Operations Manager
Job Description
Position Overview

- Location: Greater Toronto Area (GTA West / Halton Region), Ontario
- Reports to: General Manager
- Compensation: $220,000 – $230,000 per year
- Functional Scope: Production, Quality, Engineering, & Maintenance

Company Overview
We are an established Canadian precision manufacturing organization supplying high-tolerance components and complex assemblies to advanced industrial sectors, including aerospace, defence, and high-spec commercial markets. Operating from a fully equipped, modern production facility, our capabilities include multi-axis CNC machining, precision sheet metal fabrication, certified welding, specialized metal finishing, deburring, and mechanical assembly. With a multi-decade track record of technical excellence, we support tier-one clients with products engineered to stringent regulatory standards and tight tolerance requirements.

The Opportunity
We are seeking a hands-on, floor-oriented Operations Manager to lead overall plant execution across a manufacturing footprint of approximately 130–150 employees. Reporting to the General Manager, this operational leader will strengthen daily execution, institute up-to-date production systems, optimize material flow, and eliminate operational bottlenecks across the plant.
The successful candidate will evaluate existing manufacturing methods, establish robust performance metrics, and lead cross-functional initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery schedule attainment, cost containment, and overall equipment efficiency.

Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Daily Rhythm

- Direct daily operations across production, quality assurance, manufacturing engineering, and facility maintenance.
- Convert strategic business objectives and client requirements into operational master schedules and daily performance targets.
- Establish clear operational accountability across all operational departments, shifts, and supervisory levels.
- Maintain a visible, active presence on the shop floor to coach teams, identify constraints, and remove operational friction in real time.
- Cultivate frontline leadership, establishing structured shift handovers and effective daily operating rhythms.
- Balance labor allocation, machine availability, tooling, and quality oversight to hit production targets safely.

Workflow Optimization & Continuous Improvement

- Conduct end-to-end evaluations of plant layout, shop-floor workflows, and production control systems to create a comprehensive operational improvement plan.
- Re-engineer production flow to shorten manufacturing lead times, reduce work-in-process (WIP) inventory, and eliminate non-value-added material handling.
- Implement standard work practices,



visual management tools, daily tiered reviews, 5S workplace organization, and structured escalation protocols.
- Synchronize production scheduling and capacity planning across all primary manufacturing cells—including CNC machining, fabrication, welding, finishing, and final assembly.
- Identify opportunities for cellular manufacturing, improved setup reduction (SMED), line balancing, and repeatable shop-floor schedules.
- Drive floor-level adoption of recent systems, ensuring operational changes are fully trained, documented, and sustained long-term.

Performance Management & Operational Visibility

- Develop and manage a balanced scorecard of key plant metrics, including:
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and schedule attainment
- On-time delivery (OTD), throughput, and standard labor efficiency
- First-pass yield (FPY), scrap rates, and rework costs
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and unplanned downtime
- Manufacturing cycle time and WIP turns
- Host daily and weekly operational performance reviews that transform raw shop data into immediate corrective actions.
- Provide executive leadership with concise visibility into plant output, capacity risks, critical path constraints, and recovery strategies.
- Apply disciplined root-cause problem solving (5-Why, Fishbone) to resolve persistent operational and equipment issues.

Quality Systems & Compliance

- Partner with Quality and Engineering teams to ensure shop-floor improvements comply with rigorous quality management systems (e.g., AS9100/ISO 9001), regulatory mandates, and customer specifications.
- Promote a "Quality at the Source" mindset across all operator stations, reinforcing process controls throughout the manufacturing process.
- Ensure process deviations, non-conformance reports (NCRs), and customer feedback are systematically analyzed and corrected using standard CAPA tools.
- Drive targeted yield improvements to continuously lower the cost of poor quality (COPQ).

Maintenance & Reliability Engineering

- Direct plant maintenance resources to implement proactive preventive and predictive maintenance (PM/PdM) programs.
- Maximize critical machinery uptime, reliability, and precision capabilities across the plant.
- Align scheduled maintenance activities with master production schedules to minimize disruptions to active customer orders.




- Track downtime Pareto data to prioritize capital improvement recommendations, machinery refurbishments, or equipment replacements.
- Oversee facility upgrades, equipment installations, plant re-layouts, and capacity expansion projects.

Safety, Culture, & Leadership

- Serve as a champion for health, safety, environmental compliance, and an inclusive, respectful workplace.
- Ensure all teams receive the required safety protocols, continuous skill training, and technical support to execute tasks successfully.
- Establish clear operational objectives for supervisors and managers, offering actionable feedback and proactive performance management.
- Foster strong cross-functional communication between production, engineering, quality, and supply chain functions.

Qualifications & Experience

- Experience: 8+ years of progressive operational leadership experience within a complex, high-mix/low-volume precision manufacturing environment, including direct leadership over plant operations.
- Track Record: Proven success transforming shop-floor operations to improve throughput, lead times, OTD, and overall operating margins.
- Domain Knowledge: Deep knowledge of modern manufacturing systems, Lean/Toyota Production System principles, standard work, visual management, root-cause analysis, and capacity modeling.
- Technical Familiarity: Hands-on experience or direct management exposure to precision manufacturing processes (e.g., multi-axis CNC milling/turning, sheet metal fabrication, certified welding, mechanical assembly, deburring, and surface treatment).
- Industry Context: Background in a tightly regulated, quality-sensitive manufacturing sector (e.g., aerospace, defence, automotive, medical device, or precision industrial machinery).
- Data-Driven: Demonstrated capability to interpret production metrics and translate analytical insights into sustainable shop-floor practices.
- Leadership Style: Pragmatic, decisive, and communicative style with a strong track record of earning respect from experienced floor personnel and senior executives alike.

Education

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field is preferred; equivalent hands-on executive manufacturing experience will be given full consideration.

Pay: $220,000.00-$230,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- Casual dress
- Commuter benefits
- Company events
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- RRSP match
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision care
- VRSP
- Wellness program

Work Location: In person

📌 General Manager - Machining (Milton)
🏢 Waterford Executive
📍 Milton