Director of Stamping

Director of Stamping

Kapco Metal Stamping is the Midwest's premier contract manufacturer of metal components, trusted by some of the world's biggest brands to make precision metal parts. Kapco's constant investment in modern, state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology sets us apart from other manufacturers in the industry and helps us deliver the highest quality products to their partners.

Alongside our metal stamping, fabrication, welding, and machining capabilities, Kapco has built a lasting reputation for our family culture based upon six core values: Innovation, Attitude, Integrity, Impact, Accountability, and Safety.

Today, Kapco employs over 600 employees across our family of companies, and we are looking to add to our fast-growing team!

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Director of Stamping

About the Opportunity

Kapco is seeking a Director of Stamping to lead and advance stamping operations with a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, cost, people development, and continuous improvement. This role is ideal for a respected manufacturing leader who understands progressive stamping and knows how to build strong teams, develop future leaders, and create productive partnerships across the business.

The successful candidate will bring a balanced combination of technical credibility, operational discipline, coaching ability, and enterprise leadership. At the director level, technical competence is expected; the true differentiator is the ability to develop people, influence across functions, and lead the organization forward.

What You'll Do

• Lead stamping operations with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, workforce development, and continuous improvement.
• Advance operational excellence by partnering effectively with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Tooling, Supply Chain, Logistics, Human Resources, Sales, and other internal customers.
• Develop supervisors, managers, team leads, and high-potential employees through coaching, feedback, succession planning, and structured development plans.
• Build a culture where safety is non-negotiable, accountability is clear, communication is open, and problems are surfaced and solved collaboratively.
• Drive improvements in press performance, uptime, OEE, die maintenance, quality systems, defect reduction, and lean/continuous improvement initiatives.
• Translate company goals into operational priorities and support multi-year planning related to capacity, technology, automation, people, and capital investment.

This is a highly visible leadership role for someone who can operate as an enterprise leader, not simply a departmental leader.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a leader who is highly respected on the manufacturing floor, trusted by peers, and energized by developing people. The ideal candidate has strong progressive stamping experience, understands the technical realities of press operations, and also knows that sustainable performance comes from engaged teams, clear expectations, and strong cross-functional relationships.

Key Leadership Qualities

• People Developer: Builds succession pipelines, develops supervisors and managers, coaches emerging leaders, and creates a culture of accountability and engagement.
• Collaborative Partner: Builds credibility and trust across support functions, resolves conflicts constructively, and balances stamping priorities with broader company objectives.
• Culture Champion: Creates an environment where safety, respect, communication, continuous improvement, and consistent accountability are part of everyday work.

Required Experience and Technical Qualifications

• Progressive Stamping Expertise. Minimum:
• 7+ years in metal stamping operations
• 5+ years leading multiple departments or large-scale stamping operations
• Experience with progressive die stamping
• Experience in a low medium volume contract stamping environment with additional exposure to higher volume industrial, appliance, or consumer products.
• Strong understanding of:
• Progressive die design fundamentals
• Press operations and optimization
• Tool room management
• Die maintenance systems
• OEE improvement
• Press automation
• Servo and mechanical press technologies
• Quality systems and defect reduction
• Experience leading Lean & C/I Initiatives

Preferred Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field preferred.
• MBA, advanced leadership training, lean certification, or similar professional development is a plus.

About Kapco Metal Stamping

Kapco is known for investing in its people and creating a culture of engagement, and is equally as committed to giving back to the community. As an employee, you can expect a goal-oriented compensation structure, excellent benefits including Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401K, Profit Sharing, Vacation, Paid Holidays, an Onsite Wellness Center and Gym Membership. Building on employees' skill sets and growing them as individuals is a top priority at Kapco. The Kacmarcik Center for Human Performance is focused specifically on delivering an exclusive and proprietary in-house training curriculum, designed to develop employees along their career path.

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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.