Director of Operations (Defence Manufacturing)

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada — on-site; responsibility for facilities in Ottawa and Toronto.

Company

hirify.global builds Canadian defence capability and develops systems used by the Canadian Armed Forces and its allies.

What you will do

• Own business operations, planning cycles, internal tooling, operating rhythms, and cross-functional execution.
• Build people operations infrastructure covering HR systems, onboarding, policies, benefits administration, compliance, and employee records.
• Manage Ottawa and Toronto facilities, including factory and R&D spaces, security, access control, health and safety, and equipment.
• Implement scalable vendor management, procurement, asset lifecycle, process, and operational control systems.
• Partner with security, finance, the COO, and leadership on controlled-environment requirements, budgeting, reporting, and operating metrics.
• Hire, mentor, and lead the operations, facilities, and people functions.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in operations, business operations, or a related leadership role across business, people, workplace, and facilities operations.
• Experience building operational functions from the ground up in a fast-scaling company.
• Ability to own people, processes, and physical operations simultaneously and make sound decisions under ambiguity.
• Strong systems-thinking skills and the ability to connect people, processes, and technology.
• Mission alignment with building sovereign Canadian defence capability.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a Canadian Secret security clearance.

Nice to have

• Operations leadership in a hardware, manufacturing, or defence company.
• Experience in a regulated or high-assurance environment.
• Familiarity with Canadian employment standards and HR compliance.
• Exposure to controlled goods programs, facility security, or clearance environments.
• Experience scaling a company through rapid headcount growth.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to shape Canadian defence capability and work with systems fielded by the CAF.
• High-trust environment with short feedback loops, rapid iteration, and direct access to leadership.
• Competitive base salary and company equity.
• Comprehensive health benefits.
• Additional equity based on impact; equity is available to full-time employees only.

Hiring process

• AI tools support parts of screening and response review.
• Final hiring decisions are made by people in accordance with Canadian privacy and employment laws.