Vice President of Operational Excellence

Vice President Of Operational Excellence

The Vice President of Operational Excellence leads enterprise-wide performance improvement, quality systems advancement, and Lean transformation across all U.S. operations for Hanwha Defense USA. The role ensures operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and scalable production capabilities aligned to defense manufacturing requirements.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead Operational Excellence strategy across all U.S. operations.
• Drive Lean transformation, waste reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop KPIs and metrics to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance quality.
• Strengthen quality systems including AS9100, ISO 9001, and CMMI frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with ITAR, DFARS, DoD quality standards, and audit requirements.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Program Management, and Supply Chain to enhance production readiness.
• Lead corrective and preventive action programs and enterprise root-cause analysis.
• Coordinate enterprise audit readiness with internal compliance teams.
• Support validated cost savings and financial improvements tied to OpEx initiatives.
• Standardize core processes across multiple sites using total quality management principles.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership to operations and quality teams.
• Develop OpEx and quality talent pipelines.
• Maintain strong relationships with defense customers and strategic partners.
• Proactively identify risks and escalate quality or performance issues.
• Promote organizational culture aligned with mission and values.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in defense manufacturing, OpEx, or quality systems.
• Experience with AS9100, ISO 9001, Lean Six Sigma, and CMMI.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred.
• Experience leading large-scale, multi-site transformation initiatives.
• Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Work Conditions

• Office and manufacturing floor environments.
• Domestic travel.
• Occasional walking, standing, and movement in production areas.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.