Operations Leader

Operations Leader - Defense Manufacturing Location: Camden, AR Schedule: 4/10 work-week Our client is hiring an Operations Leader to lead day-to-day manufacturing for a mission-critical defense program. Responsibilities include: - Lead all manufacturing activity within the IPT, including chemical mixing, extrusion, tooling, and related processes - Build and adjust realistic production schedules with the Planner, and head off capacity and bottleneck risks - Partner with the Production Supervisor on staffing, labor utilization, equipment availability, and material flow - Own key KPIs: on-time delivery, first-pass yield, cycle time, throughput, downtime, scrap rate, and OEE - Lead continuous improvement through lean, 5S, kaizen events, and variability reduction - Roll out new procedures, engineering changes, automation, and capital equipment with minimal disruption - Run daily and weekly ops meetings, gemba walks, and problem-solving sessions, and escalate issues early - Champion safety, environmental, and quality compliance, including hazardous materials handling and PPE - Report status, risks, and performance to site leadership and program stakeholders Requirements: - 7+ years of manufacturing or operations experience in defense, aerospace, or another regulated manufacturing environment - Experience leading or managing production operations - Proven results implementing lean, continuous improvement, and productivity initiatives Preferences: - Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, business, or a related field