Director of Operations

Upside Innovations, a SixAxis company, is a premier manufacturer of aluminum ramps, steps, canopies, covered walkways, and custom access products. We have been growing tremendously since our inception in 2009 which has led to our recent relocation to a new, larger site in West Chester, Ohio. We continually seek the best talent to add to our team and support our continued growth journey.

We are seeking a highly motivated self-starter with deep operational experience to join our team as the Director of Operations. The Director of Operations plays a critical role in building and leading a high-performance team focused on scaling and optimizing our manufacturing operations in support of our continued growth. This individual will oversee team development, implementation of a standardized operating system, continuous improvement initiatives, and ensure efficient utilization of resources to meet our production and cost targets. This position will nurture and maintain a safety-first environment, market-leading quality standards, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide impactful leadership and direction to the operations team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Identify opportunities to streamline operations, improve workflow efficiency, and reduce costs while maintaining high quality standards.
• Collaborate closely with all other departments, including Safety, Production Planning, Quality, Sales, Engineering, Accounting, and HR to ensure alignment of operational activities with organizational objectives.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure operational performance and productivity, regularly monitoring progress towards company objectives.
• Optimize resource allocation, including people, equipment, and budget, to maximize efficiency and achieve operational targets.
• Collaborate with Quality Manager and other functional leaders to implement control measures and standards to ensure products and services meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Partner with Human Resources team on the selection, onboarding, training, and performance evaluations of the operations team to achieve organizational objectives.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Management, or a related field is preferred.
• 10 years of progressive operations leadership experience.
• A proven track record of successfully leading operational initiatives and driving business results.
• Excellent leadership skills, with the ability to motivate a large-scale team while maintaining a high level of accountability.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with all levels of the organization.
• The ability to sell ideas and gain alignment is crucial in this role.
• Demonstrated experience and success in implementing effective safety systems, safety rules, and policies.

• Experience implementing and using continuous improvement/lean tools such as; Six Sigma, 5-S, Lean Manufacturing, and Lean to drive improvement.

• Strong computer skills including the ability to prepare spreadsheets and use Microsoft office products (Word, Excel, Power Point, and/or Access) to analyze data trends.
• Strong hands-on user of MRP/ERP software systems and maintenance systems.
• Demonstrated competence in reviewing financial statements, activity reports, or other performance data to measure productivity and goal achievement or to identify areas requiring cost reduction or program improvement.
• Experience selecting, training, evaluating, and improving the performance of team members.
• Ability to implement a standardized operating system in conjunction with current company policies, goals, objectives, or procedures.
• Must be comfortable and thrive in a continual growth environment, achieving and maintaining a 15-25% growth rate year over year.
• Coordinating with other teams to implement strategies, create long term plans, and develop cross-training efforts.
• Creating presentations and communicating with executives about current state of business and road map to future state.
• Aluminum fabrication experience is a definite plus.