Director of Operations & Supply Chain

Charter Manufacturing is a fourth-generation family-owned business where our will to grow drives us to do it better.  Join the team and become part of our family!

Join a business at a pivotal moment of growth and transformation. As a key member of the Casting Business Unit Leadership Team reporting directly to the Business Unit President, the Director of Operations & Supply Chain will play a critical role in shaping the future of the organization by driving operational excellence, accelerating performance, and building the capabilities required for long-term competitive advantage.

This executive leader is responsible for the strategy, performance, and continuous improvement of a multi-site manufacturing and supply chain organization, leading manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and operational excellence functions. The role offers a unique opportunity to influence business strategy while delivering safe, reliable, and cost-effective operations that support customer success and profitable growth.

The Director of Operations & Supply Chain will lead the organization's Operational Excellence transformation through Lean Enterprise and Toyota Production System (TPS) principles, advancing world-class operating capabilities, strengthening leadership talent, and driving the adoption of innovative technologies and processes. Success in this role requires a visionary leader who can balance strategic thinking with disciplined execution, inspire organizational change, and create a culture where people, performance, and continuous improvement thrive.

Position Specifics

• This position ideally sits onsite in Mequon, WI alongside our Casting leadership team with secondary locations in Woodstock, IL or Shawano, WI at our plant operations locations.
• Relocation assistance available
• Position requires travel at least 30%

What you’ll do

Strategic Leadership & Business Performance

• Develop and execute the operations and supply chain strategy required to achieve business objectives, strengthen competitive advantage, and support long-term growth, including capital, capacity, technology, and capability investment roadmaps.
• Serve as a key member of the Business Unit Leadership Team, contributing to business strategy development and ensuring operational priorities are aligned with strategic objectives.
• Own operational financial performance, including budgets, spending, productivity improvement, working capital management, and cost structure optimization in support of revenue and profitability objectives.
• Lead the evaluation, justification, and implementation of capital investments, automation, new technologies, and process innovations that improve operational capability and business performance.

Operational Excellence & Transformation

• Lead the organization's Operational Excellence transformation through Lean Enterprise and Toyota Production System principles.
• Drive the adoption of new technologies, automation, and process innovations that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall competitiveness.
• Ensure robust management systems exist across safety, quality, environmental, operational, and business processes to support sustainable performance and future growth.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Build organizational capability, leadership talent, and succession pipelines required to support current and future business needs.
• Develop a deep and diverse leadership bench through coaching, succession planning, and intentional development of future operational leaders characterized by accountability, collaboration, engagement, and a relentless focus on results.

Safety, Quality & Customer Excellence

• Champion a culture of safety by ensuring a safe working environment, visible leadership engagement, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement in safety performance.
• Serve as the voice of the customer within operations, ensuring customer requirements are consistently met or exceeded through superior quality, delivery, responsiveness, and execution.
• Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Commercial, Quality, and other stakeholders to successfully launch new products, technologies, and processes while achieving customer commitments and operational objectives.

Supply Chain Leadership

• Lead supply chain functions to ensure effective planning, procurement, sourcing, logistics, inventory optimization, and supplier performance management.
• Develop and maintain strategic supplier partnerships that enhance supply continuity, quality, responsiveness, innovation, and total cost competitiveness.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the Casting Division's multi-site operations organization, including Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operational Excellence.
• Directly lead Plant Managers, Supply Chain leadership, Quality leadership, and Operational Excellence leadership while developing organizational capability and succession strength throughout the operations organization.

What you’ll need

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including significant responsibility for multi-site operations, supply chain, or related business functions.
• Proven success as a Plant Manager, Operations Manager, or equivalent senior operations leadership role.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute operational strategies that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and overall business performance.
• Deep expertise in Lean Enterprise, Toyota Production System (TPS), and continuous improvement methodologies, with a proven track record of leading sustained, large-scale operational transformations.
• Demonstrated success building high-performing teams, developing leaders, and driving accountability and engagement throughout the organization.
• Experience leading supply chain functions, including planning, procurement, sourcing, logistics, inventory optimization, and supplier performance management.
• Proven ability to lead change, influence across functions, and align teams around strategic business objectives in complex manufacturing environments.
• Strong business acumen, communication skills, and executive presence, with the ability to effectively engage employees, customers, suppliers, and senior leadership.
• Follow Environmental, Quality and Safety Management System procedures and requirements.
• Ability to meet the essential job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation, as outlined in the job description.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
• Experience leading operations within metals manufacturing or other capital-intensive manufacturing businesses.
• Demonstrated success leading Lean transformations utilizing Toyota Production System principles.
• Experience leading complex, multi-site manufacturing organizations through significant growth, operational turnaround, capacity expansion, acquisition integration, or business transformation initiatives.
• Proven success developing high-performing leadership teams and building organizational capability through succession planning and talent development.

At Charter Manufacturing, our culture is built on continuous improvement, inclusion, integrity, and a commitment to developing people. We believe our success is driven by the strength of our teams and the contributions of every employee.

Charter Manufacturing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process.

The annual hiring range for this position is: $168,900-$211,100. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will depend on various factors, including but not limited to job-related skills, experience, and qualifications. Compensation decisions are tailored to the unique circumstances of each position and candidate.

We offer comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits, along with a 401(k) plan that includes employer matching and profit sharing. Additionally, we offer company-paid life insurance, disability coverage, and paid time off (PTO).