We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Director of Operations to join our Capsules Team at our Lebanon, Ohio manufacturing facility! The Director of Operations, Capsules provides strategic and operational leadership for the safe, compliant, and efficient manufacture of macro- and microcapsules in a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week environment. The role is accountable for translating business objectives into operational strategies, developing leadership capability, and driving sustained improvement in safety, quality, service, productivity, reliability, and cost. The Director leads through managers and supervisors, establishes clear performance expectations, and builds the systems, processes, and culture required to deliver consistent results across all shifts. The Director partners with global and functional teams to support customer requirements, strengthen manufacturing performance, implement change, and advance alignment with MANE's culture and strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership and Performance

• Establish and execute an operating strategy aligned with business and customer objectives.
• Translate business requirements into clear priorities, expectations, resource plans, and initiatives.
• Lead consistent execution of operating standards, processes, procedures, and accountabilities.
• Establish and manage key performance indicators for safety, people, service, quality, and cost.
• Use data and performance trends to identify opportunities, remove barriers, allocate resources, and hold leaders accountable for results.
• Align staffing, workforce capability, and job requirements to meet business demands.
• Participate in operations and resource planning and budgeting. Manage expenses against budgets.

Safety, Quality, and Compliance

• Champion a proactive safety culture in which employees and leaders identify hazards, manage risk, and take ownership for safe operations.
• Ensure appropriate equipment, processes, training, and leadership systems are in place to protect employees and maintain compliance.
• Partner with functional support departments to address systemic risks and improve performance.
• Ensure safety incidents, hazards, and quality nonconformances are investigated to root cause and addressed through sustainable corrective actions.
• Maintain alignment with global Capsules organization regarding process, quality and customers.
• Ensure SOPs and work instructions are current, risk-based, practical, and consistently applied.

Leadership and Talent Development

• Build a high-performing, accountable manufacturing leadership team capable of delivering results.
• Develop managers and supervisors through coaching, feedback, performance expectations, and targeted capability-building plans.
• Establish talent review, succession, cross-training, and leadership-development strategies.
• Identify high-performing employees and create development opportunities to support talent redundancy and future leadership needs.
• Promote a culture of respect, transparency, inclusion, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Ensure consistent application of performance-management practices, including recognition, coaching, development, and accountability.
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, development, and employee relations.

Continuous Improvement and Change Leadership

• Establish a culture of proactive problem solving and continuous improvement.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives using structured problem-solving methods.
• Challenge established practices and lead simplification of manufacturing processes.
• Prioritize improvement activities based on business impact, and available resources.
• Anticipate changes in business conditions, customer needs, and organizational requirements.
• Develop and execute change-management plans addressing people, processes, capabilities, training, and communication.
• Ensure improvements are sustained through clear ownership, effective standards, performance measures, and leadership routines.

Cross-Functional and Organizational Alignment

• Develop an integrated operating plan connecting production requirements with people, equipment, materials, training, quality, and maintenance capabilities.
• Coordinate with functional support departments to resolve systemic issues.
• Ensure effective systems are in place for performance review processes, and follow-through.
• Ensure training systems develop and verify employee capability, including qualified trainers, current work standards, and measures of training effectiveness.
• Maintain effective channels for employee ideas, concerns, and improvement opportunities, with visible follow-through.
• Ensure operational changes are effectively communicated and implemented across all shifts.
• Represent Capsules Operations in cross-functional and global forums.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, technical studies, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years progressive leadership experience in a complex manufacturing environment, including responsibility for a multi-shift or 24/7 workforce.
• Demonstrated success leading managers and supervisors through operational improvement, organizational change, and performance transformation.
• Proven ability to improve safety, quality, productivity, service, and cost through effective leadership
• Experience in flavor, fragrance, pharmaceutical, food, chemical, or other highly technical manufacturing environments preferred.
• Experience in an ISO 9001-certified or similarly regulated environment preferred.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, root-cause analysis, or other continuous-improvement methodologies preferred.
• Strong business acumen, including experience with budgeting, resource planning, KPI management, and operational decision-making.
• Excellent communication, coaching, influencing, and change-leadership skills.

Leadership Expectations

The Director is expected to lead with a visible commitment to safety, quality, integrity, and respect; build trust through transparency and consistency; develop leaders and systems rather than rely on personal intervention in daily execution; create clarity around priorities and accountability; and build an operation capable of delivering consistent results and improving over time.

MANE offers industry leading benefits including a generous PTO plan. Additional benefits include paid holidays, annual year-end shutdown, annual and bi-weekly 401(k) contributions, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave, employee assistance programs and many more. MANE is known for having a culture that focuses on our employees and their well-being. See for yourself why our employees love working at MANE!