Director of Operations

Gradian is an engineering-led, full-line thermal solutions partner serving data center and other mission-critical, commercial, and industrial markets. Headquartered in Maple Grove, MN, with additional facilities across North America, we design and manufacture liquid cooling systems, air handling equipment, heat rejection units, and modular, factory-assembled thermal management solutions.

Gradian was founded through the unification of four complementary, established brands: MAS HVAC, Daedex, DeepCoolAI, and Eco Chillers. Together, we act as a single-source provider, deploying cooling technologies as scalable systems optimized for efficiency, spatial constraints, and overall performance. With a vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing model, we pair rapid design turnaround with precision fabrication, so customers can move faster on complex projects where reliability, timeline, and quality all matter.

Why work here

At Gradian, you'll work alongside others who get genuinely fired up by complex problems, see your work go from first sketch to job site in weeks, not years, and know that while we're developing the technologies critical for AI infrastructure to scale, our culture remains people-first by design.

It is core to our identity that we operate as one team — driving to win together, energizing others, and building lasting relationships that make the work fun and rewarding.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a highly driven and experienced Operations Director to lead the successful launch of a greenfield manufacturing site while simultaneously driving the transformation and scaling of the existing operation. This role is critical to delivering a safe, on-time startup, building a high-performing team, and executing a rapid growth and capacity expansion strategy.

The ideal candidate combines startup expertise, operational excellence, and transformation leadership, with a strong focus on SQDCC (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Cash) performance. This leader will play a pivotal role in building systems, culture, and processes to support sustainable growth and continuous improvement across both new and legacy operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Greenfield Site Startup Lead the end-to-end startup of a new manufacturing facility, ensuring on-time commissioning and ramp-up.

Develop and execute detailed startup plans, including equipment installation, validation, and operational readiness.

Implement and establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflows, and performance management systems from the ground up.

Ensure full compliance with safety, regulatory, and quality standards prior to and during launch.

Transformation of Existing Operations Assess and transform a previously privately held operation into a scalable, process-driven manufacturing environment.

Standardize processes, improve operational discipline, and drive alignment with corporate performance expectations.

Identify and implement improvements in efficiency, quality, cost management, and delivery performance.

SQDCC Performance Leadership Own and deliver performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Cash metrics.

Establish visual management systems, KPIs, and daily management routines.

Drive a zero-harm safety culture and embed quality at the source principles.

Ensure on-time delivery through effective planning, scheduling, and execution.

Team Building & Organizational Development Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing operations team, including supervisors, engineers, and frontline employees.

Build organizational capability through training, coaching, and leadership development.

Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.

Capacity Ramps & Growth Execution Plan and execute aggressive…