Manufacturing Strategy & Operations Lead

Job Summary:

We are seeking a process driver to support our manufacturing operations. The right candidate will bring significant experience working in manufacturing environments, and will have an industrial engineering, strategic planning, project management, and/or capacity planning background. This individual will support the development and execution of global manufacturing strategies - including footprint optimization and capital investment planning - to ensure scalable, cost-effective operations that align with long-term business growth at a rapidly expanding F500 company.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on manufacturing leadership experience, a global mindset, cross-functional collaboration skills, and proven experience working across multiple product lines, facilities, and regions. This is a role for an accelerator. The right person for the job will be driven, detail-oriented, and ready to evolve their impact across multiple manufacturing plants. In turn, you can expect career defining opportunities to lay the foundation for the future of data.

This is an onsite position in St. Louis, MO, or Westerville, OH.

• Manufacturing Strategy & Global Footprint Optimization Evaluate and recommend manufacturing footprint strategies considering factors such as cost, geopolitical risk, technology enablement, supply chain resiliency, and customer proximity. Identify demand signals, determine capacity constraints, and drive cross-functional collaboration to solve for any capacity gaps. Support make-vs-buy and vertical integration analyses aligned with product and process needs.
• Capacity Planning & CAPEX Management Conduct in-depth capacity modeling, scenario planning, and throughput analysis for multiple product lines. Lead capital expenditure planning and justification for manufacturing investments, equipment, and facility expansions. Identify and implement solutions to optimize plant loading, equipment utilization, and capital deployment. Partner with regional and plant teams to ensure alignment with growth forecasts and demand variability.
• Scalability & Industrial Engineering Apply industrial engineering principles to drive efficiency, throughput, and continuous improvement across manufacturing sites. Conduct manufacturing research to evaluate emerging technologies, processes, and production methodologies. Promote scalable manufacturing processes, modular BoP strategies, and digital factory principles. Support new product introduction by integrating design for manufacturability principles and capacity readiness into early planning.
• Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure cross-functional alignment on strategic manufacturing decisions. Own stakeholder management to the executive level, presenting to senior leadership on a regular basis. Support product transfers and ramp-ups across regions, ensuring minimal disruption and operational continuity.
• Data-Driven Decision Making Leverage manufacturing and business intelligence data (e.g., MES, ERP, capacity tools) to drive strategic planning. Develop and maintain models for manufacturing cost, utilization, and capacity scenario analysis.
• Travel Required:
  
  10%

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering/Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, or equivalent experience
• 7-10 years of experience in manufacturing environments managing projects, strategically planning, engineering in an industrial context, and/or leading plant operations
• Knowledge of global supply chain dynamics, geopolitical influences, and total landed cost analysis
• Strong communication, leadership, and project management skills; able to influence at all levels
• Lean Six Sigma or continuous improvement background
• Experience managing manufacturing footprint requirements and facility planning
• Strong CAPEX planning and justification experience
• Strong analytical skills, including financial modeling and use of simulation or capacity planning software (e.g., Simio or equivalent)
• Experience with digital manufacturing tools (e.g., MES, digital twins) is a plus.
• Prior experience in plant management, production management, or multi-shift operations leadership preferred

• Safety
• Integrity
• Respect
• Teamwork
• Inclusion

• High-Performance Culture
• Customer Focus
• Operational Excellence
• Innovation
• Financial Strength

• Own it
• Act with urgency
• Foster a customer-first mindset
• Think big and execute
• Lead by example
• Drive continuous improvement
• Learn and seek out development
• Promote transparent & open communication

The successful candidate will embrace Vertiv's Core Principles & Behaviors to help execute our Strategic Priorities.

About Vertiv Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers' vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most…