Company Description

Miller® is about building things that matter. We lead the welding industry in building advanced, solution-focused products and meeting crucial needs for welding safety and health.

We’re about the partnership and the work. Our products are designed with our users for manufacturing, fabrication, construction, aviation, motorsports, education, agriculture and marine applications.

Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, and wholly owned by Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW). The company maintains its industry leadership by setting the standard for reliability, quality and responsiveness. Our tagline, “The Power of Blue®,” is inspired by the blue color of Miller equipment.

The company began with an innovation that responded to customer needs, growing from a one-man operation in 1929, to the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding products. Miller keeps the tradition alive by focusing on its top priority: people.

Job Description

The Operations Director will play a key role in developing and managing the operations strategies of the business. Lead and collaborate with the Materials & Supply Chain team, Production Operations team, and Manufacturing Engineering team to establish continuous improvement strategies and goals, encompassing cost, quality, and delivery measures for the business. Apply the ITW Operating Principles to Division Operations while fostering new ideas to elevate the business to new heights. We are seeking a strong, business-minded leader with the ability to drive results, build a diverse talent pipeline, and develop and execute roadmaps and plans for inclusive growth.

How You Will Make an Impact:

 People Leadership and Organizational Culture:

• Strategically lead the Materials & Supply Chain team.
• Provide essential people leadership of the manufacturing operations workforce.
• Build a positive and inclusive workplace culture and continue strong employee engagement.
• Champion the hiring, people development, and long-term resource planning necessary to ensure a stable pipeline of talent for future business needs.
• Coach and develop work teams to have positive and proactive attitudes, personal accountability, and superior quality.

Strategic Planning and Business Development:

• Streamline, simplify, and build resiliency of a multi-tiered, internal and external supply chain supporting high-volume manufacturing.
• Drive adoption of manufacturing technologies to further improve production costs, quality, and efficiency. Experience with automated manufacturing processes preferred.
• Provide leadership in the development of strategies during our business planning process.
• Execution of those strategies to evolve our business operations to enable and support sustained business growth.
• Partner with business unit leaders and divisional leadership to prioritize and support customer needs.
• Develop and drive a strategic plan that delivers significant results in safety, quality, and efficiency to achieve annual business objectives.

Financial Management and Continuous Improvement

• Establish a go-forward plan of cost savings, Toolbox, and strategic sourcing results, which aligns with the division's growth initiatives.
• Responsible for preparation and management of the operations manpower budget.
• Work with the engineering team, production team, finance team, and the supplier base to develop and implement initiatives to improve variable and direct margins of the product line.
• Lead a manufacturing engineering team driving continuous improvement in manufacturing processes yielding better In-Lining and Flow.
• Manage team to drive solutions by utilizing internal/external resources to solve equipment, tooling, facility, and process problems.
• Lead benchmarking activities to stay up to date on innovative manufacturing processes.
• Drive successful metrics for safety, quality, efficiency, and delivery while maximizing capacity utilization.

What You Need to do to be Successful in this Role:

People and Culture Leadership:

• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment.
• Lead and coordinate successful cross-functional improvements with analytical skills.
• Encourage diverse ideas, focusing on coaching/developing strengths of team members and facilitating effective communication.
• Be a change agent, demonstrating original thinking, generating suggestions, and developing innovative approaches for improving workflow and processes.
• Manage and develop talent.
• Develops self and others with potential for future opportunities in the organization.

Customer Focus, and Communication:

• Understanding how the business functions link together to support the customer.
• Manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, including a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Strategic Vision:

• Strategic Supply Chain expertise, including analytics, procurement, contract management, inventory management, material control, and warehousing.
• Use strategic vision, business acumen, and the ability to progressively lead an organization towards the achievement of long-term strategy.
• Be strategic within Operations leadership, reflecting increasing levels of responsibility and results delivered.
• Use knowledge in P&L, budgeting, planning capabilities, and inventory management.

Qualifications

• Must have a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 10 years related experience in operations and supply chain management is required.
• Prior people leadership experience required, preference of 5 or more years.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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.