Director of Operations (Norton Shores)
Position Summary: Owns the performance of the plant: what gets made, how safely, how well, how fast, and at what cost. Day-to-day production runs through the Plant Manager, raw materials and inventory through the Purchasing & Materials Manager, and equipment through the Plant Engineer. This role sets direction for all three and is accountable for the result. The job is not to hold the plant steady. Seal Bond expects the operation to be measurably better each quarter than it was the quarter before, and this role owns that improvement agenda — finding where the plant loses safety, yield, throughput, or margin, and closing those gaps with projects that stick. The Director of Operations is also the link between the production team and the executive team. Executive priorities get translated into work the floor can actually execute; floor reality gets carried back up unfiltered. Decisions in both directions are made on what is best for the company, not on what is easiest to explain in either room. Primary Responsibilities: Safety Own plant safety performance and set the expectation that no production target justifies an unsafe shortcut Lead incident investigation to root cause, and verify corrective actions are still in place months later Maintain training, PPE, hot work, lockout/tagout, forklift certification, and contractor safety programs Keep the plant audit-ready for MIOSHA and customer/ISO audits rather than preparing for them after they are scheduled Quality Own finished product quality and the systems that produce it: batch accuracy, in-process checks, packaging and labeling verification, lot traceability Drive yield performance, and treat every batch that misses spec as a process question rather than an operator question Reduce batch building errors and packaging/labeling errors through process design, verification steps, and training, not through added inspection alone Partner with R&D on new product scale-up so formulas transfer to production cleanly the first time Own corrective action on customer quality complaints end to end Production and Throughput Set production schedules that balance customer commitments, batch sequencing, and equipment constraints Improve output per hour at the constraint, currently the mixing and cartridge filling cells, rather than optimizing stations that are not limiting the plant Manage labor deployment and staffing levels against actual demand Own equipment uptime and preventive maintenance through the Plant Engineer Materials and On-Time Delivery Ensure raw materials are available to support the schedule without carrying inventory the business does not need Own on-time shipment performance from order release through the dock Work with Sales on realistic commitments, and get early warning to customers when a date is at risk Continuous Improvement Maintain a visible, prioritized project pipeline with owners, target dates, and quantified expected benefit Report results against the projected benefit, including the projects that did not work Build the discipline into the team so improvement continues without the Director personally driving each project, including facilitating weekly meetings Adopt tools and automation where they reduce error or effort, including the reporting and data systems already in place Reporting and Compliance Maintain and submit third-party records as required by OSHA, EGLE, customers, etc. Record keeping and documentation of processes as defined in the Seal Bond Quality Management System (ISO 9001) Cost and Margin Own the operations-controlled inputs to gross margin: material yield, scrap and rework, labor cost per unit, packaging cost, raw material costs and freight decisions within Operations Understand product-level cost and know which products actually earn their margin Bring cost reduction ideas forward with the analysis attached Maintain relationships with key suppliers including negotiations and supply contracts Team Leadership and Development Build a production team that performs when the Director is not in the building Develop the three direct reports into stronger managers, and build bench strength below them Set clear expectations, address performance directly and early, and hold a consistent standard across shifts and departments Recruit, onboard, and retain production talent in a tight local labor market Qualifications: Required 7 years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership, including managing managers Demonstrated ownership of safety, quality, and production performance for a plant or major department Track record of continuous improvement projects with quantified, sustained results Working knowledge of quality management systems and root cause methodology Strong analytical skills, including the ability to pull and analyze data independently in Excel, and to work with Access, SQL, or comparable query tools Able to present clearly in writing and visually, including Word documents and PowerPoint presentations suitable for an executive or board audience Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, chemistry, business, or equivalent experience Preferred Batch process manufacturing experience: chemical, coatings, adhesives, sealants, or similar Experience in a regulated or ISO-certified environment ERP experience, particularly production and inventory modules Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent formal improvement training Experience scaling a plant through growth rather than only managing steady state EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, military status, protected veteran status, marital status, gender identity or expression, transgender status, citizenship, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans.
