Operations Strategy & Planning Manager

VulcanForms

$121K — $166K *
Business Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field; MBA preferred.
  • 3-5 years in hardware or complex product environments
  • Experience with planning cadences (S&OP/SIOP, program reviews)
  • Strong proficiency in Excel and analytical problem solving
  • Ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical teams
  • Comfortable working in ambiguous situations with ownership of projects.

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement a management operating system for strategic clarity.
  • Define governance structures to ensure prompt and accountable decision-making.
  • Facilitate portfolio-level tradeoff discussions to guide executive decisions.
  • Standardize program health metrics and create concise reporting for leadership.
  • Enhance planning cadences, ensuring actions and follow-ups are effectively managed.
  • Develop visibility on resource and capacity constraints to inform planning.
  • Collaborate with Finance and HR on headcount and strategic capacity planning.
  • Connect engineering and product plans to overall business processes.
  • Identify early misalignments between departments and broker resolutions.
  • Support the creation of strategic plans with actionable roadmaps.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Generous paid time off
  • 401(k) plan with company match
  • Equity package as part of compensation.
  • Supportive team culture focused on professional growth.
Full Job Description
Job Purpose
  • As a Strategy & Planning Manager at VulcanForms, Devens, MA, your main objective will be to support the design and implementation of a structured management "operating system" for executive leadership team to drive high-impact initiatives across the organization. The role also assists in strengthening cross-functional planning processes, accelerating strategic priorities, and aligning plans with broader business operations and financial planning.
Key Responsibilities
  • Design and implement a company-wide management operating system (including intake, prioritization, decision rights, and escalation paths) that creates clarity on how strategy translates into funded, sequenced work.
  • Define and steward governance structures (steering committees, working groups, RACI frameworks) that ensure the right decisions are made at the right level with appropriate speed and accountability.
  • Drive portfolio-level tradeoff conversations by synthesizing competing priorities across business units and surfacing clear options and recommendations for executive decision-making.
  • Create and standardize program health metrics and reporting (OKRs, quarterly business reviews, rolling forecasts, decision frameworks) and package insights into concise, action-oriented materials for leadership.
  • Own and continuously improve cross-functional planning cadences - weekly program reviews, monthly exec updates, and quarterly planning cycles - ensuring actions, owners, and follow-through are consistently captured and resolved.
  • Develop practical resource and capacity visibility across engineering and operational teams (critical skills, bottlenecks, timing constraints) to support scenario planning and tradeoff recommendations.
  • Partner with Finance and HR Business Partners on headcount planning, workforce modeling, and the translation of strategic priorities into funded capacity.
  • Connect engineering and product program plans to broader business planning processes (readiness gates, production ramp assumptions, SIOP/IBP inputs) to drive tighter alignment between Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance.
  • Serve as a connective tissue role between functional leaders by identifying misalignments early, brokering resolution, and keeping the business moving without requiring executive escalation on routine coordination issues.
  • Support the development and socialization of annual and long-range strategic plans, translating leadership intent into actionable roadmaps with clear milestones and owners.
Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree required (engineering or related field). An MBA or comparable advanced degree is preferred.
  • 3-5 years experience in hardware, industrial, manufacturing, aerospace/defense, robotics, or other complex physical product environments
  • Familiarity with planning cadences (S&OP/SIOP, program reviews, portfolio management)
  • Strong analytical toolkit (Excel/Sheets; comfort with structured problem solving; crisp synthesis)
  • Able to work cross-functionally and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical teams
  • Comfort with ambiguity and end-to-end ownership of workstreams


VulcanForms offers a competitive salary and equity package. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, VulcanForms provides comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; generous paid time off; and a 401(k) plan with company match.

The annual base salary range for this position is $121,101.00 to $166,513.00

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at VulcanForms

More Business Services Jobs

Find similar Operations Strategy & Planning Manager jobs: