Director of Manufacturing - Poynette

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Operations, the Director of Manufacturing is responsible for leading all aspects of this high-speed, 24/5 manufacturing facility. This leader develops and executes strategies that build organizational capability, strengthen employee engagement, and create a high-performing manufacturing culture that supports sustained double-digit business growth. Through visible leadership, operational excellence, and talent development, this individual will ensure the facility delivers exceptional results while building a scalable manufacturing organization capable of supporting future growth and innovation. This position has 6-8 direct reports and leads a total team of up to 250 employees during peak season. 

Top Priorities for the role 

Lead the Plant Operational Plan to Support the Company’s Growth Strategy: Develop and execute the plant's operational plan to achieve business growth objectives while ensuring operational readiness, financial performance, cost competitiveness, capacity expansion, safety, quality, cost control, and customer satisfaction. Align plant resources, capabilities, and investments with company priorities to support long-term success. 

Build a High-Performing Culture and Leadership Team: Create and sustain an engaged, accountable, and continuous improvement-oriented culture. Develop organizational capability through leadership coaching, talent development, employee engagement initiatives, and effective communication that aligns employees with business goals. 

Drive Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement: Lead all manufacturing operations to deliver best-in-class improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and customer experience. Champion Lean manufacturing, process improvement, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration to achieve year-over-year improvements in operational and financial performance 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership and Growth 

• Responsible for developing and executing the annual Plant goals and initiatives in alignment with the AprilAire Strategic Plan.  

• Develop and implement manufacturing strategies, workforce plans, and operational capabilities that support sustained double-digit business growth while maintaining high standards for safety, quality, delivery, and employee experience. 

• Evaluate organizational structure, workforce capacity, production systems, and leadership capability to ensure the Plant is positioned to scale effectively as business demands increase. 

Culture, Engagement, and Leadership Development 

• Build and sustain a high-performance manufacturing culture that promotes employee engagement, accountability, collaboration, innovation, trust, inclusion, and continuous improvement. 

• Foster an environment where employees understand business priorities, feel connected to organizational goals, and are empowered to contribute ideas and solutions that improve business performance. 

• Own the development and execution of employee engagement and organizational health initiatives. Utilize engagement survey results, employee feedback, turnover data, and other workforce metrics to identify opportunities and drive measurable improvements. 

• Lead communication and alignment processes that create clarity, strengthen trust, and improve collaboration across all levels of the organization. 

• Build a strong pipeline of future leaders and technical talent to support organizational growth, workforce sustainability, and business continuity. 

• Partner closely with Human Resources to attract, develop, engage, and retain high-performing talent. 

Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement 

• Establish and maintain a culture of continuous improvement where leaders and employees actively participate in problem-solving, waste reduction, process optimization, and operational innovation. 

• Lead deployment of manufacturing improvement methodologies, including Lean principles, Six Sigma tools, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Line Management Teams, and structured problem-solving processes. 

• Develop and implement plans that achieve year-over-year improvements in EHS performance, efficiency, productivity, and manufacturing cost performance. 

Financial Accountability 

• Understand, develop, monitor, and achieve the financial plans for the Plant. This includes all aspects of cost management, including inbound freight, materials, labor, variable and fixed overhead, distribution, and outbound freight. 

• Develop and implement plans that achieve sustainable year-over-year reductions in total manufacturing costs while maintaining quality, service, safety, and employee engagement. 

• Maintain accountability for operational performance and financial results through effective KPI management, reporting, forecasting, and resource allocation. 

Capital Planning and Growth Readiness 

• Develop the annual and five-year capital investment plans to support business growth, operational excellence, product innovation, capacity expansion, and strategic priorities. 

• Ensure effective execution of capital projects, including scope management, budget adherence, timeline achievement, and realization of expected business outcomes. 

Inventory and Materials Management 

• Ensure effective control of inventory, including storage and movement systems, inventory accuracy, cycle count programs, and supporting metrics. 

• Partner with the Materials team to improve production planning, schedule attainment, labor planning, material availability, and overall operational efficiency. 

Quality and Customer Experience 

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Plant quality system, including supplier quality, process quality, product quality, and customer satisfaction. 

• Ensure effective process control systems are in place to consistently deliver high-quality products and maintain customer confidence. 

• Partner with business leaders to establish customer service objectives and ensure successful attainment of on-time delivery and customer satisfaction metrics. 

Safety Leadership 

• Serve as the senior champion of a safety-first culture where employee well-being is a core organizational value and every employee feels personally responsible for safety.  

• Lead through visible safety leadership behaviors that reinforce accountability, hazard recognition, risk reduction, and employee involvement in workplace safety. 

• Partner with the Safety Leader to establish safety KPIs, assess risks, develop corrective actions, and continuously improve safety performance aligned with the company’s goal to “accept only zero”. 

• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, environmental, and company safety requirements while striving toward world-class safety performance. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Innovation 

• Partner with Engineering to support successful new product introductions, manufacturing innovation, automation opportunities, and process improvements. 

• Build strong relationships across Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, Human Resources, Finance, and Commercial functions to ensure alignment and execution of business objectives. 

• Support organizational transformation and change initiatives through effective leadership, communication, and employee engagement. 

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or a related field is required. 

• Advanced degree such as a Master's in Engineering, Manufacturing Management, Business Administration, or Supply Chain is preferred. 

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, preferably in a high-volume or high-speed manufacturing environment. 

• 5+ years of experience leading salaried leaders and large hourly workforces. 

• 5+ years of management experience with responsibility for operational performance, financial results, continuous improvement, and talent development. 

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational growth, culture enhancement, employee engagement initiatives, and large-scale operational improvements. 

• Proven track record of improving safety, quality, productivity, employee engagement, and business performance simultaneously.