Operations Leader

Position Overview

Sapphire is seeking a hands‑on operations leader who has helped scale complex engineered products from low‑volume production into scalable, industrialized manufacturing operations. The mandate is to help build the operational engine required to support aggressive growth over the next several years, including manufacturing scale‑up, contract manufacturing, supply chain development, production readiness, and operational execution.

The products are highly engineered electro‑mechanical systems requiring operational sophistication, cross‑functional integration, and disciplined manufacturing scale‑up—not high‑volume commodity production.

This role is best suited for someone who has operated in high‑growth manufacturing environments where products, processes, teams, and operational infrastructure were being built in real time—not simply maintained within mature operations.

The successful candidate will have experience building structure, processes, and operational discipline within fast‑growing manufacturing environments while balancing strategic leadership with hands‑on execution.

• Build scalable manufacturing operations supporting rapid growth of complex engineered systems.
• Lead production readiness, throughput planning, operational ramp‑up, process development, and manufacturing scalability initiatives.
• Establish operational processes and infrastructure required to support higher‑volume production.

• Lead contract manufacturing strategy and outsourced production relationships, including supplier selection, readiness, quality, delivery performance, and cost management.
• Build and strengthen supply chain capabilities supporting increasingly complex material and production requirements.
• Develop sourcing and operational risk mitigation strategies aligned with long‑term growth objectives.

• Support production line build‑outs, manufacturing expansion initiatives, and operational scaling efforts.
• Help establish scalable manufacturing workflows, operational systems, staffing structures, and production processes.
• Drive operational discipline, execution cadence, and performance accountability across the organization.

• Partner closely with Engineering to ensure manufacturability and successful transition from product development into scalable production.
• Work cross‑functionally with executive leadership, program management, and commercial teams to align operational execution with customer requirements and growth objectives.
• Help build the operational structure, leadership capability, and organizational discipline required for scale.

• Implement and strengthen quality systems, manufacturing KPIs, operational reporting, and process controls.
• Support development of scalable operational disciplines across manufacturing, planning, supply chain, and production.

• 15+ years of operations, manufacturing, industrialization, or supply chain leadership experience within complex manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success scaling manufacturing operations during periods of rapid growth, commercialization, or operational build‑out.
• Experience launching or expanding manufacturing operations, production lines, or major capacity expansion initiatives.
• Strong experience leading contract manufacturing, outsourced production, or global manufacturing partnerships.
• Background within complex electro‑mechanical systems, industrial equipment, power systems, energy technology, thermal management, automotive‑adjacent manufacturing, or other engineered products environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field required.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing scale‑up, industrialization, production planning, throughput optimization, and operational readiness.
• Experience integrating manufacturing, supply chain, sourcing, and engineering functions within high‑growth environments.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, operational excellence, and…