Operations Manager – Lumber Processing

THE COMPANY

A high-growing manufacturing client has retained us to find their next Manufacturing Operations Manager for their Lumber Processing Unit. Founded 25 years ago with a progressive new approach for delivering a higher level of performance, product quality, and unparalleled client service, our client has grown to become one of the largest and most technologically advanced manufacturers of industrial wood products in the United States. Their leadership position in the industry has been achieved through a shared passion among the talented members of their team who are empowered and have the opportunity to be creative, innovate, and pursue their personal and career objectives in parallel with the success of the team. Their continued growth and expansion of their internationally recognized LEED® Silver certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™) manufacturing operation in Houston, Texas has created this opportunity for a skilled Bilingual (English/Spanish) Operations Manager professional to join their team.

THE POSITION

By joining our dynamic, casual and family-like team, you will have the opportunity for broad responsibility in a key Operations Manager role in our continued growth with primary responsibility for leading a core lumber processing manufacturing operation and team. Excellent organizational, technical, interpersonal and leadership skills are essential.

Primary Responsibilities

Operations Leadership & Team Development:

Provide overall operational management and team leadership for lumber processing manufacturing department, including material logistics and inventory.

Manage daily lumber processing manufacturing operations to ensure production goals are achieved. Oversee production planning, workflow and resource allocation.

Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless operations.

Drive operational excellence through the establishment and management of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Overall Equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Build organizational capability and capacity expansion by recruiting and developing manufacturing team members and fostering a culture of engagement, individual and team growth, and opportunity.

Participate in or lead effective employee development programs, job and safety training, and ensuring compliance with all regulatory and company requirements.

Foster a positive, collaborative and high-performance team culture and maintain high-quality standards for all products and processes with a continuous focus on providing outstanding service to our clients and a rewarding environment for our team.

Continuous Improvement & Sustainability:

Lead the team commitment to a culture of continuous improvement through application of tools such as Kaizen, 5S and value stream mapping.

Utilize and teach Lean Six Sigma methodologies with a focus on optimizing manufacturing processes to improve efficiency, quality and throughput.

Employ strong analytical skills to collect, analyze and interpret data to inform decision making and process improvements.

Contribute to the development and execution of operational technological advancements and innovative smart factory initiatives involving automated manufacturing systems and integration of advanced and emerging digital technologies including IoT, AI, vision systems, robotics, information management and process control systems and data analytics.

Safety and Risk Management:

Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Conduct and lead risk assessments, JSA’s, and ensure effective safety training, documentation and practices to mitigate operational risks.

THE CANDIDATE

Qualifications & Experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to perform the responsibilities of the position with an enthusiastic and innovative attitude through successful career experiences or educational background. Our ideal candidate will enjoy a dynamic fast-paced collaborative environment, a hands-on approach, and have a strong commitment to maximizing opportunity for themselves individually, our team and our clients.

This is a key leadership role in our company, and the desired candidate will possess the following:

B.S. degree in a technical discipline is required. Prefer Industrial Engineering degree with Manufacturing concentration or similar. May consider a business degree or similar coupled with indepth manufacturing and technical experience.

Proficiency in manufacturing engineering, process design, measurement, and process optimization.

Prior experience as an operations manager or production manager is preferred but not required. Will consider candidates with ideally 3 to 7 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering and/or industrial engineering in a manufacturing plant with no management experience but who have strong leadership aptitude.

Solid experience in high-volume discrete manufacturing systems and advanced technologies.

Understanding of wood products manufacturing is desirable but not required.

Certification or demonstrated proficiency in Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing principles and tools

Command of Microsoft Office applications.

CAD and statistical process control software experience is a plus.

Excellent interpersonal, communication and team leadership skills.

The ideal candidate will be assertive, results oriented and a good problem solver.

Professional Level Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish

COMPENSATION

Compensation will consist of a highly competitive base salary and benefits package with the opportunity to earn a significant bonus and additional compensation based on performance and achievement of defined operational goals. Excellent opportunities for rapid career growth and advancement are available. This is a ground-floor opportunity in a rapidly growing industry-leading company.

Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to a diverse work team.