Vice President of Manufacturing

Rooted in humility, hard work, and some fun and a little weirdness (one of our six ‘Guiding Principles’), we’re a dedicated manufacturer obsessed with experiential and outdoor marketing. Everything from design to production happens under one roof, ensuring our products are proudly American made. As a talented team of LEAN thinkers, we’re committed to continuous improvement and creative solutions, ready to get scrappy when needed to deliver magic for our clients.

Cool, right? Sound like you? Let’s talk!

We are looking for a high-energy, fun (and a little weird), organized and passionate VP of Manufacturing. You are obsessed with Service, Speed, and Quality, and committed to protecting them at any cost. This person will oversee all aspects of manufacturing including Engineering, Print, Sewing Fabrication, Metal Fabrication and Quality Assurance. Our ideal candidate is an Engineer at the core, with the ability to tackle and solve challenging engineering and operational problems that require resourcefulness, creative thinking, and collaboration.

Reporting to the CEO, the VP of Manufacturing is a critical leadership role at Tent Craft with P&L responsibility. You are the voice of reason, bringing sound logic to the executive table. We are a growth environment, so you thrive at a fast pace making data-driven decisions that solve problems. Although you are a proven Manufacturing leader, you still have a passion and desire to be on the floor and shoulder-to-shoulder with your team.

This position is on-site in Traverse City, MI. Not from Traverse City? That’s ok, we aren’t all from here either, but we do all share a passion for the community and area in which we work and play, so make sure to tell us about your passion or connection to Traverse City in your cover letter! Relocation assistance offered.

• Collaborate with the President and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) on cross-functional strategy.
• Develop assets, people and systems. Continuously improve and direct the establishment, implementation and maintenance of production standards while supporting the overall vision and direction of the company.
• Manage the production organizational chart: plan, hire, develop, and retain only the best talent.
• Work closely with product and manufacturing teams to drive a culture of design for excellence throughout all stages of product development and manufacturing processes.
• Responsible for P&L of all aspects surrounding manufacturing.
• Oversee engineering viability, floor layout, space design, new equipment procurement and set-up as it relates to New Product Introduction (NPI)
• Maintain constant touch points with Engineering team to ensure disciplined document control.
• Identify, recommend and implement changes to improve productivity and reduce cost.
• Monitor, measure, and analyze scrap and rework data to improve manufacturing performance.
• Partner with Customer Service and Sales to establish achievable delivery commitments, communicate risks early, and develop practical recovery plans.
• Other duties as assigned by the President.

Success will be measured through schedule attainment and on-time completion, production output and efficiency, lead times, first-pass quality, rework and scrap, bottleneck throughput, equipment reliability, employee trust and retention, workforce development, cross-training, and safety performance.

• Include a cover letter that creatively and uniquely qualifies you for this role at Tent Craft.
• Core engineering mindset with the right decision-making logic in your DNA: BS/MS engineering, MBA highly preferred.
• 10+ years of combined operations experience in medium to large-size companies, supporting the launch of product from prototype to rapid…