Director of Manufacturing - Machine Tool

Director of Manufacturing Operations
Addison, IL

Full-Time, Onsite

A global precision machine tool manufacturer building custom, engineered-to-order equipment for industrial, semiconductor, optics, and advanced materials customers is hiring a Director of Manufacturing Operations. This role leads a compact North America operation of roughly 15 people through a move into a new state-of-the-art facility and a planned expansion from one shift to two, while production continues uninterrupted.

Schedule
Full-time, onsite five days per week. Currently one shift, Monday through Friday, expanding to two shifts as part of this role's scope. No relocation assistance, Chicagoland candidates only.

Compensation
$190,000 to $210,000 per year.

What You'll Do
This director owns all manufacturing and operational functions, including machining, assembly, production planning, inventory control, logistics, and facilities, setting operational strategy, establishing KPIs, and driving continuous improvement across productivity, quality, and delivery. The role maintains alignment across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Project Management, Sales, and Service. This position owns production scheduling, resource planning, inventory management, and material availability so that custom builds, customer orders, and new product introductions are executed to commitment, establishing disciplined labor planning and capacity management while coordinating priorities across concurrent builds and addressing bottlenecks, supplier risk, and forecast requirements. The director leads the operational side of the facility move, including equipment relocation, layout and workflow design, and transition sequencing to protect delivery throughout, and plans and executes the expansion to two shifts, including staffing, supervision coverage, and shift handoff practices. This role ensures compliance with customer requirements and quality standards, leads Lean, 5S, Six Sigma, and root-cause problem solving, and manages departmental P&L, operational budgets, labor utilization, manufacturing costs, and capital investment in support of gross margin. The director builds and develops the operations team through accountability, collaboration, and safety, and develops organizational capability, succession plans, and workforce strategy, while championing safety and ensuring compliance with OSHA, environmental regulations, and industry standards.

Required Qualifications

• Manufacturing operations leadership experience in a machine tool, custom machine build, engineered-to-order, capital equipment, industrial machinery, or automation environment (candidates with exclusively high-volume or repetitive production experience will not be a fit)
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership, including responsibility for production, planning, inventory, supply chain, and workforce management
• Demonstrated strength in production scheduling and labor planning
• Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, ERP/MRP systems, inventory management, and manufacturing financials
• Experience leading in a small to mid-size shop, roughly 10 to 75 people on the floor, without a large support staff
• Highly organized, strong multitasking ability, comfortable operating hands-on
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field

Preferred Qualifications

• Plant startup, facility relocation, or site consolidation experience
• Experience scaling an operation from one shift to two
• Integration experience supporting acquisitions
• Background with CNC machining, mechanical assembly, precision grinding, lapping, honing, or finishing equipment
• Experience in job shop or project-based manufacturing rather than line production

Compensation and Benefits

• $190,000 to $210,000 per year
• Standard benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO)

To apply, submit your resume for consideration.