Operations Manager

Job Description:

The Operations Manager is responsible for the overall performance, capability, and results of production at the St. Charles facility. This role operates with a high level of autonomy and strategic responsibility, leading production execution through front-line employees to consistently meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.

The Operations Manager partners closely with Operations leadership and cross-functional teams to translate business priorities into executable plans, proactively manage risk, and drive sustained operational improvements. This role balances a strong floor presence with systems thinking, developing leaders, improving processes, and ensuring production capabilities scale with business needs.

Responsibilities

Production & Execution

• Own production performance across assigned areas, ensuring alignment to business priorities and customer commitments.

• Partner with process engineering to develop and maintain a reliable production system based on highly standardized work and a cross-trained workforce.

• Direct production execution to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets.

• Balance labor capacity and machine utilization against volatile demand signals to maximize throughput and minimize lead times and WIP inventory.

• Utilize visual factory management and enable problem detection and results reporting in real-time.

• Proactively communicate production risks, delays, or shortages to stakeholders in Sourcing, Sales and Customer Service as well as Operations leadership.

People Leadership & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop a tiered team of front-line leads and production employees to build bench strength and a pipeline of future operational talent.

• Set clear expectations and hold team members accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee development.

• Conduct performance reviews, provide ongoing feedback, manage attendance and timekeeping, and address performance or conduct issues in accordance with company policies.

• Support workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, and succession development for production employees.

• Champion Diagraph and ITW values, goals, and cultural initiatives across the production team.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Institutionalize a culture of root-cause problem solving (A3, 5-Why, Ishikawa) to move the facility from 'reactive firefighting' to 'proactive optimization'.

• Lead improvements activities and teach front-line leads and production employees to identify waste and take action.

• Interpret and enforce quality policies and procedures to ensure compliance with internal standards and applicable certifications.

• Serve as a change leader, ensuring new processes, standards, and systems are effectively implemented and adopted.

• Support, coach and train front-line leads in their efforts to facilitate, observe and sustain standard work.

Safety & Compliance

• Partner with Safety and Facilities to promote a safe, compliant work environment.

• Ensure employees are trained and compliant with safety procedures, EHS requirements, and safe work practices.

• Reinforce 'All Accidents are Preventable' as a core value and address unsafe behaviors or conditions promptly.

Inventory Management

• Understand complex Bills of Material and own the integrity of work-in-process inventory data within the ERP system as well as within visual Kanban systems.

• Manage cycle count processes, including training employees and ensuring timely and accurate execution.

Position Qualification Requirements

Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management or related field required. Lean professional certification or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt is a plus.

Core Experience:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive management experience in an operations or manufacturing environment.

• Experience managing high mix, low volume production of complex electromechanical assemblies.

• Hands-on experience with Lean manufacturing principles such as 6S, Kanban, JIT, pull systems, Value Stream Mapping, 80/20 thinking, and formal quality systems (e.g., ISO 9001).

• Experience managing budgets, productivity initiatives, and cost improvement efforts.

• Working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., Macola or similar).

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Operational & Technical Capability

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, operational flow, and production metrics.

• Strong knowledge of EHS requirements with a demonstrated ability to improve safety performance.

• Management of both make-to-stock and make-to-order workflows.

• Ability to identify, analyze, and resolve operational issues; escalates complex problems appropriately.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.

Leadership & Communication Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop supervisors and production teams.

• Highly motivated and results-oriented with the ability to drive accountability.

• Strong interpersonal, verbal, written, and presentation skills.

• Effective project management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives.

Other Requirements And Conditions

Physical/Visual Activities or Demands: Physical/visual activities or demands that are commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is constantly required to talk, hear, sit, grasp with hands, reach above shoulder and outward, handle and manipulate items with hands and type, frequently required to stand, walk and bend, and occasionally required to climb and squat.

2. The employee must carry up to 50 pounds occasionally and push and pull up to 20 pounds occasionally.

3. Specific vision abilities required by this job include concentrated attention, close vision, far vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to bring objects into sharp focus.

Working Conditions: Working conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

1. Plant Conditions 80%

2. Office Conditions 20%

3. Travel

Machines, Tools, Equipment and Work Aids that may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position: Computer, Microsoft Office Suite, calculator, telephone, scanners, printers.

License(s)/Certification(s) Required: None

Compensation Information:

The expected base salary range for this position is $98,000 to $135,000, depending on experience, skills, and qualifications. This role is also eligible to participate in the company's annual incentive bonus program.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues' unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.