Manufacturing Operations Manager

Now is a great time to join Nopak, a leader in fluid power located in the Greater Milwaukee Area. As our privately held business undertakes a significant growth initiative, we are looking for a transformative manufacturing leader to join our executive team as Director of Manufacturing Operations. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role reporting directly to the President.

The ideal candidate brings a deep manufacturing engineering foundation with extensive hands‑on experience in a CNC machine shop environment. This leader must have a proven track record of driving floor-level accountability, reducing setup times, implementing efficient machining practices, and developing the people and systems that sustain those gains. A passion for building high-performance teams in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment is essential.

The Director of Manufacturing Operations will have direct accountability for Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost across our manufacturing operations, including machining, welding, assembly, test, and paint. You will lead a team across three functional areas:
Manufacturing Engineering, Shop Floor Operations, and Quality. This individual must be a credible voice on our leadership team, capable of translating shop floor realities into strategic decisions and driving a culture of execution and continuous improvement.

We pride ourselves on helping energetic, ambitious employees thrive in our entrepreneurial and fast-paced culture. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a lasting impact on a growing manufacturer, we want to hear from you.

• Report directly to the President and serve as a key member of the company leadership team, contributing to manufacturing strategy, operational planning, and company-wide growth initiatives.
• Own and communicate a clear manufacturing vision aligned to Nopak’s growth plan, translating strategy into executable priorities for your teams.
• Represent Manufacturing in weekly leadership team meetings, presenting KPI performance and driving cross-functional alignment on production priorities.
• Partner with the President, Engineering Manager, and Planning Manager to ensure manufacturing capacity and capability align with customer demand.
• Participate in annual budgeting and monthly forecasting for manufacturing cost, headcount, and capital expenditure.
• Participate in estimating costing of significant quotes and new product introductions alongside the engineering and sales teams.
• Drive daily floor-level accountability across all manufacturing operations through structured SQDC (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost) huddles and KPI review cadences.
• Own and manage manufacturing KPIs including labor productivity (target: +85%), on-time delivery (target: +95%), scrap/rework rates, and schedule attainment.
• Directly oversee the Shop Supervisor and hold them accountable for daily manpower deployment, shift execution, and direct labor performance across 26 employees.
• Monitor labor efficiency, job variances, quality metrics, and safety compliance; take corrective action promptly when targets are missed.
• Develop and implement programs to recognize and reward high-performance employees and build a culture of ownership on the shop floor.
• Manage daily payroll data accuracy, discipline processes, performance reviews, and employee development plans for all direct and indirect reports.
• Experience sustaining accountability to plant processes.
• Work with planning and scheduling staff to refine and improve process.
• Develop and execute machinist training and career development program.
• Flex schedule as needed to provide off-shift and weekend coverage during critical production periods.
• Maintain facility and grounds in a safe, organized, and productive condition.

• Oversee the Manufacturing Engineering Manager and CNC Programmers; hold the team accountable for program quality, tooling strategy, fixture design, and setup efficiency.
• Drive setup reduction initiatives across CNC milling and turning operations, with a focus on reducing non-value-added time and increasing machine utilization.
• Evaluate and improve machining practices,…