Site Operations Manager

Director of Installation, Training & Creative Innovation Works Closely With Program Implementation Manager Direct Reports Site/Shift Supervisors, Installation Leads, and site production personnel as assigned Employment Type Full-Time Position Summary Lowen is seeking a Site Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day operation of a high-volume vehicle graphics installation program in the Indianapolis area. This position reports to the Director of Installation, Training & Creative Innovation and will work closely with the Program Implementation Manager to launch, stabilize, and operate the site. The Site Operations Manager will be responsible for workforce readiness, daily production, employee performance, quality, safety, training coordination, labor utilization, and customer-site execution. This is a hands-on operations leadership role. The successful candidate will spend significant time on the production floor, solving problems in real time, managing an hourly workforce, developing front-line leadership, and maintaining accountability for safety, quality, attendance, cost, and production expectations. The Site Operations Manager will be expected to build systems and processes in a rapidly developing operation rather than simply inherit an established facility. As production volume grows, this role will be responsible for ensuring the site can operate effectively across multiple shifts without depending on the Site Operations Manager being physically present during every production hour. Prior vehicle-wrap installation experience is valuable but is not required for the right operations leader. Experience managing a manufacturing, production, automotive, upfitting, graphics, or other process-driven workforce is strongly preferred. Key Responsibilities Site Launch & Operational Readiness Work closely with the Program Implementation Manager to execute implementation milestones, site-readiness activities, workforce ramp plans, and launch dependencies. Support the initial setup and launch of the Indianapolis installation operation. Coordinate site layout, equipment, tooling, material staging, workflow, safety requirements, employee-support needs, and production-readiness activities. Help establish standard work, daily operating procedures, reporting, escalation processes, and employee expectations. Support production simulations and readiness reviews before new lines or shifts are released into operation. Identify operational risks and unresolved dependencies early and escalating issues that may affect launch timing, staffing, quality, or capacity. People & Workforce Management Lead the day-to-day activities of the Indianapolis site workforce. Manage employee scheduling, attendance, call-offs, shift coverage, performance, coaching, and accountability. Manage employee performance, including coaching, recognition, corrective action, and termination recommendations in coordination with Lowen HR and leadership. Partner with Lowen HR and recruiting to maintain adequate staffing as program volume grows. Participate in interviewing, selecting, and onboarding site employees and front-line leadership. Develop qualified Site/Shift Supervisors and Installation Leads capable of independently managing daily production. Establish appropriate leadership coverage across all active shifts. Maintain a professional, accountable, and safety-focused workplace culture. Ensure Lowen employees comply with customer-site access, conduct, security, parking, safety, and facility requirements. Training & Qualification Coordinate closely with experienced installation trainers to execute Lowen’s program-specific training process. Track employees through training, qualification, retraining, and production release. Ensure employees are assigned only to work for which they have demonstrated competency. Identify skill gaps and coordinate additional training as required. Reinforce standardized installation methods and quality expectations on the production floor. Work with installation leadership to ensure front-line supervisors understand both production-management and technical installation expectations. Production & Labor Management Own daily site execution against the production plan. Translate forecasted production requirements into daily and weekly labor plans. Ensure appropriate staffing and leadership coverage across all active lines and shifts. Monitor staffing, vehicle flow, station performance, constraints, downtime, and throughput throughout each shift. Reallocate resources and address production issues as they occur. Monitor labor utilization and overtime and adjust staffing within approved parameters to balance production requirements, quality, and operating cost. Ensure effective handoffs between workstations and shifts. Identify developing capacity gaps before they affect customer requirements. Escalate constraints that threaten production, quality, staffing, or launch milestones. Support controlled shift and capacity expansion as program volume increases. Quality Maintain consistent adherence to Lowen and customer quality standards. Ensure required inspections are performed and documented. Monitor first-pass quality, defects, rework, and recurring workmanship issues. Work with installation leadership to identify root causes and implement corrective action. Ensure employees who are not meeting workmanship standards receive appropriate coaching, retraining, or reassignment before continuing unsupervised production. Use quality data and recurring defect trends to identify opportunities for process improvement. Materials, Tools & Site Resources Maintain accountability for site tools, equipment, consumables, graphics kits, and installation materials. Ensure materials are properly received, inspected, stored, staged, and distributed to production. Identify damaged, missing, or incorrect materials and coordinate resolution before shortages affect production. Monitor consumable and equipment needs and ensure appropriate replenishment and spare capacity. Maintain an organized production environment that supports efficient material and vehicle flow. Safety Maintain a safe working environment and enforce Lowen and site-specific safety requirements. Ensure proper use of PPE, tools, chemicals, heat sources, ladders, and other installation equipment. Coordinate required SDS documentation and chemical-handling practices. Ensure incidents, near misses, and safety concerns are documented and escalated appropriately. Work with Lowen HR and Safety on corrective actions and ongoing safety improvement. Reinforce safe work practices through daily floor-level leadership rather than relying solely on formal training. Customer & Cross-Functional Coordination Serve as Lowen’s primary day-to-day operational leader at the Indianapolis site. Coordinate closely with the Program Implementation Manager on overall program requirements, implementation milestones, workforce ramp, and customer dependencies. Work with customer/site representatives, Lowen leadership, HR, Quality, installation leadership, Finance, Safety, and other support functions. Maintain clear communication regarding staffing, production, quality, downtime, material issues, and operational constraints. Ensure action items are followed through and operational issues are escalated before they impact the customer. Maintain professional working relationships with customer-site leadership while representing Lowen’s operational interests. Maintain accurate daily reporting for production, staffing, attendance, quality, rework, downtime, labor utilization, and other required metrics. Identify bottlenecks and opportunities to improve labor utilization, workflow, quality, throughput, and operating cost. Participate in line balancing, process improvement, and production reviews. Use operational data to identify recurring issues and drive corrective action. Help document lessons learned and establish repeatable operating practices that can support future program locations. Provide regular site-status updates, including key risks, staffing gaps, production constraints, and decisions requiring leadership attention. Qualifications Required 3–5+ years of progressive operations, production, manufacturing, automotive, installation, warehouse, upfitting, or similar leadership experience. Experience directly leading and managing hourly employees. Demonstrated experience managing daily production, staffing, attendance, quality, and employee performance. Experience developing or supervising front-line leaders, team leads, or supervisors. Strong floor-level leadership and problem-solving skills. Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving startup environment where processes are still being established and refined. Strong organizational and communication skills. Comfortable using production reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and other basic business systems. Ability to work collaboratively with hourly employees, customers, cross-functional teams, and senior leadership. Willingness to work a flexible schedule during site launch, ramp-up, shift expansion, or production disruptions. Preferred Vehicle graphics, fleet graphics, vinyl installation, PPF, window film, sign installation, automotive upfitting, or related experience. Experience launching a new manufacturing or production operation. Experience scaling an hourly workforce or adding production shifts. Experience managing a multi-shift production environment. Lean manufacturing, continuous-improvement, or standardized-work experience. Previous responsibility for quality, safety, labor efficiency, and production KPIs. What Success Looks Like Is appropriately staffed and trained for production requirements. Has capable leadership coverage across all active shifts. Operates safely and consistently. Meets established production and quality expectations. Maintains clear accountability for attendance and employee performance. Controls overtime and labor utilization while maintaining required capacity. Identifies and resolves operational constraints before they impact the customer. Maintains appropriate tools, materials, consumables, and production resources. Adds shifts and capacity in a controlled manner as volume grows. Develops capable local leadership rather than remaining dependent on outside support. Operates as a stable, repeatable production system that can support future program growth. This position is primarily based at the customer installation facility and requires regular presence on the production floor. The role requires the ability to spend extended periods standing and walking in an active production environment and may occasionally require lifting or moving tools, equipment, or installation materials. The position may require extended or non-standard hours during startup, training, shift expansion, staffing disruptions, or periods of elevated production activity. Limited travel may be required for initial training, program meetings, or support at other Lowen or customer facilities. Industry Professionals Across North America Why Lowen? The Craft of Precision At Lowen Corporation we build the graphics and signage that national brands depend on every day. From wide-format digital printing and fleet graphics production to sign manufacturing and nationwide installation, the work our team does shows up in every state. When you join Lowen you are not just taking a job. You are building a career with a family-owned company that has been investing in its people for over 76 years. We provide the tools, the technology, and the support to help you do the best work of your career. Financial & Time Off Benefits Direct Deposit Flexible Spending Accounts Health Savings Account 401(k) with Company Match Profit Sharing Paid Time Off & Paid Holidays Health & Wellness Benefits Medical & Rx Teladoc Dental & Vision Life Insurance Disability Accident, Critical Illness & Cancer Employee Assistance Programs #J-18808-Ljbffr