Director, Operations, NA

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We are committed to finding smart solutions that enable an intelligent and seamless world. Our success as a world-class leader in technology has evolved from humble beginnings. In 1896, the enterprising father and son team of A.J. and George

A. Briggs partnered with S.A. Buffington, a Chicago lawyer, to establish Chicago Telephone Supply Company (later to become CTS).

Today, CTS is a leading designer and manufacturer of sensors, actuators, and electronic components for suppliers and original equipment manufacturers. We have over 20 locations in 12 countries and more than 3,500 employees. Our innovative sensing, connectivity, and motion solutions offer a diverse range of products across diversified end markets including transportation, medical, aerospace and defense, and industrial. We are at the forefront of supporting innovating life-changing technology, focusing on quality to keep people safe, healthy, and happy.

Position Summary

The Operations Director, North America provides strategic and operational leadership for the regional manufacturing network, ensuring safe, compliant, cost-effective, and customer-focused execution across assigned sites. This position requires a hands-on, execution-focused leader who can standardize operating processes, improve performance variability across sites, coach plant leadership teams, and convert strategic business priorities into measurable operational and financial results. This role is accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, productivity, customer responsiveness, capital execution, and people development across the North America plants.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the North America manufacturing operations network, establishing clear priorities, standard work, operating cadences, and performance expectations across assigned sites.
• Own regional operational performance and operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, productivity, customer responsiveness, and employee engagement metrics.
• Partner with business unit leadership, plant managers, supply chain, quality, engineering, finance, HR, and commercial teams to align operating plans with customer demand and business objectives.
• Establish and reinforce standardized operating processes across the region while allowing appropriate site-level flexibility based on product, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Drive a disciplined daily, weekly, and monthly management system to review performance, identify gaps, assign accountability, and ensure timely corrective actions.
• Translate operational actions into financial outcomes by improving margin performance, controlling costs, optimizing resources, and partnering with finance on budgeting and forecasting.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development for plant managers and site leadership teams, building a strong succession pipeline and culture of accountability.
• Champion a zero-harm safety culture and ensure compliance with company EHS standards and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Ensure customer requirements are met or exceeded, including on-time delivery, responsiveness, quality performance, and timely resolution of escalations.
• Lead continuous improvement and Lean deployment across the region, including visual management, standard work, 5S, value stream improvement, structured problem solving, and waste reduction.
• Reduce performance variability between sites by deploying common metrics, operating reviews, best-practice sharing, and targeted improvement plans.
• Drive structural cost improvement through labor efficiency, material yield, scrap reduction, inventory optimization, manufacturing productivity, and capacity utilization.
• Review and approve capital project proposals, support business cases, and ensure approved capital expenditures are implemented on time, on budget, and with expected returns.
• Support digital manufacturing, automation, data transparency, and ERP-enabled process improvements where they improve operational control, productivity, and decision-making.
• Ensure manufacturing equipment, facilities, and processes are maintained and utilized effectively to produce high-quality products at competitive cost.
• Maintain strong governance of quality management systems, audit readiness, corrective actions, and certification requirements applicable to assigned sites.
• Support new product introductions, transfers, footprint changes, and capacity expansion projects through disciplined planning and cross-functional execution.
• Establish strong communication routines with site and regional teams to reinforce priorities, elevate risks, and ensure alignment on business-critical actions.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, business unit procedures, internal controls, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong multi-site manufacturing leadership experience with demonstrated ability to deliver results through plant leadership…