Director of Manufacturing

NOW HIRING!!

Director of Manufacturing

Overview

A longtime manufacturing leader is retiring, creating an opportunity to do more than simply fill an open seat. This organization is looking for a Director of Manufacturing who can take ownership of two PEMB production operations, preserve what works, and build the systems needed for the company's next stage of growth.

You'll inherit experienced people, modern facilities, an integrated ERP and real-time production data. The challenge is turning that foundation into stronger throughput, quality, planning and cost performance - while developing the leadership team beneath you.

Key Responsibilities

• Own safety, quality, throughput, on-time completion and labor efficiency across two production shops.
• Balance production flow and systematically remove constraints across cutting, welding, forming and paint operations.
• Build standard work, OEE, 5S and measurable continuous-improvement practices into daily operations.
• Improve CNC nesting, material yield, WIP and cost-per-pound performance.
• Strengthen weld-quality systems and support AC472 / quality-system development.
• Develop plant managers and front-line leaders while building succession and bench strength.
• Turn tribal knowledge into documented, repeatable processes.
• Use ERP, dashboards and production scheduling data to make operating decisions.
• Evaluate automation and capital improvements based on measurable ROI.

Required Experience

• 7-10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership.
• Metal fabrication, structural steel or roll-forming manufacturing background; PEMB experience strongly preferred.
• P&L or cost-center responsibility within a multi-line manufacturing operation.
• Proven continuous-improvement results tied to throughput, scrap, labor efficiency or delivery.
• Working knowledge of structural welding and weld-quality systems, including AWS D1.1.
• Experience leading managers, superintendents or other front-line manufacturing leaders.
• Hands-on experience using ERP, production dashboards and scheduling systems to manage the floor.

Nice to Have

• Direct PEMB manufacturing experience.
• Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt or comparable CI training.
• Automation, robotic welding, CNC nesting or material-handling integration experience.
• IAS AC472 experience.
• Capital-equipment installation or production-line reconfiguration experience.

Work Setup & Compensation

Onsite role in Arkansas


Base compensation, depending on experience and certification, plus a 25% target annual performance bonus tied to company and operational results.


Why Join

This is one of those rare leadership opportunities where you're not being brought in to fix a broken operation - you're being brought in because the business has outgrown the way it used to operate.

Since new ownership took over (pre-covid), the company has grown roughly fivefold to around $30 million in revenue, with a goal of reaching $50 million. Along the way, manufacturing moved from a small operation into a newer facility built for the business it is becoming. The technology is there. The ERP and dashboards are there. The production team is experienced, with a level of tenure that is increasingly hard to find in manufacturing.

Now, after more than 30 years with the company, the person who has led production is retiring. And rather than simply replace him, leadership sees an opportunity to build something bigger.

The person coming into this role will have the chance to learn from what has worked, capture decades of tribal knowledge before it walks out the door, and then put their own fingerprints on what comes next - stronger processes, better use of data, greater automation, deeper leadership bench strength and an operation capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth.

And there is room for the person to grow with it. This role is intentionally broader than a traditional "Plant Management" position, with the potential to develop into VP of Operations as the leadership structure evolves.

For someone who has spent their career learning how to run a great manufacturing operation and is ready for the opportunity to help shape one, this is a chance to do exactly that.