What are the responsibilities and job description for the Operations Director position at Avon Technologies plc?
Job Title: Operations Director
Location: Cleveland, OH
Business Unit: Team Wendy
Purpose of Position:
The Operations Director provides strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing, facilities, and logistics activities across two Cleveland buildings. This role ensures day-to-day production output, facility reliability, and alignment with corporate priorities. The Operations Director drives operational excellence through Lean principles, SQDIP metrics, and a Safety-First culture, while fostering collaboration across value streams and support functions. This position is accountable for delivering customer commitments, supporting new product introductions (NPI), and ensuring compliance with DoD and quality standards.
Direct Reports:
We design and produce life-critical personal protection solutions for the world’s militaries and first responders. With a portfolio that includes Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (“CBRN”), protection. We do this through our two brands, Avon Technologies and Team Wendy. Our mission is to provide unparalleled protection for those who protect us, giving them the confidence to tackle challenging situations and helping them get home safe. At Avon Protection, we recognize that our success relies on the collective efforts of our talented team. As an organization, we welcome individuals who embody our #FIERCE company values - fearlessness, integrity, excellence, resilience, collaboration, and the ability to execute.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes the following:
Flexible Schedule
Generous paid time off
Competitive Compensation Package
Learning and Development Opportunities
Bonus Plan
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
401k Matching
Tuition Reimbursement Program
Mentorship Program
Supplemental plans
Company-paid life and AD&D
Medical/Dental/Vision
This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserved the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.
Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.
U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non-U.S. citizens.
To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within Avon that may present access to export controlled technical data, Avon must assess employees' U.S. person status, as well as citizenship(s).
The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at Avon's sole election. Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without a sponsorship for employment visa status (e.e. H1B status).
The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in Cleveland, OH is $140,000 to $180,000 Annually. The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and years of experience within the job, type and years of experience within the industry, education, etc.
EOE, Including Vet/Disability
Location: Cleveland, OH
Business Unit: Team Wendy
Purpose of Position:
The Operations Director provides strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing, facilities, and logistics activities across two Cleveland buildings. This role ensures day-to-day production output, facility reliability, and alignment with corporate priorities. The Operations Director drives operational excellence through Lean principles, SQDIP metrics, and a Safety-First culture, while fostering collaboration across value streams and support functions. This position is accountable for delivering customer commitments, supporting new product introductions (NPI), and ensuring compliance with DoD and quality standards.
Direct Reports:
- Value Stream Leaders
- Senior Facilities Manager
- Production Manager
- Logistics & Warehouse Manager (across two buildings at CLE)
- Key Responsibilities
- Operational Leadership
- Set and execute Cleveland’s operational strategy for plant operations, ensuring alignment in areas of safety, quality delivery, inventory, and performance.
- Lead day-to-day plant operations with a focus on efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement.
- Own end to end operational performance, managing KPIs across operational areas, ensuring targets are met or exceeded.
- Serve as a visible and engaged leader on the production floor, reinforcing standards, driving accountability, and fostering a culture of ownership, safety, and CI.
- HSE & Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with OSHA, NFPA, DoD, and other regulatory standards relevant to defense manufacturing.
- Promote a culture of safety, proactively identifying risks and implementing mitigation strategies.
- Champion employee training and development in all aspects of health, safety, and environmental responsibility.
- Security Management
- Accountable for physical security of the plant, including access control, surveillance systems, and coordination with defense-related compliance (e.g., ITAR, CMMC).
- Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to safeguard assets and intellectual property.
- Facilities & Maintenance
- Directly accountable for all facility maintenance and infrastructure projects to ensure optimal operation and longevity of plant assets.
- Ensure development and management of preventative maintenance programs and facility upgrades ensuring alignment with long-term operational goals and compliance standards.
- Hourly Workforce & Resource Planning
- Establish and communicate strategy for the hourly workforce which optimizes productivity and efficiency.
- Collaborate with HR and Production leadership to support workforce planning, training, and engagement initiatives.
- Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management teams to ensure operational readiness and support for NPI and existing production lines.
- Serve as a key voice in capital planning and investment decisions.
- Champion Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and 5S practices across all operations.
- Promote structured problem-solving (5-Why, 8D) for critical issues, focusing on permanent corrective actions.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement and employee engagement at all levels.
- Build and develop a strong leadership bench to include managers, leads and supervisors, through intentional coaching, succession planning, and an accountability framework.
- Embed the TW #FIERCE culture into daily operations, reinforcing behaviors that support collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
- Mentor and develop leaders to create a high-performance, engaged workforce.
- Proven leadership in multi-site or complex manufacturing operations.
- Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and SQDIP performance management.
- Ability to manage cross-functional priorities and drive alignment across teams.
- Expertise in compliance (DoD, ITAR, CMMC, QCP) and structured problem-solving (5Y, 8D).
- Exceptional people development skills, with experience in training program design and succession planning.
- Excellent communication and decision-making skills under pressure.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- Proven experience leading operations for facilities with annual revenue exceeding $150M.
- 12 years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, including multi-site or complex environments.
- Demonstrated success in driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, and SQDIP performance.
- Experience managing facilities, logistics, and production in a regulated environment (DoD, ITAR, CMMC).
- Familiarity with Quality Control Plans (QCP) and structured problem-solving methodologies (5Y, 8D).
- Ability to operate as part of the VP Operations leadership team, collaborating closely with NPI & Manufacturing Engineering Directors, Quality Leadership, CI Team, and remote Site Leaders.
- Strong financial acumen and ability to influence capital planning and investment decisions.
- SQDIP performance across all value streams.
- OEE improvement and downtime reduction.
- Scrap and cost reduction initiatives.
- Successful NPI launches without disruption.
- Compliance with DoD, ITAR, and QCP standards.
- Employee engagement, training completion, and succession readiness.
- Cultural adoption of TW #FIERCE principles.
We design and produce life-critical personal protection solutions for the world’s militaries and first responders. With a portfolio that includes Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (“CBRN”), protection. We do this through our two brands, Avon Technologies and Team Wendy. Our mission is to provide unparalleled protection for those who protect us, giving them the confidence to tackle challenging situations and helping them get home safe. At Avon Protection, we recognize that our success relies on the collective efforts of our talented team. As an organization, we welcome individuals who embody our #FIERCE company values - fearlessness, integrity, excellence, resilience, collaboration, and the ability to execute.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes the following:
Flexible Schedule
Generous paid time off
Competitive Compensation Package
Learning and Development Opportunities
Bonus Plan
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
401k Matching
Tuition Reimbursement Program
Mentorship Program
Supplemental plans
Company-paid life and AD&D
Medical/Dental/Vision
This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserved the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.
Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.
U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non-U.S. citizens.
To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within Avon that may present access to export controlled technical data, Avon must assess employees' U.S. person status, as well as citizenship(s).
The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at Avon's sole election. Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without a sponsorship for employment visa status (e.e. H1B status).
The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in Cleveland, OH is $140,000 to $180,000 Annually. The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and years of experience within the job, type and years of experience within the industry, education, etc.
EOE, Including Vet/Disability
Salary : $150