Position: Operations Manager
Location: Salisbury, NC
Department: Operations / Manufacturing
Reports To: General Manager
Classification: Exempt
Shift: Full-Time; must be available to support a 24/7 manufacturing operation
Travel: Approximately 25%
Compensation: $111,000-167,000+ 2.5% quarterly earnings opportunity
Now Hiring: Operations Manager (Salisbury, NC)
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A confidential metals manufacturing company is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead all aspects of plant manufacturing operations, including safety, quality, engineering, purchasing, production planning, workforce management, financial performance, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
1. Job Summary
The Operations Manager provides overall leadership for manufacturing operations with responsibility for achieving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, and operational performance objectives. This position manages both exempt and hourly employees while coordinating manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, scheduling, maintenance, financial planning, and other plant functions.
This role requires a technically strong manufacturing leader with experience managing complex production environments and developing high-performing teams. The Operations Manager will drive continuous improvement across melting and raw material processing operations, improve equipment reliability and production efficiency, and ensure manufacturing capacity is aligned with customer demand.
2. Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Manufacturing Operations
- Lead and manage daily plant manufacturing operations within a 24/7 production environment.
- Manage production planning to develop efficient and productive melting schedules while meeting customer demand.
- Oversee plasma cold hearth melting and raw material support processes.
- Maintain reliable and safe manufacturing systems while improving production rates, efficiency, yield, costs, and changeover performance.
- Identify and implement innovative solutions to manufacturing problems and production constraints.
- Coordinate manufacturing resources to achieve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
- Ensure staffing levels and production capabilities support current and projected business requirements.
Leadership & Team Development
- Build, lead, and develop a multifunctional manufacturing team.
- Provide leadership to exempt and hourly production employees.
- Coach employees and leaders at all organizational levels to improve operational performance.
- Establish clear performance expectations and accountability for results.
- Develop and retain talent through coaching, feedback, training, and employee development.
- Promote effective communication and collaboration across plant functions.
- Support a high-performance culture focused on safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Safety & Quality
- Lead the organization toward a sustainable, proactive safety culture.
- Drive manufacturing operations toward zero-defect quality performance.
- Ensure established safety, quality, and operational procedures are consistently followed.
- Identify operational risks and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
- Lead failure analysis and root cause corrective/preventive action initiatives.
- Partner with plant leadership to improve safety and quality performance.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify and implement continuous improvements to manufacturing systems and processes.
- Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and structured process improvement methodologies.
- Evaluate manufacturing processes to identify opportunities to improve throughput, yield, cost, reliability, and quality.
- Lead improvement initiatives addressing operational constraints and recurring production problems.
- Establish sustainable process improvements and monitor results.
- Promote continuous improvement throughout all levels of the organization.
Production Planning & Supply Chain
- Manage raw material demand and purchasing requirements.
- Coordinate production scheduling based on equipment capacity, material availability, and customer demand.
- Support freight, distribution, and material-flow requirements.
- Balance production efficiency with customer delivery commitments.
- Partner with Purchasing and other operational teams to maintain adequate materials and production resources.
Maintenance & Equipment Reliability
- Manage and coordinate manufacturing equipment preventive maintenance, fabrication, and repair activities.
- Ensure production equipment and manufacturing systems remain safe and reliable.
- Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to reduce downtime and improve equipment performance.
- Support equipment modifications and process improvements.
- Identify reliability improvements that increase production capacity, efficiency, and equipment availability.
Financial & Budget Management
- Manage plant financial performance, including variable costs, fixed costs, raw materials, operating expenses, and capital planning.
- Develop and manage budgets aligned with operational and business objectives.
- Manage exempt and non-exempt labor costs to achieve budget targets.
- Identify opportunities to reduce operating costs and improve manufacturing profitability.
- Evaluate capital requirements and prioritize investments based on operational needs and expected business impact.
Business & Organizational Leadership
- Implement and support organizational policies, goals, objectives, and procedures.
- Partner with Engineering, Purchasing, Human Resources, Finance, Sales, and other functional teams.
- Align manufacturing operations with customer requirements and broader business objectives.
- Manage multiple projects and operational priorities simultaneously.
- Support special projects and additional operational responsibilities as required.
3. Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 7+ years of engineering and/or manufacturing experience.
- Minimum of 2 years of leadership experience within manufacturing operations.
- Demonstrated experience managing production operations and manufacturing teams.
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, production scheduling, and equipment reliability.
- Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and process improvement methodologies.
- Experience performing failure analysis and implementing root cause corrective actions.
- Strong understanding of production planning, manufacturing efficiency, yield, cost, and quality performance.
- Experience managing operational budgets and manufacturing costs.
- Strong leadership, communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and operational requirements.
- Ability to support a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week manufacturing operation.
- Ability to travel approximately 25%.
- Must meet applicable U.S. export/import control eligibility requirements.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Business Management, or a related discipline.
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
- Experience with plasma cold hearth melting, specialty metals, titanium, or related metals processing operations.
- Experience managing raw material purchasing and demand planning.
- Experience with freight, distribution, and manufacturing supply chain operations.
- Experience managing capital planning and manufacturing equipment investments.
- Experience leading multifunctional teams across Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and Supply Chain.
4. Physical Requirements
- Frequently communicate, stand, walk, and sit while performing job responsibilities.
- Regularly use hands to operate computers, equipment, and other workplace tools.
- Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to perform work requiring close, color, peripheral, and depth vision.
- Ability to periodically enter and work within an active industrial manufacturing environment.
- May occasionally work around moving mechanical equipment, elevated work areas, fumes, airborne particles, chemicals, and electrical hazards.
- Ability to wear required personal protective equipment when entering production areas.
- Ability to work safely in areas with moderate industrial noise levels.
