Director of Operations - Multi-site Manufacturing

Director of Operations

Position Detail Information
Location: Vaughan or Windsor, Ontario
Industry: Advanced Manufacturing & Precision Machining
Primary Focus: Multi-site manufacturing operations and operational performance

Position Overview
A leading manufacturing organization is seeking an accomplished Director of Operations to provide hands-on leadership across its regional manufacturing operations. The Director will be accountable for safe, reliable, and efficient performance within facilities focused on high-precision manufacturing.
This executive operations role requires a leader who can move comfortably between strategy and the plant floor. The successful candidate will align multiple sites around consistent operating standards, strengthen accountability through meaningful performance measures, and improve capacity, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
The ideal candidate brings extensive leadership experience in high-volume or complex manufacturing and understands the discipline required in regulated or safety-critical environments.

Leadership Mandate
The Director of Operations will establish a unified operating rhythm across locations while respecting the needs of each plant. The mandate is to develop capable leaders, build reliable systems, remove operational constraints, and ensure that improvements are sustained through clear ownership and follow-through.
Key Responsibilities
Multi-Site Operational Leadership

• Lead manufacturing operations across multiple sites, ensuring alignment with company priorities and customer commitments.
• Translate business objectives into practical operating plans, priorities, and performance expectations for each location.
• Maintain a visible presence on the plant floor and work directly with site leaders to resolve constraints and improve execution.
• Establish consistent operating practices, management routines, and decision-making processes across facilities.
• Balance production requirements, labor, equipment, and capacity across sites to support delivery performance and business growth.
• Lead operational reviews and ensure that commitments, corrective actions, and improvement initiatives are completed on time.

Manufacturing Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and overall equipment performance through disciplined operating practices.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators that provide clear visibility into plant and multi-site performance.
• Strengthen production planning, scheduling, labor utilization, workflow, and capacity management.
• Identify bottlenecks and recurring losses in core production processes, then lead practical corrective action.
• Advance continuous improvement through standard work, visual management, root-cause problem solving, and data-based decision making.
• Evaluate capital requirements, equipment utilization, and process capability to support reliable output and future demand.
• Ensure that new programs, equipment, and process changes are introduced with appropriate planning, controls, and operational readiness.

Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Compliance

• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure leaders are accountable for safe work practices and timely corrective action.
• Ensure operational practices support applicable regulatory, customer, quality, and environmental requirements.
• Partner with quality and technical teams to improve process control, reduce defects, and prevent recurrence of manufacturing issues.
• Maintain the operating discipline, documentation, and risk awareness expected in regulated or safety-critical manufacturing.
• Review significant incidents, quality concerns, and operational risks, ensuring root causes are understood and actions are sustained.

People and Leadership Development

• Build a capable, accountable operations leadership team across all locations.
• Set clear expectations for plant and functional leaders and provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance management.
• Develop succession plans and strengthen leadership depth for critical manufacturing and operational roles.
• Promote collaboration across Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and other business functions.
• Create an environment in which employees understand priorities, raise issues early, and participate in improvement.

Business Planning and Executive Support

• Contribute operational insight to business planning, forecasting, investment decisions, and growth initiatives.
• Develop and manage operating plans and budgets in partnership with the appropriate business functions.
• Provide senior leadership with clear assessments of performance, risks, capacity, and required actions.
• Support customer and stakeholder discussions involving operational capability, delivery, quality, or recovery plans.
• Evaluate acquisitions, expansions, transfers, or other strategic initiatives from an operational perspective when required.

Qualifications and Experience

• 15 years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including multi-site leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading high-volume or complex manufacturing operations in a hands-on capacity.
• Experience working in a regulated or safety-critical manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of production systems, plant management, capacity planning, maintenance, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Track record of improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance through sustainable operating systems.
• Experience building strong leadership teams and driving accountability across locations and functions.
• Ability to interpret operational and financial information and translate it into clear priorities and decisions.
• Strong communication, change leadership, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Background experience in metal fabrication, machining, precision component manufacturing, or related heavy industrial processes is an asset.

Education

• A university degree in engineering, manufacturing, business, or a related discipline is preferred.
• An MBA is preferred.
• Equivalent senior manufacturing leadership experience will also be considered.

Leadership Profile
The successful candidate is a credible and decisive manufacturing leader who earns trust through visibility, follow-through, and practical problem solving. They set high standards, use data effectively, and remain closely connected to the realities of production.
They are equally comfortable setting multi-site direction, coaching plant leaders, and working with teams on the floor to stabilize performance. Their leadership creates clearer priorities, stronger accountability, and measurable operational improvement.