Director Of Manufacturing Operations

The Rookwood Pottery Company | Cincinnati, Ohio | On-site

$130,000–$150,000 base salary plus annual performance bonus

The Rookwood Pottery Company has been manufacturing ceramics in Cincinnati since 1880. From our factory in Over-the-Rhine, a team of approximately 50 people produces architectural tile, art pottery, and commemorative pieces, with nearly every step of production under one roof: pressing, casting, throwing, glazing, decorating, firing, finishing, and fulfillment.

Demand for our products is growing, and we are making a significant investment in the operating systems and leadership required to grow production with it.

The Director of Manufacturing Operations is the senior operating leader for Rookwood's manufacturing organization and is accountable for the performance of the plant across production, planning, purchasing, fulfillment, maintenance, quality, safety, and inventory.

This position reports directly to the President. Direct reports include the Production Manager, Fulfillment, and Maintenance, with approximately 50 employees across the broader operations organization.

Our production team is experienced and capable at the department level. What the plant needs from this role is the operating system above it: one production plan, reliable capacity information, clear priorities, measurable targets, defined decision rights, disciplined use of the ERP, and accountability for results.

The Production Manager owns day-to-day execution on the manufacturing floor. The Director of Manufacturing Operations owns the system the floor operates against.

This is a foundational leadership role.

The immediate priorities are establishing Global Shop ERP as the operational source of truth for manufacturing, implementing a disciplined master production schedule, developing capacity by department, publishing reliable lead times, strengthening inventory and purchasing controls, and establishing clear performance targets throughout the operation.

The right candidate has built or significantly rebuilt a manufacturing operating system before and wants the opportunity to do it again.

You will not start from a blank page. Rookwood has completed a detailed review of its production system and developed a written operating model defining the authority of this position, its decision rights, and how Operations works with Finance, HR, Sales, Marketing, and Creative.

The first 90 days already have defined deliverables around production planning, decision authority, purchasing controls, staffing baselines, lead times, ERP scheduling, and operating cadence.

• Own plant performance across production, scheduling, purchasing, fulfillment, maintenance, quality, safety, and inventory against one integrated operating plan.

• Own the master production schedule and manufacturing planning process, translating demand into executable departmental schedules and staffing requirements.

• Own the manufacturing side of Global Shop ERP, including routings, bills of material, work centers, standards, manufacturing master data, and scheduling discipline.

• Develop capacity models by department and establish reliable lead times that Sales can confidently sell against.

• Establish department-level operating targets for output, throughput, yield, labor efficiency, scrap, quality, schedule attainment, and on-time completion.

• Create the daily, weekly, and monthly operating cadence used to review performance, identify constraints, assign corrective actions, and hold the organization accountable.

• Establish and enforce clear manufacturing decision rights, including work order release and closure, approvals, scrap transactions, receiving, schedule changes, and production priorities.

• Oversee the quality control system, including documented standards, inspection and release criteria, nonconformance management, and corrective action.

• Lead recurring production and operating reviews, including capacity, scheduling, quality, glaze, scrap, maintenance, and constraint reviews.

• Manage purchasing through the ERP within an approved spending and authorization structure.

• Oversee inventory through Fulfillment, including replenishment, receiving, cycle counts, inventory accuracy, finished goods, and transaction discipline.

• Establish preventative maintenance and equipment reliability priorities with Maintenance and incorporate equipment capacity and downtime into the production plan.

• Chair the monthly ERP steering meeting and present the supply and capacity plan as part of the company's sales and operations planning process.

• Partner with Finance to understand and improve manufacturing cost, including labor utilization, scrap, overtime, inventory, productivity, and the operating impact of production decisions.

• Develop the operating and financial case for equipment, automation, facility, and capacity investments.

• Establish a clear process for evaluating customer requests that fall outside published lead times or standard operating rules and provide timely operational decisions to Sales.

• Lead the plant safety program, including standards, training, compliance, incident response, and corrective action.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Production Manager and other operations leaders while continually evaluating the structure, staffing, and capability of the operations organization.

Within the first year, Rookwood should have:

• One trusted production schedule used across the plant.

• Global Shop functioning as the manufacturing system of record rather than a parallel administrative system.

• Defined capacity and staffing requirements by department.

• Published and reliable customer lead times based on actual capacity.

• Measurable operating targets and visible accountability throughout production.

• Significantly improved schedule attainment, inventory accuracy, purchasing discipline, and work order transaction accuracy.

• Clearly defined operating authority and decision rights across departments.

• Better visibility into manufacturing cost, constraints, equipment requirements, and future capacity needs.

• A production organization capable of supporting Rookwood's continued growth without relying on constant expediting and individual heroics.

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including at least 5 years leading a plant, facility, or multi-department manufacturing operation with responsibility for other managers or supervisors.

• Demonstrated experience building, rebuilding, or significantly improving a manufacturing operating system.

• Hands-on experience with manufacturing ERP systems, including routings, bills of material, work centers, production scheduling, inventory transactions, and manufacturing master data. Global Shop experience is valuable but not required.

• Experience developing capacity models, master production schedules, staffing plans, and manufacturing lead times.

• Demonstrated ability to establish KPIs and operating cadences and manage an organization against measurable results.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing economics, including labor utilization, scrap, throughput, inventory, productivity, and capital investment.

• Experience leading organizational change and implementing greater operating discipline without losing the knowledge and engagement of an experienced workforce.

• Strong written communication and documentation skills.

• Experience in ceramics, batch manufacturing, process manufacturing, engineered-to-order manufacturing, or another complex production environment is a plus.

Rookwood is not a high-volume automated factory. Our manufacturing environment combines more than 145 years of ceramic knowledge and skilled craftsmanship with the need for modern planning, systems, and operating discipline.

Some products move through repeatable production processes. Others involve significant variation in form, glaze, decoration, firing, or customer requirements.

The challenge of this role is not to turn Rookwood into a commodity manufacturer. It is to build the operating system that allows exceptional craftsmanship and disciplined manufacturing to coexist at scale.

Base salary of $130,000–$150,000 , depending on experience, plus an annual performance bonus tied to manufacturing and plant performance.

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Company-paid life insurance
• Paid time off

This is a full-time, salaried, on-site leadership position at:

The Rookwood Pottery Company

1920 Race Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

To apply, submit your resume through LinkedIn.