Senior Vice President Of Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Title: Senior Vice President of Operations

Location: Primarily On-Site; Specific Location Disclosed Later in the Interview Process

Type: Full-Time

Compensation: $175,000+ Base Salary, Plus Performance-Based Bonus and Potential Equity

Position Overview

A growing, privately held manufacturing organization is seeking a Senior Vice President of Operations to lead day-to-day operations and establish the systems, accountability, and operating discipline needed to support significant growth. The organization currently generates approximately $30 million in annual revenue and is targeting growth beyond $50 million as additional capacity becomes available, with an operating model designed to ultimately support a $75 million to $100 million enterprise.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, this executive will have primary responsibility for manufacturing operations and the functions that support production. A key near-term priority will be improving product flow, throughput, schedule attainment, and on-time delivery while implementing practical performance dashboards and consistent daily management routines.

The SVP of Operations will also focus on strengthening employee retention, developing leaders, and formalizing training across the operation. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership position requiring regular engagement on the manufacturing floor, timely decision-making, and the ability to introduce greater accountability and structure without creating unnecessary complexity.

In parallel with leading the existing operation, this executive will partner with leadership on the commissioning and commercial ramp-up of expanded liquid-production capacity and a new manufacturing facility. The role requires an operations leader who can improve current performance while building a scalable operating platform for future growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership across batch manufacturing, production planning and scheduling, procurement, inventory, warehousing, shipping and receiving, maintenance, and facilities.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor, identify and remove operational constraints, and improve throughput to support consistent fulfillment of customer commitments.
• Develop a practical operating dashboard focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people, supported by daily, weekly, and monthly performance reviews.
• Establish clear ownership of operational issues and ensure corrective actions are tracked through resolution.
• Build production plans that effectively coordinate customer demand, materials, labor, and available capacity while improving schedule attainment, material availability, inventory accuracy, and on-time delivery.
• Collaborate with Quality, Sales, and Finance to balance customer requirements, regulatory obligations, cash considerations, margins, and broader operating priorities.
• Sustain performance within the current operation while supporting the commissioning, integration, and commercial ramp-up of new manufacturing capacity and facilities.
• Develop capacity strategies and recommend investments in equipment, automation, staffing, facilities, and capital based on demand, expected returns, and operational risk.
• Lead and develop managers, supervisors, and front-line leaders by establishing clear expectations, reinforcing accountability, and strengthening succession capabilities.
• Implement structured onboarding and role-specific training for production employees and leaders, including standards for qualification, documentation, coaching, and ongoing follow-through.
• Foster an operating culture that supports employee engagement, strengthens retention, and addresses the underlying causes of avoidable turnover.
• Manage operating budgets, labor costs, departmental expenses, and capital expenditures while communicating performance, forecasts, and operational risks directly to the CEO.
• Establish and mature a Lean operating system appropriate for batch manufacturing, incorporating Kaizen, value stream mapping, 6S, standard work, visual management, tiered daily meetings, and Gemba walks.
• Drive measurable improvement in batch cycle times, equipment effectiveness, changeover and cleaning times, throughput, labor efficiency, first-pass yield, scrap, rework, and schedule attainment.
• Apply structured problem-solving methodologies, including 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, A3, and DMAIC, to identify and resolve root causes.
• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment reliability, minimize downtime, and support sustainable production performance.
• Build continuous improvement capabilities among managers and front-line leaders through Kaizen facilitation, coaching, daily management practices, and consistent follow-through.
• Ensure manufacturing activities comply with applicable cGMP, FDA, OSHA, environmental, customer, and organizational requirements.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance on documentation, data integrity, investigations, corrective actions, audit readiness, and timely resolution of findings.
• During the first 90 days, build credibility with the team, establish baseline performance metrics, implement a dependable operating dashboard, and prioritize constraints affecting production flow and delivery. Evaluate turnover, training needs, and leadership capabilities while establishing clear priorities and accountability.
• Within the first 180 days, support the launch of expanded liquid-production capacity and incorporate the new capability into a scalable operating model.
• During the first year, establish a consistent daily management cadence, strengthen training and operational leadership, and demonstrate measurable improvements across throughput, delivery, retention, safety, quality, productivity, and cost.
• Within approximately 24 months, support the successful launch and integration of the new manufacturing facility and help establish an operating model capable of supporting $50 million-plus in annual revenue while maintaining quality, compliance, customer service, culture, and margin performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, business, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible manufacturing and operations experience, including leadership of managers, multiple operational functions, and a substantial production workforce.
• Direct experience managing daily operations within a batch-manufacturing environment. Relevant industry backgrounds may include pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, specialty chemicals, personal care, or another regulated process-manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading operations within a business or division approaching $75 million to $100 million in revenue, or successfully scaling a smaller operation toward that level.
• Direct operational responsibility for manufacturing, production planning and scheduling, procurement, inventory, shipping and receiving, maintenance, and facilities.
• Strong command of budgeting, cost management, capacity planning, workforce management, and operational performance metrics, with demonstrated improvements in throughput and delivery performance.
• Experience developing operational dashboards and management routines that create consistent visibility, ownership, and accountability.
• Experience leading capital projects, equipment upgrades, facility expansions, automation initiatives, or manufacturing scale-up efforts.
• Formal Lean manufacturing training.
• Ability to operate effectively in a hands-on, fast-growing environment, including making timely decisions when information is incomplete and addressing missed commitments promptly.
• Demonstrated ability to develop talent, communicate directly, establish clear expectations, and reinforce consistent accountability while maintaining employee engagement.
• Experience working directly with CEOs, senior financial leaders, owners, or investors within a growing or entrepreneurial organization.

Preferred Skills

• Significant experience implementing Lean manufacturing or another structured continuous improvement system within a production environment.
• Hands-on experience leading Kaizen events and using daily management practices to sustain measurable operational improvements.
• Experience in FDA-regulated manufacturing, including practical knowledge of cGMP requirements and effective partnership between Operations and Quality.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification; Black Belt certification or comparable advanced continuous improvement experience is valued.
• Advanced degree in engineering, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, business, or a related discipline.
• Strong capability with root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving methods, including 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, A3, and DMAIC.
• Demonstrated success improving organizational culture, employee retention, leadership capability, and structured training within a manufacturing environment.