What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Material Support Service (MSS/3PL) and Launch position at OPTIMA ORGANIZATIONAL SOLUTIONS?
Our client, a global leader in sustainable mobility, delivering assembly and sequencing, supply chain management, warehousing, logistics, and B2B fulfillment services, primarily serving automotive OEMs, has requested us to search for a Director of Material Support Service (MSS/3PL) and Launch.
DESCRIPTION
We are seeking a strategic and dynamic Director of Material Support Services (MSS) & Launch to drive our MSS launch and operational excellence initiatives. This role is responsible for overseeing launch readiness for MSS programs, ensuring seamless execution of program milestones, and implementing standardized processes across all MSS facilities. The ideal candidate is an innovative, data-driven leader with a passion for operational excellence, lean principles, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth.
This position is a hybrid role based at the Southern Indiana or Louisville facility and reports to the Vice President of Operations, MSS as part of the MSS leadership team.
What You’ll Do
Requirements
DESCRIPTION
We are seeking a strategic and dynamic Director of Material Support Services (MSS) & Launch to drive our MSS launch and operational excellence initiatives. This role is responsible for overseeing launch readiness for MSS programs, ensuring seamless execution of program milestones, and implementing standardized processes across all MSS facilities. The ideal candidate is an innovative, data-driven leader with a passion for operational excellence, lean principles, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth.
This position is a hybrid role based at the Southern Indiana or Louisville facility and reports to the Vice President of Operations, MSS as part of the MSS leadership team.
What You’ll Do
- Launch Readiness Leadership: Lead launch readiness for MSS programs, including staffing recommendations, material flow, and customer communications. Drive cross-functional coordination with other departments to ensure seamless execution of launch milestones.
- Standardization & Compliance: Establish, develop and enforce materials and operational standards and best practices across all MSS plant activities to drive consistency, ensure compliance and achieve operational excellence.
- Operational Excellence & Lean Leadership: Champion lean principles and drive continuous improvement initiatives across all launches and operational activities. Implement best practices in process optimization, waste reduction and value stream mapping. Monitor KPIs and performance metrics to ensure launch and operations targets are met or exceeded.
- Organizational Development: Design and implement the launch organization structure to support current and future MSS programs. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration within operations and launch teams. Identify and develop high-potential talent through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
- Strategic Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as the primary liaison between MSS leadership, plant operations, and customer teams to ensure alignment on launch objectives. Provide strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership on resource allocation, risk mitigation, and long-term operational planning.
- Risk Management & Problem Resolution: Anticipate and proactively address potential launch risks, including supply chain disruptions, staffing gaps, and quality concerns. Lead root cause analysis and corrective action planning for any launch-related issues.
- Technology & Innovation: Drive adoption of digital tools and advanced analytics to improve launch visibility, decision-making, and operational efficiency. Evaluate emerging technologies and best practices to enhance MSS launch capabilities.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain or Business Management, or related field. MBA preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in materials management, launch operations, plant operations (e.g., Plant Manager or Senior Operations Manager), and 3PL/distribution environments.
- Minimum of 10-years of leadership experience in high-volume automotive or industrial manufacturing environments.
- Strong understanding of MSS systems, launch processes, and automotive material system interfaces (CMMS, MGO, EOP/EOP Lite).
- Strong knowledge of lean manufacturing and operational excellence methodologies.
- Demonstrated ability to manage complex supply chain networks, including third-party logistics (3PL) partnerships and distribution strategies.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and project management skills.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence at all levels of the organization.