VP Operations / COO - Cabinet Manufacturer

Location: Confidential | U.S.-Based Manufacturing Headquarters
Reports To: President

Our client, a growing U.S.-based manufacturer of highly engineered, made-to-order products, is seeking an accomplished Vice President of Operations to lead and scale its operations organization.

This is a highly visible executive leadership role with responsibility across Manufacturing, Engineering, Plant Operations, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Inventory, Warehousing, Shipping, and Logistics. The VP of Operations will have the opportunity to shape the operational strategy of an established business entering its next phase of growth.

The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with a hands-on approach to plant operations. This individual will be expected to build stronger systems and processes, develop leaders, improve operational performance, and create a scalable infrastructure capable of supporting significant future growth.

This opportunity is particularly compelling for an operations executive who wants to make a measurable impact rather than simply maintain an established system.

The VP of Operations will have the opportunity to:

• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team.
• Lead a broad operational organization with meaningful decision-making authority.
• Build and develop a high-performing operations leadership team.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, S&OP, and continuous improvement disciplines.
• Modernize processes, systems, engineering practices, and operational reporting.
• Improve throughput, quality, delivery performance, inventory management, and profitability.
• Help build the operational platform required for the company's next stage of growth.
• Maintain the speed and entrepreneurial mindset of a growing organization while introducing greater structure and accountability.

• Develop and execute the company's overall operations strategy.
• Translate business objectives into measurable operational priorities and KPIs.
• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Partner closely with executive leadership across Sales, Finance, Product Management, and other functions.
• Develop the operations leadership team and establish appropriate succession plans.
• Preserve an entrepreneurial culture while implementing the processes and discipline necessary to scale.

Provide leadership across production, scheduling, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, maintenance, facilities, and safety.

Key priorities include:

• Develop effective production scheduling practices using historical data, current demand, and forward-looking trends.
• Consistently achieve production schedules while maintaining high quality standards.
• Improve labor productivity, throughput, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Reduce waste, rework, and manufacturing costs.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strengthen preventive maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Maintain a safe working environment and appropriate regulatory compliance.
• Optimize plant layout, workflow, and material movement.
• Manage manufacturing budgets and capital expenditures.

Lead the engineering function supporting product and manufacturing operations, including product engineering, production engineering, CAD/CAM, bills of materials, product documentation, process development, and manufacturing technology systems.

Responsibilities include:

• Improve product manufacturability.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability initiatives.
• Standardize engineering processes and documentation.
• Reduce engineering lead times.
• Ensure accurate bills of materials and production documentation.
• Develop appropriate packaging standards and specifications.
• Partner with Product Management on new product introductions.
• Introduce automation and engineering best practices where appropriate.
• Support the continued development and effectiveness of ERP and related operational systems.

Provide leadership across purchasing, supplier management, inventory, warehousing, shipping, receiving, transportation, and logistics.

Key responsibilities include:

• Develop strategic supplier relationships.
• Improve material availability while optimizing inventory investment.
• Negotiate supplier pricing, contracts, and terms.
• Improve inventory accuracy and inventory turns.
• Strengthen supplier performance and reliability.
• Optimize freight and transportation costs.
• Improve warehouse productivity and material flow.
• Drive strong on-time delivery performance.
• Develop contingency plans to mitigate supply disruptions.

• Establish and lead an effective S&OP process.
• Align manufacturing capacity with customer demand.
• Develop labor, production, and capacity plans.
• Manage production backlog and priorities.
• Increase manufacturing throughput.
• Monitor and optimize capacity utilization.
• Improve customer lead times and delivery performance.

• Establish and maintain exceptional product quality standards.
• Reduce defects, warranty issues, waste, and rework.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action processes.
• Improve first-pass yield.
• Strengthen quality management systems.
• Embed continuous improvement throughout the organization.

• Develop and manage the operations budget.
• Support achievement of gross-margin and profitability objectives.
• Manage labor and operating costs.
• Improve manufacturing productivity and efficiency.
• Reduce unnecessary inventory carrying costs.
• Evaluate and prioritize capital investments.
• Support annual strategic and financial planning.
• Use operational and financial data to drive better business decisions.

During the first 12 months, the VP of Operations will be expected to establish a strong operational foundation and deliver measurable improvements, including:

• Achieving 95% on-time delivery.
• Reducing manufacturing lead times.
• Increasing labor productivity and manufacturing efficiency.
• Achieving 98% inventory accuracy.
• Improving inventory turns while protecting customer service levels.
• Reducing manufacturing waste and rework.
• Strengthening supplier performance and reliability.
• Implementing an effective S&OP process.
• Developing stronger operational leaders and organizational accountability.
• Building a scalable operating structure capable of supporting substantial future growth.

The ideal candidate is an experienced manufacturing executive who has successfully led multiple operational functions and understands how to professionalize and scale a growing manufacturing organization.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
• MBA or advanced business degree is a plus.
• 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• 5 years leading multiple operational functions or departments.
• Demonstrated leadership within a small-to-middle-market manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and/or related operational functions.
• Proven success implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, capacity management, and S&OP.
• Experience with manufacturing ERP systems and operational data.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including budgeting, margins, labor costs, inventory, and capital investment.
• Experience with engineered products, wood products, building products, furniture, millwork, cabinetry, or similar manufacturing environments is highly desirable.

The successful candidate will be an executive who is equally comfortable in the leadership meeting and on the manufacturing floor.

This individual should:

• Lead with accountability, integrity, and urgency.
• Build, coach, and retain high-performing teams.
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution.
• Maintain a highly visible presence within plant operations.
• Make timely, data-driven decisions.
• Foster collaboration across functions.
• Challenge existing processes constructively.
• Create sustainable systems rather than temporary fixes.
• Communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.
• Bring a continuous-improvement mindset to the business every day.

Executive Leadership | Manufacturing Operations | Lean Manufacturing | Continuous Improvement | S&OP | Supply Chain Management | Manufacturing Engineering | Operational Strategy | Team Development | Change Management | ERP Systems | Financial Analysis | Data-Driven Decision Making | Negotiation | Cross-Functional Leadership | Project Management

This role is well suited for a manufacturing leader who has helped an entrepreneurial or middle-market business transition to its next level of operational maturity.

Our client is looking for more than a plant operator. They are seeking an operations executive and business leader who can develop people, establish scalable processes, improve performance, and build an operational organization capable of supporting significant growth.

For the right leader, this is an opportunity to have a direct and lasting impact on the performance and future trajectory of the business.