Director of Operations, NA

Description

Position:
Director Operations – North America

Reports to:

Chief Operating Officer (COO) Americas

Location:

Grand Haven, MI (with travel across North American sites)

Direct Reports:
Plant Manager (TN) & Plant Manager (MI)

For more than 70 years, JOST has been shaping the future of transportation with innovation, safety, and customer focus at its core. Founded in 1952 in Germany with the development of the first cast‑steel fifth wheel, JOST has grown into a global leader supplying the commercial vehicle and agricultural industries with trusted, high‑quality solutions.

With its portfolio of leading brands — JOST, ROCKINGER, TRIDEC, Quicke, and Hyva — the company today is a Tier 1 supplier recognized worldwide for excellence in fifth wheels, landing gear, towing hitches, steering systems, front loaders, and hydraulic solutions. The 2025 acquisition of Hyva marked a significant milestone, expanding JOST’s reach into hydraulic cylinders, tippers, and components for transport and waste handling, and strengthening its position across both On‑Highway and Off‑Highway applications.

Headquartered in Germany with operations on five continents, JOST continues to drive industry standards through engineering expertise, a commitment to quality, and strong partnerships with OEMs and fleets around the world.

The Director of Operations – North America is a senior operational leader responsible for driving manufacturing excellence, operational discipline, and transformational performance across JOST’s North American footprint, including facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This leader will oversee end‑to‑end operations—including production, safety, quality, supply chain, engineering, continuous improvement, and capital planning—to ensure world‑class performance in safety, delivery, quality, and cost.

The ideal candidate is a proven architect of lean transformation, known for humility, team‑first leadership, and the ability to build high‑performance cultures. This individual brings a servant‑leadership mentality, strong analytical acumen, and the credibility to influence at all levels while maintaining a low‑ego, highly disciplined approach to leadership.

• Lead all operations across North America with full P&L accountability for manufacturing performance (safety, quality, delivery, cost, and inventory).
• Build and maintain a disciplined operating system including daily management, tiered accountability, and standardized leader work.
• Drive operational stability, repeatability, and adherence to robust processes, ensuring that improvements sustain.

• Serve as the senior champion for Lean, Operational Excellence, and waste elimination across the region.
• Lead Kaizen events, value‑stream mapping, standardization, and deployment of lean tools consistent with TPS‑based methodologies.
• Embed CI culture into every department with measurable gains in productivity, cost reduction, and quality.
• Drive simplification of processes and organizational design to improve flow, reduce lead times, and optimize working capital.

• Ensure a world‑class safety culture built on proactive hazard identification, mitigation, and employee engagement.
• Strengthen quality systems and lead systemic problem solving using structured methodologies (8D, PDCA, A3).
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements, internal standards, and customer specifications.

• Build, mentor, and develop a high‑performing operational leadership team across all sites.
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Demonstrate humility, emotional intelligence, and strong interpersonal skills—leading without ego and enabling others to succeed.
• Promote talent development, succession planning, and leadership pipeline growth at all levels.

• Develop and implement long‑term manufacturing strategies aligned with Americas and Global business objectives.
• Lead footprint optimization including capacity…