Title: Senior Director, North American Operations
Location: Richmond, VA (preferred) or Remote with heavy travel (~80%)
Travel: ~80% across U.S. & Mexico
Industry: High-volume, high-speed manufacturing
About the Role
A rapidly growing global manufacturer is seeking a Senior Director of North American Operations to oversee six production sites across the U.S. and Mexico. This is a high-impact, hands-on operational leadership role responsible for driving performance, building operational capability, and advancing modernization and continuous improvement efforts.
The role requires someone with strong multi-site leadership, high-volume manufacturing expertise, and the ability to operate in an entrepreneurial, low-layer environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and operational oversight for six North American manufacturing facilities.
- Drive day-to-day outcomes across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and culture.
- Travel frequently to all sites to maintain visibility, support facility leaders, and drive alignment.
- Assess and develop talent at each facility to build organizational depth and capability.
- Lead continuous improvement, operational excellence, and digital transformation initiatives.
- Benchmark and implement best practices across high-volume, high-speed automated operations.
- Translate strategic direction into actionable, measurable plant-level execution.
- Support product industrialization, footprint optimization, and advanced manufacturing initiatives.
- Establish KPIs, performance dashboards, and accountability systems across all plants.
- Strengthen communication and collaboration between operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and commercial teams.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; engineering preferred.
- 10–20 years of manufacturing experience, including:
- Multi-site operational leadership
- Experience in high-volume, high-speed, automated environments
- Strong hands-on operational engagement
- Experience in automotive, aerospace, medical device, or similar precision manufacturing strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams through change, build structure, and drive sustainable performance.
- Strong P&L and financial acumen.
- Excellent communication, leadership, and people development skills.
What This Opportunity Offers
- A fast-growing, billion-dollar organization with limited layers and strong executive access
- Future advancement potential into global operations, supply chain, commercial leadership, or the VP role
- High-impact role with the ability to reshape North American operations
- Entrepreneurial culture where hands-on leadership is valued and rewarded