Operations Manager

Operations Manager | East Berlin, CT | On-Site | Direct Hire | Up to 175k

What Matters Most:

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• Base salary targeted around $150,000–$170,000, depending on experience
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• Experience within custom machinery, capital equipment, industrial equipment, automation, engineered products, or another complex high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment
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• Strong mechanical and manufacturing aptitude
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• Ability to lead across Production, Materials/Supply Chain, and Manufacturing Engineering
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• Proven ability to bring structure, accountability, and execution discipline to a fast-moving operation
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Job Description:

A growing engineered-equipment manufacturer is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead day-to-day execution across manufacturing, materials, supply chain, and manufacturing engineering. The organization is entering a period of significant growth and requires an operational leader who can bring multiple functions together around shared priorities, improve planning and execution, and create greater visibility across the manufacturing process. This is not a role for someone who simply maintains an established production system. The Operations Manager will be expected to identify bottlenecks, strengthen operating discipline, develop existing leaders, improve communication between departments, and help the business scale without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

Responsibilities:

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• Lead daily operational execution across Production, Materials, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Engineering, inventory, receiving, kitting, and shipping
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• Establish clear priorities across customer orders, engineering requirements, material availability, machining, assembly, testing, and shipment schedules
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• Strengthen production planning and scheduling practices to improve throughput, resource utilization, lead times, and on-time execution
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• Develop and coach functional leaders while establishing clear ownership, performance expectations, accountability, and follow-through
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• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Finance, and leadership to resolve operational constraints, improve manufacturability, control costs, and support business objectives
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• Evaluate sourcing, vendor performance, inventory strategy, make-versus-buy decisions, product costing, and value-engineering opportunities
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• Use ERP data, operational metrics, and structured continuous-improvement methods to identify problems early and drive measurable improvements across the operation
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Qualifications:

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• 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or related industrial leadership, with previous responsibility for leading managers or technical professionals
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• Experience within custom machinery, capital equipment, industrial equipment, automation, engineered products, or another complex high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment
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• Strong mechanical aptitude with the ability to understand engineered products, manufacturing processes, drawings, BOMs, routings, assembly requirements, and production constraints
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• Demonstrated experience overseeing multiple operational functions such as production, planning, purchasing, inventory, materials, manufacturing engineering, or supplier management
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• Strong business acumen with exposure to cost management, product costing, labor/productivity metrics, make-versus-buy decisions, inventory, and supplier performance
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• Experience using ERP/MRP systems and operating data to improve planning, decision-making, accountability, and communication
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• Proven leadership style characterized by sound judgment, confidence, collaboration, adaptability, constructive problem-solving, and the ability to address difficult performance or organizational issues
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Benefits:

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• Base salary targeted around $150,000–$175,000, based on experience
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• Discretionary performance bonus
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• Comprehensive health and insurance benefits
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• Retirement program
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• Paid time off and company holidays
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• Direct exposure to executive leadership
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• Opportunity to make a visible operational impact during a period of substantial business growth
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Your New Organization:

You will join an established manufacturer of highly engineered equipment serving demanding industrial markets. The company is experiencing substantial growth and has a strong technical foundation, capable functional leaders, and significant customer demand. The opportunity is to bring greater coordination, prioritization, and operating discipline across the organization while developing the existing team and improving how work moves from Engineering through Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Assembly, Testing, and Shipment. The company is specifically seeking a leader who can help manufacturing scale alongside continued commercial growth.

Your Career Partner:

The Reserves Network is a veteran-founded, family-owned talent solutions firm that partners with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and executive professionals nationwide. We are committed to thoughtful, high-quality career matches and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This version should attract a stronger caliber of candidate because it makes the role sound like what it actually is: a business-critical Operations leadership position with influence across the entire order-to-shipment process, rather than a traditional Production Manager opening.