Canadian Solar

Senior Director, Operations

Canadian Solar • $130K — $180K *
Mesquite, TX 75150In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or related field (Master's preferred).
  • 10+ years of leadership in manufacturing operations; planning, logistics, and industrial engineering experience preferred.
  • Ability to manage multi-site operations and improve delivery, cost, and productivity metrics.
  • Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, standard work frameworks, constraint management, and root cause analysis.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills across different departments.

Responsibilities

  • Build and enhance planning parameters including lead times and constraints.
  • Lead planning responses to disruptions with rapid re-planning in collaboration with teams.
  • Establish a multi-site planning operating system with reviews and governance.
  • Manage the Master Production Schedule and align changes appropriately.
  • Oversee logistics operations across multiple sites, optimizing transportation costs and timelines.
  • Govern end-to-end order fulfillment, ensuring accountability and transparency.
  • Drive cross-site transformation initiatives related to operational systems.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead transformative projects across multiple sites.
  • Access to executive-level visibility and reporting opportunities.
  • Engagement in high-impact, cross-functional collaboration.
  • Focus on data-driven improvements in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Full Job Description
Primary Responsibilities:

Master Planning
1)Build and continuously improve planning parameters and master data discipline (lead times, yields, routings, pack specs, MOQ, constraints).
2)Lead exception-based planning for disruptions (material shortages, downtime, quality holds) and execute rapid re-planning with cross-functional alignment.
3)Establish and lead the multi-site planning operating system (S&OP cadence, supply reviews, capacity reviews, plan governance).
4)Own the Master Production Schedule (MPS) and weekly/monthly rolling plan, including freeze windows, change control, and escalation.
5)Drive capacity planning (RCCP) and bottleneck management; align shift patterns, labor availability, maintenance windows, and line readiness.
Logistics
1)Lead inbound/outbound logistics operations across three sites, including carrier strategy and (if applicable) 3PL governance.
2)Optimize transportation cost, load planning, routing, consolidation, and shipping cycle times; manage detention/demurrage where applicable.
3)Ensure compliance with shipping documentation, trade compliance (as applicable), and customer packaging/labeling requirements.
Order Fulfillment
1)Own end-to-end order fulfillment governance from order release to shipment and delivery performance; ensure transparency and accountability.
2)Define and enforce ATP/CTP logic, allocation rules, priority framework, and escalation process to protect plant stability while meeting customer commitments.
3)Partner with Sales/Commercial and Customer Service to translate demand into executable supply signals without creating production disruption.
4)Manage backlog health, expedite controls, customer-critical order war room processes, and root cause closure for misses.
5)Establish reporting dashboards (OTIF, backlog aging, lead time, expedite rate) and drive corrective actions to improve reliability.

Industrial Engineering (IE)
1)Own IE strategy across sites: line balancing, standard work, labor standards, takt/cycle time optimization, OEE improvement.
2)Lead productivity initiatives: layout optimization, material flow design, ergonomics, automation feasibility, and indirect labor optimization.
3)Build labor models and staffing plans aligned with the master schedule; quantify productivity targets and savings.
4)Drive structured problem solving (A3/8D), Kaizen programs, and sustainment mechanisms to prevent regression.
5)Partner with Ops/Quality/Maintenance to reduce scrap/rework and improve process capability through data-driven improvements.
Special Projects / Transformation
1)Lead cross-site transformation initiatives (ERP/MES/WMS enhancements, planning system upgrades, operational standardization).
2)Own project governance: charters, milestones, ROI/business cases, risk/issue management (RAID), and executive reporting.
3)Drive ramp-up readiness programs (new lines, new products, capacity expansion) with clear deliverables across people/process/equipment/material.
4)Lead cross-functional integration projects (e.g., organizational redesign, cross-site operating model, KPI system harmonization).
5)Ensure sustainable change adoption through training, SOP updates, and audit mechanisms.

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or related field (Master's preferred).
  • 10+ years in manufacturing operations leadership; experience leading planning + logistics + IE is strongly preferred.
  • Proven ability to run multi-site operations cadence and deliver measurable improvements in delivery, cost, and productivity.
  • Strong toolkit: Lean manufacturing, standard work, constraint management, root cause analysis; strong data/KPI governance.
  • Demonstrated stakeholder management across Sales/Commercial, Planning, Ops, Quality, and Finance.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in high-volume discrete manufacturing (e.g., solar/module/cell, electronics, automotive, battery).
  • ERP/MES implementation or transformation program experience.
  • Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt) or equivalent CI leadership.

Leadership Competencies
  • High rigor, strong execution discipline, and clear accountability management.
  • Ability to balance customer promise with plant stability; strong decision-making under constraints.
  • Change leadership and talent development across functions and sites.
  • Executive-level communication and structured reporting.

#CSPowerSystems

About Canadian Solar

Canadian Solar Inc. is a publicly traded company that manufactures solar PV modules and provides solar energy solutions. It was founded in 2001 in Canada and has since expanded to over 20 countries. Canadian Solar has delivered over 38 GW of solar modules to customers in over 150 countries. In 2018, Canadian Solar was ranked #6 on the list of top solar panel manufacturers by PV Tech. The company is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Learn more about Canadian Solar
Size
13,535 employees
Market Cap
$1.9 billion
Industry
Energy & Utilities
Net Income
$299.3 million
Founded
2001
5 Year Trend
+13.1%
Revenue
$3.5 billion
NASDAQ
CSIQ
* Ladders Estimates

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