Director of Operations

Director of Operations — Precision Fabrication & Machine Building Position :

Director of Operations Size of operation :

20 employees, incl. 15 skilled trades Operations :

Single plant: fabrication, welding, electrical, assembly and custom machine builds; high-mix, low-volume Direct reports :

Shop floor leads, production planning, materials and purchasing, Employment :

Permanent, full-time Compensation :

Base salary CAD$125,000–$145,000 + performance bonus + benefits Career path :

Development path to General Manager THE OPPORTUNITY

Our client, a privately held industrial manufacturing group, is seeking a Director of Operations for one of its operating companies: an established small manufacturer of fabricated components, custom industrial machinery and assembled products, serving external OEM customers as well as other companies within the group. The business is planned to roughly double its revenue in 2027. The General Manager owns the P&L, customers, sales and engineering. The Director of Operations owns everything between order and shipment, with full authority over the shop floor: production, planning, purchasing, stores, quality and the people who run them. The immediate focus is implementing a new ERP: costing, creating bills of materials, production orders, and tracking efficiency and quality. This is a role for a high-potential operations leader who wants to grow: the successful candidate will be developed to step up to General Manager. PRIORITIES FOR THE FIRST 12 MONTHS

What it means

Implement new ERP. Lead the new ERP implementation end to end: product costing, creating BOMs, production orders on every job, and tracking labour efficiency and quality — one system of record for the plant. Measure the cost. Job costing on every job — estimate vs actual reconciled, no inventory variances or costing surprises; accurate cost data for quoting and the P&L. Organise the plant. Inventory control and accurate item master, purchasing discipline (no order without a PO), controlled stores, 5S, defined material flow. Deliver with the capacity in place. Plan and schedule the shop to deliver about twice the volume without routine overtime or temporary labour; on-time delivery measured weekly. Drive efficiency and quality. Labour efficiency, scrap, rework and defects tracked weekly and improved; cost of materials and supplies under control. Build the team. Clear roles and KPIs for every lead; recruit and develop skilled trades. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. ERP, costing and production data

Lead the ERP implementation: item master, BOMs, routings, production orders and shop-floor time capture. Run job costing on every job; reconcile estimate vs actual and report variances. Build weekly operating dashboards: delivery, efficiency, quality, inventory and cost. 2. Production and plant performance

Run the plant hands-on: scheduling, capacity, labour efficiency, scrap and rework. Establish an organised, safe shop floor — 5S, visual management and defined material flow. Own the operations input to the facility and capital equipment plan. 3. Materials, purchasing and inventory

Enforce purchasing controls: no order without a PO; supplier delivery and price performance. Eliminate inventory variances: accurate item master, cycle counts, controlled stores and timely material booking. Reduce inventory and WIP while protecting delivery. 4. Quality

Own the quality system: documented processes, inspection, non-conformance and corrective action. Maintain required certifications; reduce cost of rework and customer-reported defects. Deliver custom machine builds (including controls and automation, factory acceptance testing and commissioning) to scope, cost and schedule. With engineering, ensure engineering release, BOM accuracy and change control before material is committed. 6. People and safety

Lead the operations team; set clear roles, accountabilities and KPIs; develop skilled trades and apprentices. Full accountability for occupational health and safety on the shop floor and a zero-harm culture. 7. Working with the General Manager

Provide cost, capacity and delivery dates for quotations and order acceptance. Contribute the operations inputs to the budget and monthly forecast. Monthly operations reporting and input to quarterly Board materials. HOW SUCCESS IS MEASURED

ERP — BOMs and production orders live on every job; time captured on the floor Costing accuracy — Job cost actual vs estimate; jobs closed with full costing Inventory variance; inventory turns; PO compliance Delivery — On-time delivery to promise date; overtime hours Labour efficiency; throughput per employee Quality — Customer-reported defects; scrap and cost of rework Safety — Lost-time incidents; corrective actions closed People QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

7+ years in manufacturing operations, includ