Sr. Operations Manager - Gas Struts
Force Motion Group (FMG) is seeking a Sr. Operations Manager - Gas Struts to lead gas strut manufacturing at Hyson in Brecksville, Ohio. Reporting to the General Manager, this role owns production operations and manufacturing engineering for gas struts, including machining, assembly processes, and material flow. They are accountable for safety, quality, delivery, and cost while also building the team, processes, standard work, and shift capability needed to scale. We are looking for a hands-on operations leader who can run production today while building the discipline the business will need to scale.
Key Responsibilities- Own daily production execution for gas strut operations, including machining, assembly, charging, and test, and delivering to schedule, quality, and cost commitments.
- Lead the daily management system including shift start-up, output tracking, real-time escalation of constraints, and resolution of issues that impact delivery.
- Partner with planning to convert the production schedule into an executable plan; balance capacity, changeovers, and material availability across work centers.
- Drive safety performance for the gas strut area: enforce safe work practices, lead hazard identification and corrective action, and ensure PPE and equipment safety standards are met without exception.
- Accountable for quality performance for the line: drive first-pass yield, control scrap and rework, and lead structured root cause corrective action on internal and customer-reported issues.
- Ensure adherence to the quality management system, including work instructions, in-process inspection, control plans, and product traceability.
- Direct the manufacturing engineering work for the line, including process development, routings, work instructions, fixturing, tooling, and equipment requirements.
- Lead process validation, capability studies, and cycle time improvement to bring new products and processes to stable, repeatable production.
- Partner with product engineering on new product introduction, providing design for manufacturability input and owning the transition of new products into full production.
- Define equipment, tooling, and layout requirements to support volume growth; build the technical and business justification for capital requests and execute approved projects.
- Own equipment reliability including preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts strategy, and uptime performance in partnership with maintenance resources.
- Build, lead, and develop a team of machinists, assemblers, and technical staff supporting the line.
- Drive the staffing, training, and cross-training activities required to mature the operations and scale as needed.
- Develop and maintain a skills matrix and operator certification process that gives the line depth at critical operations.
- Set clear performance expectations, provide regular feedback, and address performance issues directly and fairly.
- Serve as the operations point of contact for the gas strut business, working with sales, quality, sourcing, and finance on customer commitments, supplier performance, and product cost.
- Lead continuous improvement across the value stream using Lean methods, targeting throughput, changeover time, labor productivity, and inventory.
- Maintain 5S and establish visual management standards throughout the area.
- Track and report operational performance, including safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost, with clear countermeasures where targets are missed.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
- Adhere to the Company Code of Ethics and Values.
Skills & Qualifications:- 7+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including at least 3 years leading a production team in a supervisory or management capacity.
- Demonstrated ownership of safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance for a production area, cell, or value stream.
- Experience in precision machining and mechanical assembly environments; familiarity with CNC turning and Swiss lathe operations strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of manufacturing engineering fundamentals, including process development, routings, work instructions, fixturing, tooling, and cycle time analysis.
- Demonstrated experience bringing new products or processes from launch into stable, repeatable production.
- Experience scaling a production area, including adding shifts and staffing, training, and certifying a growing team.
- Working knowledge of quality management systems and industry standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or AS9100.
- Proficiency with structured problem solving and root cause methods such as 5-Why, A3, 8D, and fishbone analysis, and the ability to teach them to others.
- Practical experience applying Lean manufacturing methods, including 5S, standard work, visual management, and changeover reduction.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T callouts, and work instructions.
- Experience using ERP and MES systems for production scheduling, work order management, and performance reporting.
- Experience with sealed gas-charged assemblies, sealing systems, hydraulics, or pneumatics is a plus.
- Strong people leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and hold a team accountable.
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity and limited infrastructure in a high-mix, low-volume environment; willing to be hands-on where the work requires it.
- Clear and direct communicator, effective with shop floor teams and with senior leadership alike.
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to use production data to drive decisions and priorities.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred but not required.
- Willingness and ability to travel occasionally, up to 10%, in support of business needs.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education:- Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, industrial technology, operations management, or a related field required.
Physical Demands:The characteristics listed below are representative of the physical demands required by an individual to successfully perform the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and sit; use hands and fingers to handle tools, parts, paperwork, or machine controls; and reach with hands and arms.
- The employee spends significant time on the manufacturing floor, including walking, standing, bending, and climbing stairs.
- The employee is frequently required to talk and/or hear in an environment with elevated noise levels.
- The employee may occasionally be required to lift and/or move up to 35 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment:- The characteristics listed below are representative of the work environment typically encountered by an individual while performing the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee works in both a normal office environment and an active manufacturing environment.
- Exposure to moving mechanical parts, machine coolant and lubricants, metal chips, and elevated noise levels is expected; personal protective equipment is required in designated areas.
- Occasional work outside of normal business hours may be required to support production needs, including off-shift coverage as the line moves to two shifts.
