Director, Technical Operations

South Deerfield, MA, 147 N Main Street, South Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States of America

Posted Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM

We're Hiring:
Director, Technical Operations

Who We Are:

At Pelican, we engineer products that stand up to the world's toughest conditions-because the people who rely on us do too. For nearly 50 years, we've been a trusted partner for military personnel, first responders, outdoor adventurers, and innovators who push the limits.

With a global presence that includes 11 offices, 4 manufacturing facilities, and 4 custom case centers, we create high-performance protective solutions that ensure our customers can focus on what matters most. Whether it's transporting critical medical supplies, securing mission-essential equipment, or keeping expedition gear safe, Pelican products are Built to Protect to Equip for the Mission.

At Pelican, your work has a real-world impact. You'll be part of a team driven by innovation, craftsmanship, and the shared belief that when the mission is critical, failure isn't an option. If you're ready to build something that makes a difference, be part of a team that protects what matters most.

What You'll Do
:

Modernize manufacturing. Build technical capability. Drive operational performance.

Pelican is seeking a Director of Technical Operations to serve as the senior technical leader for our South Deerfield manufacturing facility. Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, this leader will oversee Manufacturing Engineering, Mold Engineering, Maintenance, Equipment Reliability, Automation, and other technical functions critical to the performance and future of the operation.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a hands-on, forward-thinking manufacturing leader who can build strong technical teams while modernizing how the facility operates. You'll lead investments in equipment, automation, tooling, reliability, and manufacturing technology while partnering closely with Operations to improve safety, quality, uptime, throughput, capacity, and cost.

We're looking for someone who can see where manufacturing needs to go next - and build the people, processes, systems, and technology to get us there.

• Lead the site's Manufacturing Engineering, Mold Engineering, Maintenance, Equipment Reliability, Automation, and technical operations functions
• Build and develop a high-performing technical organization with strong leaders, clear accountability, technical standards, and succession plans
• Define and execute a long-term manufacturing modernization strategy across equipment, automation, tooling, technology, systems, and processes
• Drive improvements in safety, quality, productivity, throughput, capacity, cost, and overall manufacturing performance
• Lead injection and rotational mold engineering, including tooling performance, optimization, maintenance, lifecycle management, and technical problem-solving
• Transform Maintenance from a reactive model toward a proactive, reliability-centered organization through stronger preventive and predictive maintenance programs
• Improve equipment uptime and reliability by attacking recurring failures, downtime, process constraints, and operational losses at their root cause
• Develop and execute capital investment strategies for equipment, automation, tooling, infrastructure, and manufacturing capacity
• Lead major technical and capital projects from business case and justification through implementation and measurable results
• Evaluate and introduce new manufacturing technologies and automation that strengthen long-term capabilities and improve operational performance
• Partner closely with Operations to solve complex manufacturing challenges and ensure Engineering and Maintenance are responsive, service-oriented partners to production
• Champion Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving
• Establish and manage technical KPIs including OEE, downtime, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, and project performance
• Partner across Operations, Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, Product Engineering, IT, and Finance to align technical priorities with business needs
• Coach and develop technical leaders while building a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and execution
• Perform additional duties as assigned

We're Looking For
:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 10+ years of progressive experience across engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, or technical operations
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, technical operations, or similar teams
• Demonstrated experience leading both Manufacturing Engineering and Maintenance in a complex manufacturing environment
• Strong expertise in equipment reliability, preventive and predictive maintenance, manufacturing processes, automation, and capital execution
• Proven success improving uptime, productivity,…