Vice President Operations

We're leading a retained executive search on behalf of a Private Equity-backed manufacturer. The company is seeking a VP of Operations to lead a ground-up lean operating system transformation located in the New York Metro area. This is a hands-on, gemba-first leadership role reporting directly to the CEO, with a mandate to build a true daily management and continuous improvement culture across a multi-building manufacturing campus. Lead a DBS/TPS-based operational transformation, instilling standard work, problem solving, visual management, and tiered daily accountability where limited formal systems currently exist Own and elevate safety, quality, and delivery performance through disciplined root cause problem-solving and sustainable countermeasures rather than firefighting Consolidate safety, quality, supply chain, and delivery functions under a unified, metrics-driven operating rhythm Design and implement pull-based planning and replenishment systems to align ERP and shop-floor execution Build a kaizen culture coaching leaders and frontline teams to see waste, drive continuous improvement, and take ownership of their processes Build out and mature the manufacturing engineering function to support value stream optimization and systemic process control Assess, develop, and where needed restructure the operations leadership team to build lean capability at every level Deep, hands-on experience with Danaher Business System, Toyota Production System, or an equivalent world-class lean operating system with a track record of building the culture, not just using the tools Proven leadership of an operational turnaround or lean transformation in a manufacturing environment, ideally in a PE-backed or ownership-transition setting Demonstrated ability to install standard work, visual management, and daily management systems from a limited or immature baseline Strong gemba-based leadership style — present on the floor, coaching through observation and structured problem-solving, not just reviewing reports Experience connecting ERP/production planning to shop-floor pull signals Industry experience that involves low-volume, high-mix environments Why This Role? This is a rare opportunity to build a lean operating system from the ground up and shape the operational DNA of a company at a true inflection point — with a direct path to broader enterprise responsibility as the company scales through the private equity value creation cycle. Compensation includes a competitive base plus meaningful equity upside tied to transformation milestones. This search is being led by Next Level Partners, LLC as a retained executive search partner. While NLP is the job poster, this opportunity is not within NLP directly, and company details will be shared with qualified candidates during the selection process. #J-18808-Ljbffr