AME Manager - Turnaround Leader

Description Air Distribution Technologies is seeking an Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (AME) Manager to lead enterprise-wide manufacturing transformation and operational excellence initiatives across global operations. This role will drive step-function improvements in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Morale (SQDCM), productivity, and EBITDA through plant discovery assessments, operational diagnostics, turnaround and ramp-up plans, and the deployment of advanced manufacturing tools and management systems. The AME Manager will serve as a hands-on coach, teacher, and change leader, developing site leadership teams, building internal operational excellence capabilities, and implementing simple, scalable processes, scorecards, and sustainment frameworks that deliver rapid, measurable, and lasting business results across all ADTI manufacturing locations What You'll Do: Lead and teach comprehensive plant discovery assessments, including desktop analysis of financial performance, KPIs, operational metrics, and factory floor evaluations to identify opportunities for step-function performance improvements. Design, develop, and continuously improve discovery tools, assessment methodologies, and implementation frameworks. Build, deploy, and coach plant turnaround and ramp-up plans with a focus on prioritizing the highest-impact actions in the correct sequence to rapidly deliver measurable operational and financial results. Develop and mentor a team of operational excellence experts capable of conducting discovery assessments and leading plant turnaround initiatives at private equity speed. Ensure improvements are sustainable and clearly reflected in EBITDA performance, key operational KPIs, and financial results. Train site leadership teams to proactively manage performance by making the day, week, month, and quarter in advance. Establish management systems, routines, and accountability processes that make operational planning and execution repeatable and sustainable. Create simple, scalable, and highly visible dashboards, scorecards, and management systems that enable rapid decision-making and sustained performance improvements across underperforming facilities. Learn, develop, and deploy production scheduling methodologies while translating schedules into actionable plant-floor performance measures, including Hour-by-Hour Boards, Units Per Labor Hour (UPLH), throughput tracking, and productivity management systems. Lead implementation of advanced manufacturing and operational excellence tools including: Plant Start-Ups and Shift Handovers Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) Single-Piece Flow and Production Line Design Staffing and Training Optimization Plans Capital Deployment and ROI Improvement Initiatives Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Model Plant Development and Scaling Value Stream Mapping Capacity Modeling and Production Planning Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing Systems Serve as a change management leader by rapidly developing plant leadership and support teams while building sustainable operating systems that continue to improve after implementation resources transition out. Design and implement sustainment frameworks, visual management systems, and performance scorecards that enable local teams to own, sustain, and continuously improve results. Lead efforts to significantly improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale (SQDCM) metrics while driving measurable EBITDA growth and operational performance gains across the enterprise. Partner with Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Engineering, and Plant Leadership teams to ensure operational improvements are quantified, validated, and sustained. What We're Looking For: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering. 6 years in manufacturing engineering or operations leadership. Proven experience conducting operational due diligence, plant assessments, manufacturing diagnostics, and performance improvement initiatives. Demonstrated success leading plant turnarounds, operational transformations, capacity expansions, and manufacturing ramp-up initiatives. Strong understanding of manufacturing financials, EBITDA improvement, cost reduction, labor productivity, absorption, and operational KPI management. Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, TPM, OEE, SMED, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, Standard Work, and Continuous Improvement methodologies. Exceptional coaching, teaching, facilitation, and change management skills with the ability to influence leaders and frontline employees at all organizational levels. Experience building enterprise-wide operational systems, scorecards, dashboards, and performance management frameworks. Ability to simplify complex manufacturing challenges into scalable, repeatable, and sustainable operating systems. Proven track record of rapidly delivering measurable performance improvements in underperforming manufacturing environments. Strong communication, leadership, and organizational development capabilities with experience building high-performing operational excellence teams.

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