Director of Manufacturing

Direct Mail / Transactional Mail Production

Employment: Full-time

Reports to: Global President of Operations & Manufacturing

Our client is an established leader in high-volume, data-driven print and mail manufacturing, with 40+ years of industry history. Operating across multiple U.S. production sites, they produce 10–20 million individualized mail pieces every month — from advertising direct mail to critical transactional and statement mail for municipalities, insurers, and government agencies. As a federal contractor, the company is especially strong in critical/transactional mail (utility and statement billing, insurance open-enrollment/AEP notices, renewal notices, and federal agency work) alongside advertising direct mail.

Facilities are modern, clean, well-lit, and temperature-controlled, running the newest high-speed inkjet, printing, folding, and inserting equipment.

We're seeking a Director of Manufacturing to own the overall leadership, strategy, and execution of a high-volume production plant in Greenville, SC — a 24/7, 365, two-shift operation producing 10–12 million mail pieces per month. You'll direct end-to-end operations: on-time, on-budget production; efficiency and quality; equipment and maintenance; and the leadership of 100+ people across six departments. This is a role central to the company's next chapter, with real room to shape strategy, drive operational excellence, and build culture.

This is a rare external opening for a seat the company typically promotes into — and leadership is being deliberately thorough to find the right long-term leader. For the right person, it's a genuinely fulfilling role with further opportunity beyond it.

• Develop and execute long-term manufacturing strategy aligned to organizational goals
• Guide the documentation of scalable, efficient workflows and production processes
• Direct and optimize production schedules — meeting milestones, deliverables, and budget constraints
• Drive continuous improvement in quality, efficiency, and cost control
• Lead and mentor Production Managers, Supervisors, and staff; foster a high-performance culture
• Monitor operations for quality and accuracy; introduce best practices and industry standards
• Own quality-control measures and evolve KPIs — run rates, downtime, production efficiency
• Coordinate preventative maintenance and champion equipment uptime
• Partner closely with Procurement, Estimating, Project Management, Sales, Customer Experience, and Postal Optimization
• Stay current on printing/finishing technology; lead evaluation and integration of new equipment
• Enforce safety protocols and regulatory compliance across the floor
• Maintain budgets, track costs, and lead cost-saving initiatives without compromising quality
• Champion training and professional development across the production team

Departments under this role:
Letter Shop / Inserting (the largest — 30+ staff plus temps in inserting alone), Digital Print, Maintenance, Quality Control, Facilities Management, and Warehouse (separate from manufacturing).

Direct reports:
Manager–Letter Shop
· Manager–Digital Print
· Supervisor–Maintenance
· Manager–Quality Control
· Supervisor–Facility Maintenance
· Supervisor–Warehouse.

Letter Shop / Inserting — the plant's largest department, running the high-speed inserters that fold and insert contents into each mailpiece. This is the core of the operation.

Equipment on the floor includes:

• High-speed inkjet web presses (with MICR capability)
• Multiple ultra-high-speed inserters with inline printing — sheet and roll input with cutter, accumulator & folder (capacity up to 400,000 envelopes/day)
• 13x19 sheet printers

• 5+ years of manufacturing leadership above department level, in a direct mail / transactional mail production environment (strong up-and-coming leaders are welcome — scope, breadth, and mindset matter more than exact tenure)
• A genuine manufacturing mindset — lean, data-driven, KPI- and metrics-focused. This is manufacturing, not "production" or a "mail house."
• Hands-on familiarity with digital continuous web / four-color variable inkjet printing and inline…