Head of Operations (Manufacturing)

Location: Itasca, United States; on-site leadership of the USA plant

Salary: $110,000–$140,000 per year, plus performance-based bonus opportunities

Company

hirify.global operates a manufacturing plant focused on industrial, laboratory, food, flavour, and chemistry-related operations.

What you will do

• Lead day-to-day on-site renovation and commissioning activities, coordinating contractors, vendors, engineering teams, the project manager, and local stakeholders.
• Monitor project milestones, contractor performance, inspections, safety, procurement, logistics, and operational readiness.
• Take ownership of plant operations after commissioning and establish routines, responsibilities, reporting lines, and escalation paths.
• Build, lead, onboard, train, and develop the local operational team.
• Drive production, procurement, quality, safety, compliance, cost discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Establish KPIs, documentation, standard operating procedures, and data-driven improvement projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field, with 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience in plant operations, commissioning, construction coordination, industrial project management, manufacturing, laboratory, food, flavour, chemistry, or a related industry.
• Experience leading teams, contractors, and cross-functional stakeholders across a US site and international headquarters.
• Hands-on knowledge of permitting, inspections, compliance, and US workplace safety requirements.
• Experience implementing processes, KPIs, documentation, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, MS Project, or similar tools, plus excellent English skills.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience with renovation, greenfield, or brownfield industrial projects through commissioning, handover, and ramp-up.
• Experience with US regulatory, permitting, environmental, health and safety, labour compliance, and international collaboration.
• Conversational Spanish language skills.

Culture & Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with full matching and vesting from day one.
• 20 days of PTO plus holidays.
• Fast-track career growth as Employee #1 in North America.

Hiring process

• Initial screening call with a recruiter.
• Interviews with the hiring manager and Global Head of Production & Engineering.
• Take-home challenge.