Associate Director Manufacturing

Associate Director Manufacturing
Location: Sumter, South Carolina
Employment Type: Full-Time

Ideal Candidate
Must possess a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related discipline.
Must have 15+ years of manufacturing experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
Must have 5+ years of Operations Management experience leading manufacturing operations.
Must have 5+ years of cross-functional leadership experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Quality
• Engineering
• Supply Chain
• Continuous Improvement
• Finance

Must have proven experience leading manufacturing operations, driving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost (SQDC) performance, and implementing operational excellence initiatives.
Must possess strong experience with Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, Operational Excellence, OEE Improvement, Asset Reliability, Cost Reduction, and Manufacturing Performance Improvement.
Must have experience leading large cross-functional teams while managing budgets, P&L, manufacturing KPIs, and strategic operational initiatives.
Experience in Medical Device, FDA-regulated, GMP, ISO, or highly regulated manufacturing is highly preferred.
Experience with Injection Molding, High-Speed Automated Manufacturing, Rubber Compounding, or Part Forming is highly desirable.

The Associate Director Manufacturing is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for manufacturing operations while driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, safety, quality, and cost optimization.
This role will lead manufacturing teams, oversee production performance, establish operational strategies, develop budgets, improve manufacturing capability, and partner with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and R&D to achieve world-class manufacturing performance.
The successful candidate will champion Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Operational Excellence while developing high-performing teams and ensuring regulatory compliance within a highly regulated manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities
Lead manufacturing operations and plant performance.
Develop and execute manufacturing strategies aligned with business objectives.
Drive Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC) improvements.
Lead Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), asset reliability, and manufacturing efficiency.
Optimize manufacturing costs and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS).
Develop annual operating budgets and monitor financial performance.
Drive operational excellence using production systems and Lean methodologies.
Lead cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Marketing, and R&D.
Ensure compliance with GMP, ISO, OSHA, CFR, and company quality systems.
Build and develop high-performing manufacturing leadership teams.
Drive talent development, coaching, succession planning, and employee engagement.
Support capital investments, process improvements, and manufacturing modernization.
Promote a culture of safety, accountability, diversity, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related discipline.
Minimum 15 years of Manufacturing experience.
Minimum 5 years of Manufacturing Operations Management experience.
Minimum 5 years of Cross-Functional leadership experience in Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Continuous Improvement, or Finance.

Strong experience with:
Manufacturing Operations
Lean Manufacturing
Continuous Improvement
Kaizen
Operational Excellence
OEE Improvement
Asset Reliability
Cost Reduction
Manufacturing Performance

Experience leading:
Manufacturing Teams
Operations Managers
Cross-functional Teams
Strategic Manufacturing Initiatives

Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets and P&L.
Excellent leadership, coaching, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications
Medical Device Manufacturing.
FDA-regulated manufacturing.
GMP, ISO 13485, CFR compliance.
High-speed automated manufacturing.
High cavity injection molding.
Rubber compounding or part forming.
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt Certification.
Lean Manufacturing certification.
TPM (Total Productive Maintenance).
Manufacturing Strategy Deployment.
Asset Care and Reliability Engineering.
Capital Project Management.