Director of Manufacturing Operations

Eastman Music Company
Boston, MA Area | USA
Full-Time | On
-Site

Eastman is a renowned manufacturer of high-quality, handcrafted stringed, wind, percussion, and fretted instruments, ranging from student models to custom‑built professional instruments. Founded by Qian Ni in 1992, Eastman blends traditional craftsmanship with innovative design to create exceptional instruments for musicians throughout the world.

Eastman Music Company is seeking an experienced Director of Manufacturing Operations to lead manufacturing performance, operational excellence, process design, and continuous improvement across several of our U.S. manufacturing operations. These include S.E. Shires, a brass instrument manufacturer in the greater Boston area;
Wm. S. Haynes, a flute manufacturer also located in the greater Boston area;
Malletech, a percussion instrument manufacturer in New Jersey; and Bourgeois Guitars, a guitar manufacturer in Maine.

These locations produce premium professional instruments in high‑mix, low‑volume manufacturing environments where craftsmanship, precision, product quality, and specialized production methods are essential. This role requires a leader who can improve capacity, consistency, efficiency, and scalability while respecting the skilled craftsmanship and product standards that distinguish each business.

The ideal candidate will combine strong manufacturing leadership with a systems mindset and a deep understanding of production planning, inventory management, manufacturing costing, and business systems. Working closely with operations, finance, supply chain, product development, and ERP teams, the Director will strengthen manufacturing performance and create scalable processes that support long‑term growth.

The successful candidate will be equally comfortable walking a production floor, evaluating a manufacturing process, reviewing production costs, or designing operational workflows that support effective execution.

• Lead and develop manufacturing teams across multiple facilities while building a culture of accountability, safety, quality, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.
• Establish consistent operating practices and performance expectations while respecting the specialized products, processes, and cultures of each business.

• Develop production and capacity strategies that balance customer demand, inventory objectives, skilled labor, product quality, and operational efficiency.
• Identify and remove constraints to improve throughput, lead times, capacity, and the successful introduction or expansion of production lines.

• Partner with finance and operations to improve product costing, inventory valuation, operational visibility, and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Work with ERP and business systems teams to strengthen BOMs, routings, workflows, controls, and manufacturing data integrity.

• Partner with supply chain and planning teams to improve material flow, production readiness, inventory accuracy, and work‑in‑process management.
• Support integrated planning processes that connect manufacturing capacity, inventory, customer demand, and business priorities.

• Develop and maintain workplace safety programs, protocols, and practices that promote safe working environments across manufacturing operations.
• Lead continuous improvement and capital investment initiatives that deliver measurable gains in quality, productivity, efficiency, and long‑term manufacturing capability.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in…