strategy Development

• Conduct full-scope evaluations of facility operations including scheduling, throughput, staffing, equipment utilization, quality, and workflow.
  
  
  
  
• Build improvement roadmaps in partnership with the VP of Operations, leveraging best-in-class manufacturing practices.
  
  
  
  
• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and waste in CNC, additive, sheet metal and finishing operations.
  
  
  
  
• Develop clear, actionable strategies tied to revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and operational stability.
  
  
  
  

2. Implementation & Sustained Improvement

• Serve as the onsite leader responsible for executing improvement plans after they are developed.
  
  
  
  
• Drive transformation initiatives using Lean, Kaizen, SMED, 5S, and continuous improvement tools.
  
  
  
  
• Implement daily management systems (tier meetings, KPIs, visual controls, JDIs, problem-solving routines).
  
  
  
  
• Build durable processes that continue functioning without heavy oversight.
  
  
  
  

3. Operational Leadership & Coaching

• Mentor and coach plant managers, supervisors, and frontline leaders to elevate operational maturity.
  
  
  
  
• Model and enforce world-class scheduling, capacity planning, and customer delivery disciplines.
  
  
  
  
• Build a culture of accountability, problem-solving, and structured execution.
  
  
  
  
• Serve as the “operational integrator” between plants, ensuring best practices scale across the network.
  
  
  
  

4. Quality, Compliance & Customer Focus

• Strengthen quality processes, inspection routines, and preventive controls.
  
  
  
  
• Partner with quality teams to ensure QC requirements become operationalized in daily routines.
  
  
  
  
• Enhance customer satisfaction through improved lead-time reliability, standardized workflows, and white-glove service expectations.
  
  
  
  

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with commercial, quoting, sourcing, and engineering teams to eliminate friction points.
  
  
  
  
• Provide manufacturing insight on quoting, COGS reduction, design-for-manufacturability, and outsourcing strategies.
  
  
  
  
• Help unify all facilities under a “One Company / One Standard” operational vision.
  
  
  
  

6. Performance Tracking & Operational Metrics

• Monitor KPIs around safety, quality, OTD, throughput, productivity, and revenue attainment.
  
  
  
  
• Identify early indicators of risk in revenue, backlog, resource constraints, and site-level performance.
  
  
  
  
• Provide crisp reporting to the VP of Operations and executive leadership.
  
  
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years leading manufacturing operations with proven transformation success.
  
  
  
  
• Hands-on expertise with CNC machining, additive manufacturing, sheet metal fabrication, molding, and finishing.
  
  
  
  
• Strong understanding of quoting, DFM, routing, scheduling, capacity planning, and cost structure.
  
  
  
  
• Demonstrated experience turning underperforming facilities into top-performing plants.
  
  
  
  
• Deep knowledge of Lean, continuous improvement methodologies, and structured problem solving.
  
  
  
  
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence at all levels.
  
  
  
  
• Highly organized operator capable of standardizing processes across multiple sites.
  
  
  
  
• Ability to travel as needed for hands-on implementation.
  
  
  
  

Preferred

• Experience in private equity–backed or high-velocity manufacturing environments.
  
  
  
  
• Experience supporting ITAR/AS9100 environments.
  
  
  
  

Key Outcomes of This Role

• Stabilized and scalable operations at the focus facility.
  
  
  
  
• Reduction in operational bottlenecks and improved throughput.
  
  
  
  
• Improved on-time delivery and quality performance.
  
  
  
  
• Stronger, more confident site leadership teams.
  
  
  
  
• Measurable KPIs and early detection systems across all plants.
  
  
  
  
• Accelerated revenue growth through better planning and execution.
  
  
  
  
• Consistent operational excellence across the entire network.

. What we offer:

Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage. Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance.

Additional Benefits: Paid time off, Floating Holidays, Volunteer time off, and sick time off (depending on state of employment). 401k Plan

Employee Perks: Discounts on products and services.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.