Director of Operations
Salt Lake City, UT · UT · USD 160,000-180,000 / year · 10+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Oct 2, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 10+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT · UT
- Salary
- USD 160,000-180,000 / year · Base salary
About the role
- The Director of Plant Operations is a senior manufacturing leader accountable for end-to-end performance of a fabrication plant within a matrixed operating model.
- This role has full responsibility for delivering sustainable results across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Inventory, and People Engagement (SQDCIP).
Responsibilities
- Create and sustain a safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with all environmental, health, and safety regulations.
- Lead safe work practices, job hazard analysis, training, and proper PPE utilization across the facility.
- Partner with EHS and HR to reduce incident rates and embed safety as a core operating discipline.
- Lead daily plant operations to achieve on-time delivery, throughput, and productivity targets across fabrication processes.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve labor efficiency, OEE, yield, scrap reduction, and material utilization.
- Influence and align Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, HR, and Finance partners who do not report directly to the role.
- Ensure robust process controls to prevent product escapes and quality defects.
- Own plant-level cost performance, including labor, materials, scrap, and overhead.
- Build and develop a strong leadership team capable of sustaining operational excellence.
- Partner with HR on talent development, succession planning, training, and retention.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing or fabrication environments
- Demonstrated success leading plant operations with full operational accountability
- Proven ability to operate effectively in a matrix organization, influencing without direct authority
- Strong working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and performance management systems
Preferred qualifications
- Experience in complex, made-to-order or fabrication-heavy manufacturing environments
- Formal Lean / Six Sigma training or certification
- Experience leading cultural transformation and change initiatives
- Multi-site or network-based manufacturing exposure
Benefits
- Annual base salary range: $160,000 - $180,000
- Bonus target range: 30% - 45%
- Medical, dental, vision, life, disability benefits
- Time off with pay
- 401(k) plan with a degree of employer matching
- Paid parental leave
- Wellness programs
- Product discounts
Skills
- Lean Manufacturing
- Continuous Improvement
- Performance Management Systems
- Change Management
- Supply Chain
- Preventative Maintenance
