Vice President of Operations Mix

Why you should be interested in this role:

This is a real operating seat with real scope. Three plants. Full operational ownership. A heavy fabrication, high mix, made to order business that is large enough to matter and small enough to move. The work is hands on and the impact is visible. You will not be managing through layers. You will be in the plants, with the leaders, building the operating system that takes this company to its next level.

This role exists because the business has grown into a level of complexity that requires a stronger operating system. Leadership wants someone who can lift performance without stripping the flexibility that custom manufacturing demands. The mandate is to install structure, cadence, and accountability across three plants while preserving the responsiveness customers expect.

The approach is practical. Build process where it creates leverage. Build capability in the people who run the work. Invest in technology where the math holds up. Lean tools are welcome where they fit. We are not running a lean program for its own sake. We are building an operating system that makes good results repeatable across leaders, shifts, and sites.

Strong performance in this seat leads to a broader executive role, including COO over time.

• 15+ years in manufacturing with progression into operating leadership
• Direct experience leading operations in a high mix, low volume, or engineered to order setting
• Heavy fabrication, weld, paint, and final assembly operating background
• Proven leadership of multi site operations or a large, complex single site
• Track record of improving throughput, on time delivery, and floor execution through process & people
• Practical experience using lean tools where they fit, without turning the business into a lean program
• Hands on, floor present leadership style with the discipline to build durable operating systems

Company: Privately held manufacturer, ~$150M in revenue

Industry: Heavy Fabrication, High Mix / Low Volume, Engineered to Order Manufacturing

Location: Lexington, Kentucky (Northside Suburbs) | Relocation Required

Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer

Direct Reports: Three Plant Managers and key operations support functions

Compensation: Excellent Base and Bonus + Relocation

Future Opportunity: Clear path to COO based on performance and company growth

Our retained client is a well established U.S. manufacturer operating three facilities focused on engineered to order, high mix, low volume production. The work is fabrication heavy with welding, paint, and final assembly content. Every order carries variation, and execution depends on tight coordination between the floor, engineering, scheduling, and supply chain. The business is growing. The company has reached a stage where the next level of performance requires a stronger operating system, a deeper leadership bench, and a more disciplined approach to process and technology investment.

The Vice President of Operations will own performance across all three plants. This is a floor present role. The right leader builds standards in real conditions, not from a conference room. The role requires a leader who can take control of an imperfect environment, stabilize it, and put the operating disciplines in place that make improvement repeatable.

Install a consistent operating cadence across all three plants, including daily management, tiered meetings, and visual performance metrics on the floor. Build leader standard work for plant managers and frontline supervisors so the operating system holds when people are absent or rotate. Use simple, practical problem solving methods to surface root causes and prevent repeat issues.

Improve throughput, on time delivery, and schedule adherence in a high mix environment. Identify and remove bottlenecks, constraints, and waste with a focus on flow through fabrication, paint, and final assembly. Drive labor efficiency, material utilization, and cost discipline. Standardize what should be standard. Protect flexibility where custom…