Senior Production Operations Leader

Senior Production Operations Leader

Department: Production
Company: Protocase Inc.
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Work Arrangement: On-site
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Level: Senior Leadership
Compensation: $120,000–$190,000 USD in annual total compensation, including base salary and applicable performance incentives, depending on experience, qualifications, and scope of responsibility

Full Transparency: We Work a Little Differently Around Here.

We’re looking for one or two senior leaders to help build, lead, and scale our Wilmington production operation.

Protocase manufactures custom products in a fast-paced, high-mix environment. Our customers count on us to deliver exceptional quality quickly, even as priorities, volumes, and requirements change. We hold ourselves to high standards, and we need leaders who can build the teams, systems, and operating discipline required to meet those standards consistently.

This opportunity calls for an entrepreneurial mindset. You see what needs to be built, take ownership of results, develop capable leaders, and put practical systems in place that make the operation stronger as it grows.

At Protocase, we believe leaders exist to help people succeed. If you can combine that belief with demanding operational standards, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to our customers, we’d like to meet you.

Learn more about how we work: workdifferently.info

About the Role

As a Senior Production Operations Leader, you will take significant responsibility for the performance and continued development of our Wilmington production operation.

Your work will span teams and shifts. You will develop Leads and Supervisors, strengthen day-to-day execution, improve the way work moves through the plant, and build the leadership structure and operating systems needed to support continued growth.

You’ll spend meaningful time on the production floor understanding the work, observing performance, and solving problems at their source. At the same time, you’ll look ahead, identify what the operation will need next, and lead the changes required to get there.

Your goal is to build a high-performing production operation that delivers through strong leaders, clear standards, effective training, disciplined execution, and consistent accountability.

What You’ll Do

Lead the Operation

• Take ownership of production performance across teams and shifts.
• Establish and reinforce clear expectations for safety, quality, output, efficiency, and customer commitments.
• Use operational data and firsthand observation to identify gaps, set priorities, and make sound decisions.
• Ensure problems are addressed at their root rather than repeatedly managed as symptoms.
• Maintain a strong connection between daily production activity and the needs of our customers and business.

Build High-Performing Teams

• Help select, develop, coach, and hold Leads and Supervisors accountable.
• Build leaders who can set expectations, develop employees, solve problems, and address performance concerns effectively.
• Establish a leadership structure capable of supporting growth without compromising standards.
• Create an environment where people take ownership, communicate openly, solve problems collaboratively, and help others succeed.
• Set a high bar for performance while treating people with fairness, respect, and consistency.

Build Systems That Scale

• Strengthen procedures, training, and auditing through our PTA approach: Procedure, Training, Audit.
• Improve workflows, handoffs, production planning, communication, and coordination across shifts and teams.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Quality, Scheduling, HR, and other functions to improve performance across the operation.
• Develop practical systems that reduce dependence on individual knowledge and make strong execution repeatable.
• Ensure successful improvements become part of the standard way we work.

About You

We place significant value on attitude, aptitude, leadership ability, and demonstrated results.

You may be a strong fit if:

• You have substantial experience leading manufacturing or production operations and developing other leaders.
• You have built, scaled, or significantly improved teams, processes, facilities, or operating systems.
• You take ownership of results and are comfortable making decisions when the path forward is not obvious.
• You can move comfortably between detailed problems on the production floor and the broader operational picture.
• You set high standards, follow through on commitments, and address issues directly and respectfully.
• You know how to create accountability without losing sight of employee development.
• You understand the challenges of balancing speed, customization, quality, efficiency, and changing customer requirements.
• You are adaptable and effective in an environment that is still being built and refined.
• You are legally authorized to work in the United States and are able to work on-site in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Experience in high-mix, low-volume, custom, or engineer-to-order manufacturing would be considered an asset.

What Success Looks Like

You build a capable leadership team and an operation that performs consistently across shifts.

Expectations are clear. Leaders lead. Employees are properly trained and coached. Problems are identified and addressed early. Operational decisions are grounded in facts. Improvements become standard practice rather than temporary fixes.

As the Wilmington operation grows, its systems and leadership capabilities grow with it—allowing our teams to continue delivering safe, efficient, high-quality work for our customers.

Why Protocase?

Established in 2001, Protocase Inc. combines advanced software with innovative manufacturing techniques to provide custom manufacturing solutions to engineering, design, and research organizations.

Our culture is built around a straightforward set of Ethical Guidelines:

• Our Customers Are #1
• Help Others Succeed
• Build and Maintain Functional Relationships with Everyone
• Trust
• Openness, Honesty and Transparency
• Respect
• Common Sense

We believe work should be meaningful, leaders should help people succeed, and strong organizations are built by people who take ownership of making things better.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive total compensation package designed to recognize the level of responsibility and impact associated with this role.

• Compensation: $120,000–$190,000 USD in annual total compensation, including base salary and applicable performance incentives, depending on experience, qualifications, and scope of responsibility.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, life insurance, and group insurance coverage for eligible full-time employees.
• Vacation: Two weeks of paid vacation, increasing to three weeks after three years and four weeks after five years.
• Training & Development: Leadership training and additional professional and skills-development opportunities.
• Career Growth: The opportunity to help build a growing U.S. operation and take on broader leadership responsibility as the business develops.
• Team & Social Events: Company lunches, seasonal events, and other activities as our Wilmington team grows.

If you want to take meaningful ownership of a production operation, develop the leaders who will carry it forward, and help build something from the ground up in Wilmington, we’d love to hear from you.