Director of Operations

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Full Time Management Shelby Township, MI, US

SAPA Transmission, a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractor, is seeking a Director of Operations to lead the end-to-end operational functions for producing fully automatic transmissions for U.S. Army tracked vehicles. This role is responsible for overseeing supply chain, logistics, material planning, and continuous improvement initiatives
, ensuring that operations are efficient, scalable, and aligned with company goals. The Director of Operations will drive operational excellence, process optimization, and supply chain performance across the organization.

• Oversee and optimize supply chain and material planning functions, including demand planning, MRP execution, supplier coordination, and management of long-lead materials to support program requirements.
• Lead logistics and inventory management strategies, including inbound and outbound freight, warehousing, and inventory optimization to balance cost, lead time, and service levels.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across supply chain, logistics, and planning processes using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Develop and monitor key operational metrics (KPIs) for supply chain performance, material availability, inventory levels, and supplier performance; identify and implement improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with engineering, program management, quality, finance, and business teams to ensure operational processes align with customer requirements and business objectives.
• Provide strategic recommendations to executive leadership related to capacity planning, supplier strategy, risk mitigation, and operational scalability.
• Ensure compliance with defense industry standards, ITAR, FAR, DFARS, and other applicable regulatory and customer requirements related to supply chain and logistics activities.
• Support business growth initiatives by identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency and strengthen supply chain resilience.
• Mentor and develop operations and supply chain leadership staff supporting strategic initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, or a related field;
  Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in operations within a manufacturing or defense-related environment.
• Strong experience leading supply chain, logistics, and material planning functions in a complex, regulated organization.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems, with experience using Microsoft Dynamics strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, FAR, DFARS, and other defense industry regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to drive process improvement initiatives using Lean and/or Six Sigma principles.
• Experience developing and managing operational KPIs and using data to drive decision-making.
• Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• 6% retirement plan contribution by SAPA Transmission (regardless of employee contribution to 401k plan).
• Paid Holiday, Time Off (PTO), and sick time.
• Medical, Rx, dental, vision and life insurance benefits with minimal employee contribution.
• Short and long-term disability.