Director Manufacturing Operations – Custom Machine Builds

Location: Addison, IL | Schedule: Full-time, onsite five days per week | Compensation: Not specified

Overview

A global precision machine tool manufacturer that builds custom, engineered-to-order equipment for industrial, semiconductor, optics, and advanced materials customers is seeking a Director of Manufacturing Operations for its North America operation. This is a compact, well-established shop of roughly 15 people across production, machining, warehouse, and skilled trades, including machinists, machine builders, electricians, and quality inspection, supported by two in-house application labs. The business is investing in its North America footprint, including a move into a new state-of-the-art facility in Addison and a planned expansion from one shift to two, and this role will lead the operational side of both transitions while production continues uninterrupted.

What you'll do

• Own all manufacturing and operational functions, including machining, assembly, production planning, inventory control, logistics, and facilities
• Set operational strategy, establish KPIs, and drive continuous improvement that measurably moves productivity, quality, and delivery
• Maintain alignment across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Project Management, Sales, and Service
• Own production scheduling, resource planning, inventory management, and material availability so that custom builds, customer orders, and new product introduction work are executed to commitment
• Establish disciplined labor planning and capacity management, coordinating priorities across concurrent builds while proactively addressing bottlenecks, supplier risk, and forecast requirements
• Lead the operational side of the facility move, including equipment relocation, layout and workflow design, and sequencing the transition to protect delivery throughout
• Plan and execute the expansion to two shifts, including staffing, supervision coverage, and shift handoff practices
• Ensure compliance with customer requirements and quality standards
• Lead Lean, 5S, Six Sigma, and root-cause problem solving
• Manage departmental P&L, operational budgets, labor utilization, manufacturing costs, and capital investment in support of gross margin
• Build and develop the operations team through accountability, collaboration, and safety
• Develop organizational capability, succession plans, and workforce strategy
• Champion safety and operational discipline, ensuring compliance with OSHA, environmental regulations, and industry standards

Required qualifications

• Manufacturing operations leadership experience in a machine tool, custom machine build, engineered-to-order, capital equipment, industrial machinery, or automation environment; candidates whose experience is exclusively high-volume or repetitive production will not be a fit
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership, including responsibility for production, planning, inventory, supply chain, and workforce management
• Demonstrated strength in production scheduling and labor planning, the central requirement of the role
• Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, ERP/MRP systems, inventory management, and manufacturing financials
• Experience leading in a small to mid-size shop, roughly 10 to 75 people on the floor, and comfort operating without a large support staff
• Highly organized, strong multitasker, comfortable working hands-on
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or related field

Preferred qualifications

• Plant startup, facility relocation, or site consolidation experience
• Experience scaling an operation from one shift to two
• Integration experience supporting acquisitions
• Background with CNC machining, mechanical assembly, precision grinding, lapping, honing, or finishing equipment
• Experience in job shop or project-based manufacturing rather than line production

Why this role

This is a build-on-a-good-foundation role, not a turnaround, where the Director sits one step from the General Manager with no layer of bureaucracy, and leads both a facility move and a shift expansion for an operation that is already well staffed with strong machinists and capable leaders in place.