Director of Operations Strasburg Pallet Company

Activate Your Influence is a third party hiring solution partnering with Strasburg Pallet Company to hire their Director of Operations.

Job Title: Director of Operations 

Reports To: President/Owner 

Location: Strasburg, PA 

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes, Area Supervisors (Sawing/Lumber/Materials, Assembly & Shipping, and Maintenance) 

Job Type: Full-time (6am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday) 

Who We Are 

Strasburg Pallet Company (SPC)is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturing firm with 60 years of unparalleled expertise in the pallet industry. We provide high-quality custom wooden pallets, crates, and shipping containers to a diverse array of industries for packaging, transporting, and distributing goods. Beyond manufacturing, we are committed to innovation and environmental responsibility through our recycling solutions, which include wood shavings, mulch, and wood scrap removal. Our culture is built on the core values of  Respect, Honesty, Teamwork, and a Positive Attitude . We are a values-driven company that remains strongly committed to faith-aligned principles in our daily operations. 

Who We’re Looking For 

We are seeking an experienced  Director of Operations to lead our daily production and repair activities with a focus on safety, quality, and efficiency. This role requires a strategic "implementer" who can lead a team of supervisors and operators, ensuring that production schedules are met from lumber intake to final delivery. The ideal candidate will be a hands-on leader capable of fostering a culture of firm accountability while remaining supportive of individual growth. You will contribute to our success by optimizing workflows and maintaining the high standards that our customers have relied on for decades. 

Core Characteristics

To be successful in this role and align with our company culture, the following characteristics are essential: 

• Authentic & Honest: Operates with genuine integrity and transparency in every interaction. 
• Courageous & Resilient: Possesses the strength to lead through challenges and the resilience to overcome personal or professional adversity. 
• Efficient & Organized: A natural ability to prioritize high-level tasks and manage complex operations in a fast-paced environment. 
• Optimistic: Maintains a positive, solution-oriented outlook even when facing operational hurdles. 
• Values-Aligned: Demonstrates a servant-leader mindset that respects and supports our faith-aligned organizational values. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development: Supervise, train, and mentor area supervisors and production staff. Foster a high-performance culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 
• Production Management: Coordinate daily production schedules to meet customer deadlines. Optimize workflows across sawing and pallet assembly lines to maximize output. 
• Safety & Compliance: Enforce strict OSHA compliance and company safety protocols, including Lock-out/Tag-out and PPE enforcement, to ensure an injury-free workplace. 
• KPI Tracking & Analysis: Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) such as daily production rates, repair percentages, and labor efficiency to drive data-based improvements. 
• Equipment & Maintenance Oversight: Communicate well with the maintenance department to ensure proper maintenance of pallet-building machinery, heat treatment equipment, and the in-house truck fleet to minimize downtime. 
• Inventory & Resource Management: Monitor raw material (lumber) and finished goods inventory to ensure demand is met efficiently and cost-effectively. 

Qualifications

• Leadership Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of experience successfully leading and developing people. 
• Industry Expertise: 3+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred. 
• Strategic Skills: Proven ability in strategic thinking, change management, and team building. 
• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills. 
• Technical Proficiency: Strong aptitude for utilizing technology to improve operational efficiency. 

Physical Requirements/Environmental Conditions 

The Director of Operations must be prepared to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, balancing time between office-based analysis and active oversight on the production floor. The role requires the ability to manage the physical demands of a 10.5-hour workday while maintaining high attention to detail and safety standards. 

What We Offer 

• Compensation: $90k - $110k annually with potential yearly bonus. 
• Benefits: Comprehensive Health. Dental and Vision insurance available. 
• Retirement: 401(k) with company matching. 
• Time Off: Paid holidays and paid vacation time. 
• Growth & Evaluation: A three-month evaluation period to ensure cultural fit and proactive engagement, with annual reviews that may include performance-based wage increases.