Director of Operations and Engineering

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Director of Operations and Engineering

Full Time Senior Management Collegeville, PA, US

About SSI

SS Industries is a Collegeville, PA-based manufacturer of premium Spiral and Floating Stairs. Stairs are designed and manufactured in-house using steel, aluminum, and wood, and shipped directly to customers across the U.S. and Canada. SSI is part of the MBP Group, a family of home-building products companies.

Position Summary

The Director of Operations leads all day-to-day engineering and manufacturing responsibilities at SSI. This person owns product design/execution, safety, quality, efficiency, on-time delivery, and cost. They build a strong team, keep production running smoothly through busy seasons, and drive continuous improvement.

In addition, the Director of Operations works with the SSI Leadership Team to develop and implement key company strategic efforts. They work cross-functionally with the other directors to ensure strong business performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a strong safety culture where associates look out for each other and return to their homes safely.
• Own OSHA compliance, safety training, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
• Work with the Production Manager to ensure maximized capacity, labor, fabrication, welding, and powder coating to achieve communicated lead times, especially during peak seasons.
• Drive the Quality Team to reduce defects, rework, and customer complaints through root cause problem solving.
• Work with Customer Service and Engineering to resolve product issues quickly.
• Identify and lead projects that reduce waste and cost.
• Partner with the Purchasing Team to maintain appropriate inventory levels on raw materials like steel, aluminum, and wood to support production levels.
• Build and manage the Operations Annual Operating Plan and budget.
• Control labor, overtime, materials, and maintenance costs.
• Identify, recommend, and justify capital investments.
• Work closely with the President, Finance and the Commercial teams on forecasts, priorities, and customer commitments.
• Partner with Engineering and Marketing on the development and execution of new products and custom orders.
• Work closely with external vendors and partners to ensure consistent progress.
• Share best practices with operations leaders across the MBP Group.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Operations, Engineering, Business, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years in operations, with experience leading several departments, such as engineering, quality, production, or supply chain.
• 8+ years of manufacturing experience, with at least 5 years leading plant teams.
• Experience in metal fabrication, welding, or building products manufacturing.
• Strong track record improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Hands-on experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to lead and develop supervisors and hourly teams, alike.
• Comfortable developing, reporting, presenting, and leading with data, KPIs, and budgets.
• Strong communication skills at every level of the organization (both internal and external).
• Can scale operations as the company grows.
• Onsite presence in Collegeville, PA

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with engineer-to-order fabrication (architectural metals, stairs and railings, millwork, structural steel or similar) and/or direct-to-consumer manufacturing.
• Has run a P&L or departmental budget and capital projects and has managed through supervisors and managers.
• Experience in a private equity-backed or multi-site company.
• Lean manufacturing experience (5S, value-stream mapping, kaizen). Lean or Six Sigma certification.
• Hands-on approach and comfortability on the shop floor.