Senior IT Application Specialist, DevOps & AI Operations - SaaS Client

THE OPPORTUNITY
Initially, the Operations Manager will take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing performance, including  production, scheduling, workflow, labour, quality, safety, capacity and continuous improvement .

A key part of the mandate will be strengthening the systems and operating disciplines that support the business improving production visibility, developing people, increasing capacity, removing bottlenecks and creating more consistent and repeatable processes.

You will work closely with  ownership, Engineering/Design, Finance and the production team  to ensure the entire manufacturing process operates as an integrated system rather than a collection of individual departments.

As the business continues to grow, the successful individual will progressively assume broader responsibility for  financial performance, capital investment, technology, customers, organizational development and P&L , with a genuine succession path toward  General Manager .

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Lead daily manufacturing operations, production scheduling and shop-floor execution.

Improve  throughput, productivity, quality, on-time delivery, labour efficiency and capacity utilization .

Identify bottlenecks and implement practical  Lean and continuous-improvement initiatives  that improve flow, eliminate waste and standardize processes.

Establish and strengthen manufacturing  KPIs, production data and operating disciplines  to improve visibility, accountability and decision-making.

Lead, coach and develop  production supervisors, skilled trades and manufacturing employees .

Build leadership capability within the organization rather than becoming the person who must personally solve every operational problem.

Strengthen the utilization of  ERP/MRP systems  and improve production planning, scheduling and data accuracy.

Partner closely with  Engineering/Design  to improve manufacturability, workflow, standardization and the transition from design to production.

Understand and improve the interaction between  sales, design, materials, labour, equipment, scheduling, production and customer delivery .

Lead capacity planning and support  plant-layout optimization, equipment investments and future facility expansion .

Evaluate and implement practical opportunities involving  CNC, CAD/CAM integration, robotics, cobots, machine vision, automation and emerging manufacturing technologies .

Assess capital investments based on operational requirements, productivity gains and expected financial returns.

Maintain strong standards for  safety, quality, accountability and operational excellence .

Use data and  root-cause analysis  to solve recurring problems rather than repeatedly treating symptoms.

Partner with Finance on  job costing, budgets, labour and material costs, margins, productivity, working capital, capital planning and financial performance .

Understand how production decisions affect  customer service, lead times, quality, flexibility, profitability and long-term customer relationships .

Help professionalize the organization while preserving the entrepreneurial strengths, customer responsiveness and practical culture that have contributed to its success.

Progressively assume broader  commercial, strategic and P&L responsibility  as you develop toward General Manager.

Qualifications:

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Approximately  10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience  with meaningful leadership responsibility.

Demonstrated progression into responsibility for  teams, supervisors and increasingly complex manufacturing operations .

Strong preference for experience in  metal fabrication, truck equipment, commercial vehicles, trailers, sheet metal, industrial equipment, engineered-to-order or other high-mix manufacturing environments .

Candidates from adjacent sectors such as  agricultural equipment, oilfield equipment, utility equipment, equipment upfitting and custom industrial manufacturing  will also be considered.

Hands-on experience with  production scheduling, capacity planning, workflow, labour management, safety, quality and continuous improvement .

Experience with in an organization that has  grown, professionalized or materially increased production capacity  is highly desirable.

Demonstrated ability to  lead, coach and develop people , including supervisors and skilled trades.

Practical experience with  ERP/MRP systems, production data and KPIs .

Familiarity with Job Boss, Made to Manage or similar software an asset

Experience implementing, upgrading or materially…