Director of Operations (Manufacturing)

Location: United States; the position is located in Melrose Park, Illinois and requires travel between multiple local manufacturing facilities.

Company

DRC Heat Transfer designs and manufactures custom heat transfer and cooling solutions for industrial, transit, energy, and data-center power-generation markets; it is a subsidiary of hirify.global PLC.

What you will do

• Lead manufacturing strategy, continuous improvement, operational excellence, and team performance across a multi-site operation.
• Own manufacturing P&L accountability and deliver financial and operational objectives.
• Plan facility expansion, equipment investments, workforce capacity, and short- and long-term manufacturing strategies.
• Oversee master production scheduling, on-time delivery, resource utilization, and productivity in a low-volume, high-mix environment.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, 6S, process systems, waste reduction, quality improvement, and cost-saving initiatives.
• Build organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, cross-functional collaboration, and safety-focused leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Operations Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• 7–10 years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership experience, including strategic oversight of multi-site operations in an Engineer-to-Order and/or Make-to-Order environment.
• Experience in a high-growth manufacturing environment supporting sustained annual growth of 25%–40% or greater across multiple facilities and production shifts.
• Experience managing multiple production facilities, diverse product portfolios, complex manufacturing schedules, rapid growth, operational scaling, process optimization, and organizational development.
• Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, operational excellence, change management, P&L management, capital planning, capacity expansion, workforce planning, and strategic execution.
• Demonstrated leadership, coaching, employee development, analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication, stakeholder influence, and accountability-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Ability to work safely in a manufacturing environment and comply with PPE requirements, including safety glasses and steel-toe footwear.
• Ability and willingness to travel between local manufacturing facilities; a valid driver’s license and clean driving record are required.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree.
• Experience leading teams through organizational growth, operational change, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

Culture & Benefits

• Leadership culture focused on collaboration, accountability, engagement, safety, continuous learning, and operational excellence.
• 401(k), medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Employee assistance program, flexible spending account, and health savings account.
• Paid time off, parental leave, and tuition reimbursement.
• Work must comply with company policies, regulatory requirements, industry standards, safety procedures, confidentiality, and ethical conduct expectations.

Hiring process

• Applications should be submitted through the hirify.global careers website; recruitment partners will not request payment for interviews or testing.