Director of Operations

Director Of Operations

Reporting directly to the CFO, the Director of Operations is responsible for the full operational cost structure and performance of Manufacturing, Engineering Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Warehouse functions. This role owns operational efficiency, supplier economics, working capital management, and margin expansion initiatives.

The Director of Operations will lead structured cost-reduction programs, strengthen vendor negotiations, improve inventory velocity, enhance production throughput, and implement financial discipline across all operational functions. This position requires strong commercial acumen, rigorous KPI management, and hands-on leadership within a manufacturing environment.

Key areas of ownership include:

• Driving gross margin improvement through cost control, productivity gains, and waste reduction
• Leading supplier negotiations to improve pricing, payment terms, service levels, and contractual protections
• Improving working capital performance by optimizing inventory levels and reducing excess and obsolete stock
• Strengthening production planning, scheduling reliability, and labor utilization
• Establishing disciplined KPI reporting tied directly to financial performance
• Partnering with Engineering to ensure cost-effective product design and manufacturability
• Overseeing warehouse operations to improve material flow, accuracy, and logistics cost management
• Aligning procurement strategy with financial objectives and cash flow targets
• Building accountability systems and performance standards across operational leadership

This role serves as a key operational partner to Finance, ensuring operational decisions directly support profitability, cost transparency, and sustainable growth.

Responsibilities:

• Own operational performance across manufacturing, engineering support, procurement, supply chain, and warehouse functions
• Lead structured cost-reduction and margin-improvement initiatives
• Develop and manage operational budgets in partnership with Finance
• Monitor KPIs including OEE, labor efficiency, scrap rates, inventory turns, cost per unit, and on-time delivery
• Renegotiate vendor contracts and strengthen commercial agreements
• Implement inventory controls and improve forecasting accuracy
• Improve production throughput and scheduling discipline
• Strengthen procurement processes and vendor performance management
• Provide regular operational and financial reporting to executive leadership
• Ensure compliance with safety standards, quality requirements, and internal controls