Director of Operations

Job Description

A privately held aerospace and defense manufacturer is seeking a Director of Operations to lead its Graham, Kentucky manufacturing site. This individual will be responsible for overall site performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, people leadership, and continuous improvement.

The Graham site is a specialized, high-risk manufacturing operation supporting mission-critical products. The facility is approximately 120,000 square feet and is located on a large rural campus of approximately 1,200 acres. The site has an estimated workforce of just over 200 employees and is known for its close-knit, long-tenured culture.

The Director of Operations will serve as the senior operational leader for the site and will be expected to build trust with employees, strengthen operational discipline, lead continuous improvement, and maintain a best-in-class safety culture. This role requires a hands-on leader who is visible on the floor, credible with manufacturing teams, and capable of driving sustainable improvements in a high-risk, highly regulated production environment.

Responsibilities

Lead all site operations across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and people leadership.

Maintain and strengthen a zero-incident safety culture.

Ensure the site delivers customer demand with strong quality, on-time delivery, and cost performance.

Lead Lean manufacturing, Kaizen, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Build high-performing, engaged teams and develop succession plans for critical roles.

Strengthen leadership capability across hourly, salaried, and management populations.

Drive operational KPIs, cost controls, budget discipline, and fact-based decision making.

Lead change management efforts while respecting the site’s long-standing culture.

Partner across functions to support production, supply chain alignment, quality, safety, and customer commitments.

Improve throughput, efficiency, employee engagement, and overall plant performance.

Compensation:

Base salary targeted around $175,000 to $225,000, with flexibility for the right candidate. Annual incentive target of approximately 20-25%. Long-term incentive flexibility. Full relocation assistance available if needed. Additional incentives may be considered based on long-term performance and organizational impact. Exact compensation may vary based on several factors, including skills, experience, and education.

Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to View email address on click.appcast.io learn more about how we collect, keep, and process your private information, please review Insight Global's Workforce Privacy Policy:

Skills and Requirements

Significant manufacturing operations leadership experience.

Experience leading plant-level or site-level performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.

Background in aerospace, defense, energetics, chemicals, or other regulated/high-risk manufacturing environments preferred.

Energetic products experience is a plus.

Strong Lean manufacturing and Kaizen leadership experience.

Proven ability to build, develop, and retain high-performing teams.

Strong understanding of operational KPIs, cost controls, and budget forecasting.

Ability to lead large-scale change with minimal disruption.

Strong relationship-building skills across all organizational levels.

Stable career history with meaningful tenure and progression.

Ability to relocate to or live within a commutable distance of Graham, KY.