Director Manufacturing Operations - Custom Machine Builds

Director of Manufacturing Operations, Machine Tool and Custom Machine Builds

Location: Addison, IL. Onsite, five days. Greater Chicago Area.
Reports to: General Manager, North America
Industry: Precision Machine Tool / Engineered-to-Order Capital Equipment
Relocation: Not available. Chicagoland candidates only.

The Company

A global precision machine tool manufacturer building custom, engineered-to-order equipment for industrial, semiconductor, optics, and advanced materials customers. The North America operation is a compact, well-established shop: roughly 15 people across production, machining, warehouse, and skilled trades, including machinists, machine builders, electricians, and quality inspection, supported by two in-house application labs.

This is a small-company environment inside a global organization. Decisions happen fast, the Director sits one step from the GM, and there is no layer of bureaucracy between this person and the work.

The Environment

Low-volume, high-mix. Machines are built one at a time to customer specification. Custom builds, standard orders, and new product introductions run in parallel, which means the schedule is the constraint, not the capacity.

This is a hands-on role. The Director is expected to be on the floor and directly engaged in daily execution. Anyone who manages exclusively through others will struggle here.

Non-union. Currently one shift, Monday through Friday.

The Opportunity

The business is investing in its North America manufacturing footprint. That includes a move into a new state-of-the-art facility in Addison and a planned expansion from one shift to two. The Director leads the operational side of both while production continues uninterrupted.

The operation is well staffed. There are strong machinists and capable leaders already in place. What the business needs is structure and rhythm around scheduling, labor planning, and capacity as volume and complexity grow. This is not a turnaround. It is a build-on-a-good-foundation role for someone who brings operational discipline.

What You'll Own

Manufacturing Operations. All manufacturing and operational functions, including machining, assembly, production planning, inventory control, logistics, and facilities. Set operational strategy, establish KPIs, and drive continuous improvement that measurably moves productivity, quality, and delivery. Maintain alignment across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Project Management, Sales, and Service.

Scheduling, Labor Planning, and Project Execution. Own production scheduling, resource planning, inventory management, and material availability so that custom builds, customer orders, and NPI work are executed to commitment. Establish disciplined labor planning and capacity management. Coordinate priorities across concurrent builds while proactively addressing bottlenecks, supplier risk, and forecast requirements.

Facility Transition and Shift Expansion. Lead the operational side of the move, including equipment relocation, layout and workflow design, and sequencing the transition to protect delivery throughout. Plan and execute the expansion to two shifts, including staffing, supervision coverage, and shift handoff practices.

Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Financial Performance. Ensure compliance with customer requirements and quality standards. Lead Lean, 5S, Six Sigma, and root-cause problem solving. Manage departmental P&L, operational budgets, labor utilization, manufacturing costs, and capital investment in support of gross margin.

Leadership and Organizational Development. Build and develop the operations team through accountability, collaboration, and safety. Develop organizational capability, succession plans, and workforce strategy.

Health, Safety, and Compliance. Champion safety and operational discipline. Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental regulations, and industry standards.

Required Qualifications

• Manufacturing operations leadership in a machine tool, custom machine build, engineered-to-order, capital equipment, industrial machinery, or automation environment. Candidates whose experience is exclusively high-volume or repetitive production will not be a fit.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership, including responsibility for production, planning, inventory, supply chain, and workforce management.
• Demonstrated strength in production scheduling and labor planning. This is the central requirement of the role.
• Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, ERP/MRP systems, inventory management, and manufacturing financials.
• Experience leading in a small to mid-size shop, roughly 10 to 75 people on the floor. Comfort operating without a large support staff.
• Highly organized, strong multitasker, comfortable hands-on.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Plant startup, facility relocation, or site consolidation experience.
• Experience scaling an operation from one shift to two.
• Integration experience supporting acquisitions.
• Background with CNC machining, mechanical assembly, precision grinding, lapping, honing, or finishing equipment.
• Experience in job shop or project-based manufacturing rather than line production.