Vice President of Operations

Company: Southern Perfection Fabrication (SPF)

Location: Byron, Georgia — on-site

Reports to: President / Ownership

Status: Full-time

Compensation: Base salary + performance bonus

About Southern Perfection Fabrication

Founded in 1982 and family-owned across four generations, SPF is Middle Georgia's fabricator — a leading manufacturer of returnable transportation racks, carts, dollies, dock boards, load bars, and custom material handling equipment serving automotive, bakery, glass handling, defense, and general industrial customers across the U.S. and Canada.

We design, weld, machine, form, finish, and repair racks and other products under one roof, fabricating in carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, and magnesium. We are ISO 9001 certified and hold CAGE code 2W654 for defense program traceability. Racks are not a sideline for us — new builds, repair, and lifecycle service are the core of the business.

Role Summary

The VP of Operations owns everything that happens between the accepted order and the shipped, invoiced product. This is a hands‑on, plant‑floor leadership role in a family business: you will be accountable for safety, quality, on‑time delivery, throughput, and operating margin, while building the systems and bench strength that let SPF grow without losing the responsiveness and craftsmanship that customers buy us for.

You will partner directly with ownership on capacity, capital investment, and long‑range planning, and act as the operational voice in front of OEM and defense customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and department leads; build a real succession bench
• Address chronic skilled‑trade recruiting and retention — welders, machinists, fabricators — including apprenticeship and cross‑training pipelines with local technical colleges
• Set clear performance expectations, metrics, and accountability at every level of the operation
• Manage staffing levels, overtime, and shift structure against demand

Safety and Culture

• Own plant safety performance; drive a visible, non‑negotiable safety culture across welding, machining, finishing, and shipping areas
• Ensure OSHA compliance, hazard controls, PPE discipline, incident investigation, and corrective action follow‑through
• Model and reinforce the standards of a family‑owned shop: accountability, ownership, and respect on the floor

Manufacturing Operations

• Direct daily production across fabrication, robotic and manual welding, machining, forming, powder coat / finishing, and assembly
• Establish and manage production planning, scheduling, and shop load so promised dates are realistic and hit
• Drive throughput, labor efficiency, machine utilization, scrap reduction, and rework elimination
• Own the maintenance function — preventive maintenance programs, uptime, and tooling readiness
• Balance high‑mix custom work against repeat production runs without letting either starve the other

Quality

• Maintain and strengthen the ISO 9001 quality management system; own audit readiness and continuous certification
• Ensure documentation, traceability, and weld quality standards meet OEM and defense program requirements
• Lead root‑cause analysis and corrective action on customer complaints, warranty issues, and internal defects
• Partner with engineering on design‑for‑manufacturability so quotes, prints, and shop reality line up

Supply Chain

• Oversee purchasing, vendor performance, and inventory of steel, stainless, aluminum, magnesium, hardware, and outside services
• Manage material cost exposure, lead times, and mill/service center relationships; anticipate price and availability swings
• Improve inventory turns and reduce carrying cost without creating stockouts that idle the floor
• Oversee shipping, freight management, and logistics for outbound racks and repair returns

Financial and Commercial Performance

• Own the operations P&L: labor, materials, overhead, and gross margin by product family and by job
• Build and manage the operating budget and capital plan; deliver against it
• Provide costing and capacity input on quotes so SPF wins the right work at the right price
• Support sales and ownership in customer meetings, plant visits, audits, and program launches

Continuous Improvement and Growth

• Lead lean/continuous improvement work — value stream mapping, layout, standard work, 5S, changeover reduction
• Evaluate and justify automation and capital equipment investments, including robotic welding expansion
• Improve ERP/shop‑floor data discipline so decisions rest on real numbers, not tribal knowledge
• Build scalable processes and documentation that survive turnover and support multi‑shift or added‑capacity scenarios

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of manufacturing operations leadership, including 3+ years at plant manager, director, or VP level
• Demonstrated P&L ownership and a track record of measurable gains in safety, quality, delivery, or cost
• Working command of ISO 9001 quality systems and audit management
• Experience in high‑mix, custom or engineered‑to‑order environments, not solely high‑volume repetitive production
• Proven ability to lead hourly skilled‑trade workforces and develop frontline supervisors
• Practical lean / continuous improvement experience — implemented, not just certified
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, industrial technology, business, or equivalent experience

Preferred

• Experience serving automotive OEM/Tier 1 or defense customers, including PPAP, ITAR/CAGE, or government contract requirements
• Background in returnable packaging, material handling equipment, or racking
• Robotic welding, powder coating, or CNC machining process expertise
• ERP implementation or optimization experience in a small‑to‑mid‑size manufacturer
• Familiarity with family‑owned or privately held business dynamics and long‑tenured workforces
• Six Sigma, APICS/CSCP, or Lean certification

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary with performance‑based incentive tied to safety, delivery, quality, and margin
• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Relocation assistance available
• Direct access to ownership, real decision authority, and the chance to shape the operation of an established, growing Middle Georgia manufacturer

Southern Perfection Fabrication is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Employment is contingent on successful completion of a background check and drug screen. Some roles may require U.S. person status under ITAR for defense‑related work.