Senior Operations ManagerManufacturing & Lean Operations | Industrial Equipment & Speciality GasOn-site in Phoenix, AZCompetitive Salary
We are hiring a
Senior Operations Manager - Manufacturing & Lean Operations to lead manufacturing, supply chain, production planning, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives within an industrial equipment and specialty gas manufacturing environment. This leadership role focuses on Lean manufacturing, operational excellence, profitability, production execution, and scalable growth while driving productivity, quality, safety, on-time delivery, and operational performance across the manufacturing value stream.
Responsibilities:- Lead all manufacturing, assembly, testing, logistics, production planning, and operational activities supporting specialty gas and engineered equipment products.
- Develop and execute operational strategies that align manufacturing capabilities with customer requirements, business growth, and financial objectives.
- Manage daily manufacturing operations to achieve production schedules while meeting quality, safety, delivery, cost, and profitability goals.
- Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, Root Cause Analysis, and KPI-driven performance management.
- Establish operational metrics, visual management systems, and accountability processes to improve productivity, throughput, and manufacturing performance.
- Lead new product introduction (NPI) readiness, product transitions, and operational scalability initiatives.
- Promote a strong safety culture by maintaining workplace safety standards and supporting employee engagement initiatives.
- Own operational profitability and gross margin performance across manufacturing and project execution activities.
- Identify and implement initiatives that improve contribution margins through productivity improvements, material cost reductions, waste elimination, and process optimization.
- Improve manufacturing absorption, capacity utilization, operational efficiency, and resource utilization.
- Lead, mentor, and develop manufacturing, planning, supply chain, and operations personnel to support organizational growth.
- Build operational capabilities, succession planning strategies, and performance management systems that enable long-term business scalability.
- Collaborate closely with Product Management, Project Management, Engineering, Business Development, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to ensure operational alignment and successful customer delivery.
Qualifications:- U.S. Citizenship is required by Federal Law
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Business, or a related discipline preferred.
- 8+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations leadership experience.
- 5+ years leading cross-functional manufacturing, supply chain, or operations organizations.
- Proven experience managing manufacturing operations within semiconductor, specialty gas, industrial equipment, capital equipment, automation, high-purity systems, or other advanced manufacturing environments.
- Experience supporting engineered-to-order (ETO), configure-to-order (CTO), and standardized manufacturing operations.
- Strong knowledge of production planning, materials management, supply chain operations, quality systems, fabrication, assembly, testing, and manufacturing processes.
- Demonstrated success implementing Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence initiatives.
- Experience with Lean tools and methodologies including Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, Root Cause Analysis, and KPI-driven management systems.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing financial performance, operational profitability, gross margin improvement, budgeting, forecasting, cost reduction, and operational analytics.
- Proven ability to improve manufacturing productivity, operational efficiency, customer delivery performance, and profitability through data-driven decision making.
Preferred Qualifications:- MBA or other advanced business degree.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent certification.
- Experience leading organizational transformation and operational standardization initiatives.
- Experience improving manufacturing absorption, inventory performance, capacity utilization, and operational scalability.
- Background in semiconductor manufacturing, specialty gas systems, industrial equipment, capital equipment, or advanced manufacturing industries.
