Manufacturing Operations Manager

Summary of the Position

This position is responsible for leading the Manufacturing, Maintenance, EHS, Process Engineering, and Quality teams at the Harris Products Group’s Gainesville facility, ensuring successful execution of goals and objectives from strategic planning through implementation. The Operations Manager identifies and secures the resources necessary to enhance customer service, reduce manufacturing costs, drive process improvements, and achieve distribution excellence. This role leads cross‑functional teams by establishing clear goals and objectives that position the facility ahead of the competition while ensuring the adoption of modern manufacturing practices and technologies..

The role requires demonstrated experience optimizing manufacturing plant operations through effective cost management and continuous process improvement. Proven success includes leading capital projects, streamlining product portfolios, and increasing throughput through close collaboration with engineering and production teams. The ideal candidate is a hands-on operational leader with strong financial acumen, proven Lean/Six Sigma experience, SAP/ERP discipline, and the ability to identify, evaluate, and implement new and emerging technologies that improve safety, quality, throughput, labor productivity, asset reliability, customer delivery, and cost structure. Travel to other facilities and/or suppliers may be required.

Key Deliverables

Promotes a safe work environment and actively supports safety initiatives across the organization. Ensures the timely completion of projects and required reporting while consistently achieving targeted safety performance metrics, including DART and Total Recordable Case Rates (TRCR).  Maintains acceptable scrap, waste, and downtime levels, while ensuring high customer fill rates, controlled inventory levels, and strong financial performance supported by sound P&L knowledge. Drives measurable Lean and Six Sigma project savings, improves operational effectiveness and overall equipment efficiency (OEE), and reduces conversion costs through detailed P&L and bill‑of‑materials (BOM) analysis.  Meets or exceeds budget and forecast expectations, improves first‑pass yield, minimizes warranty returns, and ensures successful completion of ISO audits and maintenance of required certifications.

Key Accountability Metrics

Responsible for overall facility revenue (P&L), gross profit, earnings, and margin performance. Ensures safety performance targets are achieved while increasing production volume and reducing costs on an annual basis. Oversees a workforce that includes both employees and contractors while managing operating expenses within approved budget levels

Key Responsibilities/Essential Functions

include the following and other duties may be assigned.

Leadership / Administrative - 80%

• Evaluate and champion practical applications of AI/GenAI, agentic workflow tools, machine vision, IoT sensors, connected equipment, predictive analytics, digital twins where appropriate, automated material movement, robotics/cobots, digital work instructions, and advanced scheduling tools.
• Convert technology opportunities into practical use cases with clear ROI, adoption plans, and measurable operational benefits.
• Ensures full compliance with all safety and environmental policies and procedures, with ongoing responsibility for the continued implementation and advancement of the Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) process.
• Build financial literacy across operations so supervisors and managers understand how labor, scrap, downtime, yield, inventory, freight, warranty, and schedule adherence affect margin and earnings.
• Create a culture where safety, quality, productivity, data discipline, and innovation reinforce one another.
• Use BOM, routing, labor, yield, scrap, machine utilization, and inventory data to identify margin leakage and prioritize improvement projects.

Key Responsibilities/Essential Functions (Continued)

• Establishes clear goals, drives technology improvements, and leads problem resolution within cross‑functional teams.
• Develops strong partnerships with Sales, Purchasing, and Finance to execute strategic initiatives required to achieve profitability and growth objectives.
• Selects, develops, coaches, and evaluates personnel to ensure efficient and effective operation of all facility functions.
• Evaluates products, processes, and facilities to ensure Harris Products Group is competitively positioned in the global marketplace.
• Makes sound, timely decisions in a fast‑paced environment while balancing multiple projects and competing priorities concurrently.
• Establishes and sustains a manufacturing culture that leverages Lean Six Sigma tools, focuses on providing necessary resources, enhances the work environment, and delivers the highest level of customer service to support continuous growth and profitability.
• Formulates and executes strategic plans that improve operating cost structure and operational effectiveness while meeting financial, quality, and distribution objectives; prepares reports to ensure clear communication with Corporate Leadership.
• Coordinates activities and objectives with corporate business teams, operations staff, and other functional groups as required.
• Benchmarks, communicates, and implements best practices across all areas of responsibility, enabling identification, sharing, and application of successes, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities across projects.

Cross-Functional Collaboration – 20%

• Working with product development to ensure readiness within the operations team
• Working within LE to ensure strategic plan for AI is implemented
• Coordinates with local HR on talent development plans implementation
• Drives communication within all departments of the facility

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in a technical or Related Business or Manufacturing discipline.
• Masters level education with a business focus preferred.
• Minimum  (15) years plant management experience in a manufacturing environment, showing career progression with stability and increasing levels of responsibility with strong financial results.
• Working knowledge of metals fabrication and product assembly consumer product industry preferred.
• SAP Champion-utilization and implementation
• Strong P&L understanding and ability to diagnose, take action, and educate
• Solid business acumen and proven ability to build and implement corporate strategy supporting top-line revenue growth in a fiscally responsible manner.

• Implementation of Lean/6 Sigma manufacturing programs.
• Ability to relate well with plant personnel at all levels..

Language Skills

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. 
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. 
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume
• Provide detail statistical analysis using Six Sigma tools 
• Design and execute DOE, Measurement Analysis and FMEA’s

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands: See Physical Demands Document

Reasonable Accommodation - The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required for the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.