Vice President of Manufacturing Operations

Job Description

Job Description

JOB TITLE:  Vice President of Manufacturing Operations  

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY: Future Form manufactures mission-critical physical infrastructure for data centers — custom enclosures, racks, containment systems, fabricated frames, and power-equipment housings — and is entering a major expansion phase, with multiple new manufacturing facilities, future Smart Factory locations, and significant investments in automation and advanced manufacturing. The Vice President of Manufacturing Operations provides executive leadership over manufacturing execution across our Reno-area facilities, transforming operations into a highly efficient, data-driven, multi-site manufacturing platform capable of supporting rapid growth while maintaining exceptional standards for safety, quality, delivery, and cost. Overseeing the Director of Operations and other designated manufacturing leaders, the VP designs and builds the operating system for our next stage of growth, capacity and labor planning, equipment performance, quality, and production delivery— fully integrated with NetSuite ERP. This role will partner with our Supply Chain organization to drive end to end efficiency and performance throughout the supply chain, including internal operations. This is a hands-on executive role that operates at both the strategic and plant-floor level, requiring strong engineering and process expertise, operational discipline, and the ability to develop and empower manufacturing leaders.

CORE VALUES: The following list of Core Values and Behaviors are necessary to meet the minimum requirements: 

TEAMWORK

• Help each other succeed
• Communicate clearly and directly, listen well
• Encourage teammates
• Blameless problem solving

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

• Honor your commitments
• Do the right thing
• Consistent in your attitudes and actions

LEAN

• Improve processes
• Open to new ideas
• Share information, and teach
• Expose issues

  

NUMBERS FOCUSED

• Deliver results
• Analyze data for improvement
• Take ownership and accountability
• Work smarter, not harder

EXCELLENCE

• Exhibit passion in serving customers
• Contribute solutions
• Sense of urgency
• Be the best at what you do
• Seek knowledge

FUN

• Be positive
• Celebrate achievements
• Don’t take yourself too seriously

 

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES:

Essential

• Provide executive leadership and oversight of daily manufacturing operations across all facilities — laser cutting, CNC machining, forming, welding, powder coating, and assembly — with direct accountability for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and throughput.
• Lead and develop the Director of Operations and other manufacturing leaders, establishing clear accountability, performance expectations, KPI reporting, and decision-making authority; recruit, coach, and build succession depth across production, safety, quality, and manufacturing engineering.
• Translate aggressive growth objectives into executable manufacturing strategies, staffing plans, equipment requirements, and operational budgets; build a scalable operating system with common processes, metrics, and standards across all locations.
• Partner with Supply Chain in the SIOP and capacity-planning process. Own the manufacturing capacity inputs (labor, equipment availability, and production standards) and confirm production feasibility so customer commitments are grounded in real capacity before orders are accepted or delivery dates are committed. Identify and resolve bottlenecks to improve cycle time, changeover, and throughput.
• Execute to the production schedule established by Supply Chain Planning, and own schedule attainment. Review backlog, labor capacity, WIP, outside processing needs, and execution risks with Supply Chain daily and weekly, escalate early when commitments are at risk, and align jointly on schedule changes to ensure customer commitments are met.
• Implement daily management routines, clear escalation processes, and smart AI dashboards and automated reporting that give leadership real-time visibility into performance and constraints; generate and report out monthly operational KPIs to the President and senior leadership.
• Own the development and adoption of standardized manufacturing processes in NetSuite ERP, including accurate routings, work centers, labor standards, and work order execution (labor reporting, completions, and scrap). Partner with Engineering on bill of materials accuracy and with Supply Chain on item master, planning, and inventory data. Define operational requirements and partner with the Director of Technology on adopting industry-leading tools.
• Implement work-order tracking from production release through final shipment and shop-floor data collection for labor hours, machine utilization, production quantities, scrap, and work-order status; improve inventory, WIP, and manufacturing cost accuracy.
• Develop labor models, shift structures, and productivity standards that support rapid growth and multi-shift or 24/7 operations where appropriate; implement a skills and cross-training matrix to eliminate single-person dependencies and establish structured onboarding and training programs.
• Establish a structured equipment reliability program with Maintenance and Facilities, including uptime/downtime tracking, OEE and machine-specific performance targets, preventive and predictive maintenance, and root-cause analysis of recurring failures.
• Oversee major equipment installations, commissioning, ramp-up, and operational readiness for new lasers, automation, paint systems, material handling, and other advanced manufacturing equipment.
• Play a key operating role in the design and launch of Future Form’s Smart Factories and facility expansions, including layout, operational flow, equipment selection, labor model, utilities, commissioning, and production ramp.
• Lead a continuous improvement culture using Lean principles (5S, visual management, value-stream mapping, standardized work, structured problem-solving) and root-cause/corrective action processes.
• Support NPI by partnering with Supply Chain and Engineering to ensure new products transition cleanly from prototype into repeat production. Own manufacturing readiness, including manufacturability input, tooling, routings, work instructions, and first-article validation, and ensure engineering changes and revisions are implemented on the floor with disciplined revision control.
• Develop and manage manufacturing operating budgets, labor plans, and capital expenditures; evaluate equipment, automation, staffing, overtime, and outsourcing decisions based on capacity, reliability, payback, and return on investment, and connect operating decisions to revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, working capital, and cash flow.
• Partner with Finance on standard costing, job costing, quoting feedback loops, work-order margin analysis, and burden rates; use labor efficiency, variances, scrap, overtime, and cost per production hour to drive cost reductions without compromising safety, quality, or delivery.
• Deploy cutting-edge AI tools and technologies to drive smarter, scalable solutions organization-wide.
• Ensure manufacturing processes support ISO 9001, EHS, and customer-specific quality standards; establish accountability for on-time production completion, first-pass yield, scrap reduction, and corrective action.
• Identify capacity, material, quality, equipment, and execution risks early; lead recovery plans when customer commitments are at risk, with clear owners, deadlines, escalation, and communication of revised production plans.
• Travel as needed to customers, suppliers, equipment vendors, and future facilities.
• Other duties as assigned.

 

REPORTS TO:  President

 

WORKS WITH: Director of Operations and other designated manufacturing leaders (direct reports), and Future Form team members across Technology, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Maintenance & Facilities, Safety, Quality, and Human Resources.

 

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Follow all OSHA safety regulations and those set by Future Form. Champion a proactive safety culture, ensure manufacturing operations comply with company safety standards and applicable regulations, and partner with Safety and Quality leadership to improve workplace safety, product quality, and process reliability.

 

REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, or related discipline).
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership, including 5+ years in a senior leader role overseeing multiple departments or plant-level operations in a sophisticated manufacturing environment (e.g., complex industrial products, automation, aerospace, semiconductor, automotive, defense, data center infrastructure, or metal fabrication).
• Strong technical knowledge of sheet metal fabrication processes, including laser cutting, CNC machining, forming, welding, powder coating, and assembly.
• Demonstrated success scaling a manufacturing operation through rapid growth, significant capacity expansion, or multi-site expansion.
• Experience managing major equipment installations, facility expansions, production-line launches, or greenfield/brownfield manufacturing projects.
• Practical experience implementing Lean manufacturing, standardized work, daily management, and structured problem solving using the Toyota Production System, Lean Six Sigma, Danaher Business System, or a similar operating framework.
• Proven expertise in capacity modeling, labor planning, scaling production, , and bottleneck management.
• Hands-on experience implementing and driving adoption of ERP/MRP-based manufacturing processes, preferably NetSuite (routings, BOMs, work orders, inventory, WIP, shop-floor data collection, production reporting, and master data discipline).
• Working knowledge of equipment reliability and maintenance practices, including OEE, preventive maintenance, and root-cause analysis.
• Strong financial acumen; able to manage operating budgets, labor plans, and capital expenditures, evaluate investments on payback and ROI, and connect operational performance to margin, EBITDA, cash flow, and working capital.
• Proven ability to lead directly on the plant floor and to develop and empower leaders through coaching, mentorship, performance management, and succession planning — without relying on a large corporate bureaucracy.
• Takes personal ownership and accountability for operational results, establishing clear owners, deadlines, and deliverables and following through to completion.
• Balances strategic thinking with hands-on, on-the-floor execution and a strong sense of urgency; able to perform under pressure in a high-growth, customer-driven environment.
• Data-driven decision maker; able to diagnose problems quickly, identify root causes, and develop clear, fact-based dashboards, reports, and executive-level presentations.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organizational, and project management skills; able to influence and partner across functions.
• Ability to work full-time on-site in Reno/Sparks, Nevada; relocation required for candidates not currently local.

 

Preferred

• MBA or advanced degree.
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt) or equivalent.
• Experience with NetSuite ERP manufacturing modules, finite-capacity scheduling, and shop-floor data collection systems.
• Experience operating within an ISO 9001 quality management system.
• Experience with data center or electrical infrastructure, high-mix fabrication, powder coating, machining, or automation.
• Experience building or scaling an advanced automated factory, Smart Factory, or highly integrated multi-process operation.
• Experience scaling a growing, owner-led or privately held manufacturing business with a disciplined operating system and strong culture of execution.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Frequent walking throughout the manufacturing floor, including around active equipment, forklifts, and material-handling areas. Ability to stand for extended periods during production walks, reviews, and problem-solving activities. Balance of office-based work and time on the shop floor.

Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times while in manufacturing areas, and be able to lift 25 pounds on an occasional basis. 

Must have normal vision (with or without corrective lenses) and hearing (with or without corrective hearing aids).

 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Office and active manufacturing environment. Exposure to noise, dust, fumes, heat, and cold, and other typical sheet metal fabrication conditions.

This position requires drug testing per company policy.