Director of Manufacturing

Location: Dothan, AL (Onsite). Relocation assistance is available.

Compensation: $165,000 to $180,000 base, plus 10% annual bonus

Reports to: President, Signage Division

Team: Top leader on site for a custom manufacturing facility with approximately 125 employees across welding, metal fabrication, CNC, forming, electrical, and assembly

• 7+ years of hands-on manufacturing leadership experience with direct responsibility for plant-level performance, whether as a Director of Manufacturing, Plant Manager, Operations Manager, or similar role
• Experience leading a labor-intensive, high-mix, low-volume operation such as a job shop, fabrication, or build-to-order environment. Broad manufacturing judgment matters more than deep expertise in any single process
• A track record of improving throughput, labor efficiency, quality, and on-time delivery through steady, practical improvements while keeping production running
• Working knowledge of manufacturing cost, including labor standards, earned hours or standard costing, and how floor performance shows up in a plant P&L
• Strong floor presence and the ability to earn trust with a long-tenured workforce, build real buy-in, and hold people accountable when the reasons for falling short do not add up
• Experience building repeatable systems and a leadership structure that keep a plant running dependably without relying on any one person
• Resourcefulness and comfort delivering results in a lean environment without large corporate engineering or support teams behind you
• Clear, professional communication with executive and finance leadership, including regular reporting on plant performance
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, or a related field preferred; equivalent hands‑on manufacturing experience will be considered
• Genuine comfort relocating to and leading in a small Southern community

• Background in custom fabricated products such as signage, store fixtures, displays, architectural metals, or electrical closures
• Industrial engineering training or a similarly technical, process-focused background
• Experience in a private equity-backed or recently acquired manufacturing business
• Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement experience applied in a practical, hands‑on way
• Experience scaling production capacity, including adding shifts or growing output in a constrained labor market

Our client is a private equity-backed national company that designs, builds, and installs branded products for well‑known multi‑site businesses across North America. This role leads their primary manufacturing facility in Southeast Alabama, a custom, build‑to‑order operation where a skilled team works hands‑on with aluminum, steel, and electrical components, producing a wide variety of products in small lots.

The plant has made steady progress in recent years, with lower costs, better quality, and more reliable delivery. The next step is a strong, hands‑on leader who can keep that momentum going and take the operation further. This is not a turnaround and not a maintenance role. It is a long‑term opportunity to increase output, keep improving cost and efficiency, and build an operation that runs dependably every day.

• Own plant performance: Lead every aspect of the facility, including safety, quality, throughput, delivery, and cost, with accountability for the plant P&L.
• Lead from the floor: Spend a good part of every day in production, getting to know the people, understanding what drives them, and building the trust that makes change stick.
• Find early wins: In the first 90 days, learn how the factory runs, stabilize performance, and identify practical process changes…