Director of Operations

Description Title

Director of Operations

VP Operations/COO, depending on final organization structure

Production Manager, Production Scheduler, Operations & Inventory Coordinator, and other production/operations support roles as assigned.

The Director of Ops is responsible for leading the site Operations function to safely, reliably, and efficiently execute batch chemical manufacturing. The role owns production output, production scheduling, day‑to‑day MRP execution and procurement follow‑up for production needs, operating discipline, KPI cadence, documentation/batch record discipline, material readiness, and continuous improvement of Operations capability. The role supports HR, WHS, Engineering, Regulatory, Quality/Lab, Purchasing, and Customer Service where those functions own formal programs but require Operations execution and coordination.

• Owns production safety performance and operating discipline; ensures Production executes site safety requirements, complies with controlled‑work systems, and supports Regulatory/EHS and Engineering requirements.
• Owns Operations compliance to the ISO system, audit readiness, corrective action discipline, and continuous improvement of operating procedures.
• Owns production output, execution reliability, scheduling system, capacity alignment, daily priorities, and material/MRP alignment needed to meet customer and business commitments.
• Owns operations documentation system performance; ensures batch records, inventory postings, shift logs, and production reports support ISO, customer, and business requirements.
• Owns Operations interface with Quality/Lab; ensures quality issues, deviations, in‑process testing needs, and rework decisions are escalated and resolved through proper channels.
• Owns day‑to‑day material readiness, MRP execution, procurement follow‑up, and production purchasing coordination needed to support the schedule; coordinates with the Director of Purchasing for supplier/commercial issues and the VP Ops for major constraints.
• Owns operations process for yield variance escalation, corrective action, production impact assessment, and recurring issue elimination.
• Owns Operations communication discipline with Customer Service, WHS, Purchasing, Engineering, Regulatory, and Quality/Lab, HR.
• Owns Operations standards for housekeeping, visual management, readiness, and plant‑floor discipline.
• Ensures Operations supports Engineering‑owned MOC, PSM, Maintenance, and utility/reliability processes; participates in reviews and downtime planning, escalates chronic constraints, and prevents unauthorized production changes.
• Owns Production adherence to bulk storage and transfer procedures
• Ensures Production supports Regulatory/EHS‑owned environmental, wastewater, and emergency response systems through procedure adherence, required reporting, drills, incident follow‑up, resource readiness, and prompt escalation.
• Directly manages Production Scheduler and Operations & Inventory Coordinator; owns schedule accuracy, completion status, batch record/inventory workflows, and production support priorities.
• Owns Operations KPI system, operating cadence, root‑cause/corrective action discipline, and performance reporting to leadership.
• Owns Operations organization structure, staffing plan, hiring needs, performance expectations, training effectiveness, capability development, succession depth, and organizational readiness.
• Owns Operations budget input, labor/cost/productivity performance, improvement priorities, and resource justification.
• Owns Operations input to NPI, feasibility, capacity, equipment fit, trial execution, customer support, and scale‑up risk.

• Site operations leadership experience in batch chemical manufacturing, preferably with multiple chemistries, hazardous materials, flammables, bulk storage, and production support functions.
• Leads operations operating discipline and supports EHS/Regulatory systems for hazardous, flammable, bulk‑storage, wastewater, and emergency‑response requirements.
• Ensures systems exist for root cause, corrective action, reliability improvement, and production risk reduction.
• Own…