Operations Director

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Operations Director (Director of Manufacturing Operations) to lead manufacturing operations, production planning, supply chain, maintenance, and continuous improvement at an aluminum casting facility in North Texas. This onsite executive leadership position oversees aluminum sand casting and permanent mold manufacturing operations supporting aerospace, defense, space, and commercial markets. The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader with expertise in foundry operations, Lean Manufacturing, operational excellence, production efficiency, cost control, and cross-functional team development. This role is responsible for driving safety, quality, on-time delivery, productivity, and profitability while strengthening operational systems and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities:

• Direct daily manufacturing operations across core making, molding, melting and pouring, shakeout, cutoff, grinding, finishing, weld repair, and related foundry processes, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective production.
• Lead production managers, supervisors, maintenance, supply chain, planning, and continuous improvement teams, establishing performance expectations, operational accountability, employee development, and succession planning.
• Oversee production scheduling, capacity planning, labor allocation, workforce utilization, and shift coordination to achieve production targets, customer commitments, and operational efficiency.
• Manage Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), coordinating with Sales, Finance, Engineering, and Quality to align customer demand with production capacity, material availability, inventory, and manufacturing resources.
• Direct procurement, purchasing, supplier management, inventory control, shipping, receiving, and outside processing activities to improve supplier performance, material availability, inventory accuracy, and working capital.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, Theory of Constraints (TOC), Six Sigma methodologies, kaizen, 5S, visual management, root cause analysis, and standardized work to eliminate waste, improve throughput, reduce work-in-process inventory, and optimize manufacturing cycle times.
• Oversee maintenance, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance programs, facilities operations, and capital improvement initiatives involving furnaces, cranes, compressors, dust collection systems, heat treatment equipment, and other critical manufacturing assets.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) teams to maintain compliance with applicable AS9100, Nadcap, ITAR, customer specifications, safety regulations, and controlled manufacturing processes while supporting corrective actions, traceability, and product integrity.
• Manage manufacturing budgets, labor costs, overtime, scrap, rework, consumables, outside processing expenses, and capital expenditures. Partner with Finance to improve cost efficiency, production margins, inventory management, and return on investment.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), including workplace safety, on-time delivery (OTD), production schedule attainment, scrap and rework costs, equipment uptime, labor productivity, and controllable operating expenses. Implement corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives to achieve measurable results.

Qualifications:

• Significant progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, including responsibility for production teams, supervisors, managers, operational performance, and cross-functional execution.
• Demonstrated experience in foundry operations, metal casting, precision manufacturing, or a related industrial manufacturing environment, with a strong understanding of production workflows, manufacturing processes, and equipment utilization.
• Proven ability to lead multiple operational functions, including production, maintenance, supply chain management, purchasing, inventory control, and production planning.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles, continuous improvement, Theory of Constraints, operational excellence, root cause analysis, and performance management systems.
• Experience implementing production schedules, capacity planning, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), inventory management, and manufacturing resource planning to improve throughput and on-time delivery.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including operating budget management, manufacturing cost analysis, labor productivity, scrap reduction, capital expenditure planning, and cost improvement initiatives.
• Experience using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, manufacturing performance dashboards, production reporting, and key performance indicators to support data-driven operational decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a strong safety culture, improve product quality, develop manufacturing leaders, manage organizational change, and drive accountability in a fast-paced production environment.
• Excellent communication, analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across Engineering, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and executive leadership.
• Ability to work onsite in a manufacturing facility, maintain a visible presence on the production floor, and effectively manage competing operational priorities.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Direct experience with aluminum sand casting, permanent mold casting, foundry metallurgy, machining, heat treatment, weld repair, and metal finishing operations.
• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, space, or other highly regulated manufacturing industries with stringent customer specifications, traceability requirements, and quality management systems.
• Familiarity with AS9100, Nadcap, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), nondestructive testing (NDT), and manufacturing quality compliance.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification, APICS/ASCM certification, or formal training in Theory of Constraints, Lean Manufacturing, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading ERP implementation or optimization, Sales and Operations Planning improvements, preventive maintenance programs, capital equipment projects, and plant-wide operational transformation initiatives.