Job Title: Operations Manager
Operating Company: McFarlane Alaska
Reports To: Site Leader
Location: Palmer, AK
Travel: Up to 10%
ABOUT VICTOR SIERRA AVIATION
Victor Sierra Aviation (VSA) — a TransDigm Group company — is the parent of McFarlane Aviation, McFarlane Alaska, Tempest Aero Group®, AV8, and Aviation Products Systems. We acquire and build businesses that lead in engineering, manufacturing, and distribution of exceptional aerospace products, with 450 employees across Kansas, North Carolina, Alaska, Washington, and Texas.
McFarlane Alaska
Based in Palmer, McFarlane Alaska specializes in parts and performance modifications supporting bush flying (STOL), designing, manufacturing, and distributing high-quality aircraft parts for the aviation market. With over 50 years of combined experience, the team is committed to delivering superior parts with exceptional, old-fashioned customer service.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As Operations Manager, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping McFarlane Alaska's operations, leading a dedicated team of colleagues who are passionate about aviation and community. You'll own the entire value stream — from raw material intake through precision-machined components, assembly, and delivery — driving operational excellence, inspiring a cross-functional team, and ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, and delivery in aviation manufacturing.
Requirements
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Operational Leadership
- Shop Floor Leadership: Lead day-to-day shop floor operations with a sharp focus on Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost in a high-mix machining environment
- Team Oversight: Oversee production teams — supervisors, engineers, planners, buyers, and operators — to achieve Value Stream goals
- Resource Alignment: Use historical data, customer demand, and future projections to align the Value Stream, including resource planning, machine utilization, employee productivity, and machine uptime
- Product Launches: Coordinate cross-functional efforts to launch new aviation products and integrate new technologies
- KPI Development: Support development of Value Stream KPIs for Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost; track and refine to ensure business objectives are met
- Budget Accountability: Ensure the Value Stream achieves budget through accountability, labor management, tooling & consumable spend, and material costs
- Performance Reporting: Generate and communicate performance metrics
- Issue Resolution: Troubleshoot and collaborate with technical experts to resolve operational issues and limit production downtime
Team Development
- Team Building: Build, mentor, and empower a team of supervisors, leads, and individual contributors, developing skills that match our ambition
- Floor Presence: Be a visible leader on the floor — motivate, coach, celebrate wins, and correct course when needed
- Growth & Accountability: Set clear expectations, conduct performance reviews, and create upskilling and growth opportunities that enable career pathways for your team
Quality & Compliance
- Standards Collaboration: Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Engineering to ensure every part meets or exceeds aviation standards and regulatory requirements
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with aerospace regulations and customer-specific requirements, including FAA standards
- Corrective Action: Proactively address non-conformances and ensure effective corrective actions
- Precision Support: Support calibration, inspection, and programming to maintain top-tier accuracy and quality
Planning & Delivery
- Production Alignment: Collaborate with planning teams to align production with demand and product milestones
- Schedule Management: Monitor schedules, adjust for constraints, and keep production agile and responsive
- Bottleneck Forecasting: Forecast bottlenecks before they ground us — and solve them before they're even noticed
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
- Associate or bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience in a complex, high-mix manufacturing environment
- At least 3 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations
- Proven ability to optimize workforce planning — aligning labor, skills, and schedules to meet production goals
- Demonstrated success in building and leading high-performing teams, managing shifting priorities, and delivering results under pressure
- Strong analytical skills with a strategic mindset and attention to detail
- A passion for building something meaningful, with a commitment to safety, quality craftsmanship, and doing things the right way
- A growth mindset — eager to learn, improve, and take on new challenges
- Flexibility to wear multiple hats in a dynamic, hands-on environment
- A true team player — collaborative, communicative, and committed to collective success
Preferred
- Experience in rubber vulcanization, welding, CNC, or assembly
- Experience in aviation or aerospace manufacturing environments
- Familiarity with FAA regulations and customer-specific documentation standards
- Hands-on experience in an operations environment and a solid understanding of machining workforce dynamics
- Strong knowledge of blueprint reading and GD&T
- Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems with the ability to use data for smart decision-making
- Experience managing operational KPIs and departmental budgets to drive performance
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
You're a hands-on, floor-present leader who balances operational rigor with genuine care for your team. You build trust through consistency and candor, thrive in a high-mix, fast-paced manufacturing environment, and hold yourself and your team to the highest standards of safety and craftsmanship. You're as comfortable running a shift huddle as you are mentoring an operator — and you make things happen.
Benefits
Why McFarlane Alaska?
At McFarlane Alaska, you’ll be part of a team supporting one of the most unique aviation markets in the world. We take pride in delivering quality products and strong customer support to Alaska’s aviation community while operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
We offer:
- A collaborative, hands-on culture where your ideas and leadership make a direct impact
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and long-term career growth opportunities.
- The opportunity to lead a unique aviation manufacturing operation within the expanding VSA platform
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McFarlane Alaska is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe diverse perspectives make us stronger, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds to join our journey.