Vice President Operations

Seeking a driven Vice President of Operations to lead and optimize operations for an industry leading industrial manufacturing company based in northern Illinois. Reporting to the CEO, The VP Ops will execute company strategies and own all operational, contract/project management, manufacturing, and supply chain performance.

• Own day-to-day operations across manufacturing floor operations from fabrication to shipping, adhering to OTD, throughput, capacity planning, and labor efficiency targets.
• Implement and continuously improve production planning, scheduling, and inventory availability while standardizing workflows and instructions, and production rates and metrics.
• Lead and execute end-to-end quality strategy from incoming inspection to final testing, ensuring appropriate documentation, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions as needed.
• Maintain compliant manufacturing practices including NSF, ANSI, ISO, OSHA, and customer/contract requirements, driving audit readiness and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure consistent and reliable procurement of materials and services while managing supplier performance and improving purchasing processes, vendor selection/management, cost, and lead times.
• Oversee execution for custom orders and project-based deliveries, ensuring scope control, documentation completeness, and forecast accuracy.
• Coordinate with engineering, sales, and project management to prevent downstream operational failures (design-to-manufacture, BOM accuracy, etc.).
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, reduce waste, improve process reliability and performance consistency, and build a problem-solving culture capable of measurable improvement.
• Track, drive, and improve lead time, scrap, rework, warranty, cycle time, OTD, inventory turns, utilization, and unit cost KPIs.
• Own manufacturing ops budgets, cost targets, and margin and partner with Finance on forecasting accuracy and operational cash needs.
• Set clear performance targets with consistent accountability systems and hire/develop top operational leadership.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with a culture of accountability, safety, continuous improvement and strong customer focus.

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or related field required. Advanced degree/certification(s) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations in industrial manufacturing and/or service-related industries, with in-depth experience in electro-mechanical industrial equipment for regulated and quality-driven markets.
• Knowledge of pump/blower systems, control panels/PLC integration, valves/fittings, and testing/documentation requirements and familiarity with relevant standards and custom/customer-specified projects strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability managing and improving production with measurable KPIs (OTD, quality, cost, lead time).
• Strong quality fundamentals and a safety-first culture driver.
• Experience with supply chain/procurement leadership and supplier management.
• Proficiency with manufacturing planning and ERP/MRP systems.

• Annual base salary, exempt: $175,000 to $220,000, commensurate with experience. Bonus-eligible.
• Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, STD/LTD/AD&D, Paid Parental Leave, 401k with company match, PTO & Paid Holidays, Tuition Reimbursement, and more.