Position SummaryThe Director of Operations for the Smith-Blair business within Xylem provides strategic and operational leadership for manufacturing activities to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable operations that meet customer, quality, delivery, and financial commitments. This leader is responsible for driving performance across production, materials flow, quality, maintenance, and continuous improvement while building a culture of accountability, engagement, and operational excellence. Also has responsibility for Supply Chain and Maintenance for the Smith-Blair business.
This role partners closely with commercial, engineering, quality, EH&S, finance, and site leadership to align manufacturing execution with business priorities. The Director of Operations is expected to lead from the floor, develop high-performing teams, and drive sustainable improvements in safety, productivity, cost, and service.
What You'll Do:- Lead manufacturing operations with a strong commitment to safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance.
- Champion a culture where safety is a core value and operational discipline is visible in daily management practices and leadership behaviors.
- Drive plant performance through clear operating rhythms, KPI reviews, tiered accountability, and effective problem-solving.
- Partner with supply chain and planning teams to align capacity, staffing, inventory, and production schedules with customer demand.
- Work closely with quality and engineering teams to reduce defects, improve process control, and strengthen corrective and preventive action disciplines.
- Lead continuous improvement efforts using lean principles and structured problem-solving to eliminate waste, improve flow, and increase throughput.
- Oversee manufacturing resource utilization, labor productivity, equipment effectiveness, and plant readiness to meet business objectives.
- Support maintenance and reliability strategies that improve uptime, asset care, and long-term operating stability.
- Develop operational talent through coaching, performance expectations, leadership development, and succession planning.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships that improve responsiveness, execution, and alignment across the business.
- Own and manage operating budgets, cost performance, and capital planning inputs to support growth and productivity objectives.
- Ensure compliance with all Xylem standards, EH&S requirements, and applicable regulatory expectations.
Leadership ExpectationsThe successful candidate will be a visible and engaged manufacturing leader who can connect strategy to execution and translate business priorities into measurable plant outcomes. This person should be comfortable operating at both a strategic and tactical level, with the ability to drive daily accountability while leading broader operational improvements.
This leader is expected to create clarity, build trust, and raise performance standards across the organization. They should bring a continuous improvement mindset, strong operational judgment, and a commitment to developing people and teams.
What You'll Bring- Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, manufacturing, supply chain, business, or a related field is required. An advanced degree is a plus.
- 10+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations experience
- 5+ years of leadership experience in a plant or manufacturing operations environment
- Proven success leading cross-functional teams and delivering measurable operational improvement
- Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and KPI-based performance management
- Experience in a multi-shift or high-mix manufacturing environment preferred
