Are you an experienced operational leader who leads by example and genuinely thrives on the manufacturing floor? We are seeking a dynamic, hands-on Senior Director of Operations to own our manufacturing execution. In this role, you will be the driving force on the floor, building magnets for a First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) fusion facility. If you are energized by solving unprecedented technical challenges, establishing brand-new operational standards, and translating rapid engineering iterations into crisp, confident execution, this is your next milestone.
What you'll do:
- Active Floor Presence: Maintain a highly visible, hands-on presence across our 24x7 manufacturing operations to support teams and ensure seamless daily execution
- Strategic Leadership Buffer: Act as a steadying force for the plant and advocate for team needs
- Execution Driver: Anchor operations in a deeply embedded safety culture. Actively help team remove roadblocks and move faster
- Executive Coaching: Manage, mentor, and empower a team of Production Directors
- Talent Architecture: Design and oversee technical and leadership development frameworks to ensure shift supervisors, line leads, and engineers can operate in a fast-paced environment with high uncertainty
- Culture of Psychological Safety: Cultivate an environment that balances high accountability with the psychological safety required to surface and solve first-time failures collectively
- Strategic Alignment: Partner closely with peers in Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHSS to ensure rapid execution
- Project Lifecycle Mastery: Scope, plan, and execute new manufacturing initiatives, managing them from inception through commissioning to timely completion within budget constraints
- Iterative Lean Culture: Implement lean manufacturing principles to rapidly map new value streams, optimize process flows, improve efficiency, and reduce operational costs
- Rigorous Quality Assurance: Oversee all manufacturing operations to guarantee that every output meets or exceeds the company's stringent quality standards and customer requirements
Operational Leadership & High-Velocity Execution:
Leadership Multiplication & Team Development:
Cross-Functional Strategy & Project Management:
Continuous Improvement & Quality Excellence:
What we’re looking for:
- Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role (e.g., Senior Director of Production, Director of Operations) managing multi-layered teams
- Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper-growth ramp-up phases
- Exceptional emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to transition a team through high-stress, ambiguous operational phases using supportive, clear coaching frameworks
- Outstanding root-cause analysis skills
- Ability to diagnose and solve unprecedented technical and mechanical issues from scratch
- A track record of keeping teams motivated, focused, and safe during the inevitable trial-and-error phases of launching a novel technology
- Deep practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), or other asset-reliability frameworks
- Exceptional interpersonal skills to collaborate cross-functionally and present operational performance metrics effectively to executive stakeholders
Must-have Requirements:
- This role typically involves working in both office and manufacturing environments
- May require travel to various manufacturing sites and supplier locations
- Perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time
- Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
Skills Required
- Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role managing multi-layered teams
- Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper-growth ramp-up phases
- Exceptional emotional intelligence and experience transitioning teams through high-stress, ambiguous operational phases
- Outstanding root-cause analysis skills
- Ability to diagnose and solve unprecedented technical and mechanical issues
- Track record of keeping teams motivated, focused, and safe during trial-and-error technology launches
- Deep practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance, or asset-reliability frameworks
- Exceptional interpersonal skills for cross-functional collaboration and executive communication
- Ability to work in office and manufacturing environments
- Ability to travel to manufacturing sites and supplier locations as needed
- Ability to type, stand, or sit for extended periods
- Ability to work around industrial hazards, including high voltage, cryogenics, strong magnets, fumes, and pressure systems
What We Do
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy. CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. CFS is now building SPARC, the world's first commercially relevant, net energy fusion demonstration device. SPARC will pave the way for the first fusion power plant, ARC, that will produce power on the grid. The ultimate mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. If you are interested in joining our team, check out cfs.energy/careers for more information.
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