Director of Manufacturing

Alliance Recruiting Inc is partnering with a cutting-edge manufacturer to find a strategic Director of Manufacturing who can help elevate performance across their manufacturing organization in the Los Angeles California or Waco Texas area. This company is a high growth manufacturer of data center infrastructure, experiencing unprecedented demand - and they’re investing in people to meet it. Alliance Recruiting Inc is a trusted executive search firm with 30+ years of experience, specializing in placing top-tier professionals from Management to VP levels. JOB DESCRIPTION Summary/Objective The Director, Manufacturing provides site and multi-plant leadership for manufacturing operations across two plants, translating business objectives into operating plans, capacity priorities, and execution strategies that support the business unit’s growth. This role ensures safe operations, high quality, improved lead time, strong on-time delivery, and cost performance, while building the operating cadence, team capability, and cross-functional alignment required to achieve annual business objectives through disciplined execution and continuous improvement. Essential Functions Leads manufacturing execution across two plants to achieve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Lead Time, and Cost (SQDLC) targets in alignment with business unit strategy. Builds a unified “One Team” culture across Southern California sites to improve talent retention, shared services efficiency, and community presence. Develops and manages operating plans, KPIs, and management routines (tier meetings, standard work, visual management) that drive consistent performance and accountability across sites. Manages manufacturing performance to budget, including labor and overhead, productivity, scrap/rework, inventory, and absorption; identifies actions to close gaps and improve profitability. Partners with Finance and plant leadership on forecasting, monthly operating reviews, and corrective action plans to address variances and drive sustainable improvements. Ensures a strong safety culture and regulatory compliance across all sites (OSHA and other applicable local/state/federal requirements) with visible leadership and disciplined follow-through. Champions Lean/Continuous Improvement and 5S standardization across departments and plants; deploys problem-solving (root cause, corrective action) to improve throughput, quality, and lead time. Leads and develops plant leaders and cross-functional manufacturing teams, drives talent selection, succession planning, performance management, training, and engagement. Partners with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Sales to align demand, capacity, materials, and labor plans to meet customer commitments and growth objectives. Supports capital planning and capacity strategy across sites, recommending automation and process capability investments with clear ROI; ensures equipment uptime and plant readiness through maintenance strategy and reliability initiatives. Implements the operating system, standards, and accountability structure for daily management — including Gemba routines, 5S discipline, and leader standard work — ensuring sustained execution across all sites. Operational Agility: Ability to translate business priorities into practical site-level execution plans and shop-floor actions. Multi-Site Leadership: Ability to lead, align, and drive consistent standards and culture across multiple plants. Operational Excellence: Deep expertise in Lean/Continuous Improvement methodologies, driving measurable performance gains across sites. Talent Development: Builds bench strength through succession planning, coaching, and development of plant leadership teams. Manufacturing Cost Management: Strong ownership of manufacturing cost and operating performance, including absorption, productivity, and margin improvement. Change Leadership: Experience leading cultural or operational improvements with measurable results. Digital Literacy: Leveraging ERP/MRP, MES, analytics/BI, and automation tools for data-driven decisions. Supervisory Responsibility Provides leadership and direction for manufacturing operations across two plants, including Production, Quality, Maintenance, Manufacturing Engineering, and Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement. Coaches and supports plant leadership to deliver results through consistent standards, clear expectations, and timely escalation/removal of barriers. Partners with HR and senior leadership on staffing plans and key hiring decisions for plant leadership roles, ensuring the organization is structured and resourced to meet current and future business needs. Reinforces Company Values through daily reinforcement and the alignment of employee culture. Environment/Physical Requirements The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to access and navigate each department in the Office and Factory Floor. Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field required. 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, with at least 3 years of multi-site or senior plant leadership experience required. Proven experience in matrixed organizations (working with both corporate operations and business unit leadership). Deep expertise in High-Mix/Low-Volume environments. #J-18808-Ljbffr