Overview
Senior Director of Operations Jobs in Illinois, United States at Elite Talent Advisors
Title: Senior Director of Operations
Company: Elite Talent Advisors
Location: Illinois, United States
Can reside anywhere in U.S. Role will oversee 8 sites. Must have exp in rigid plastics. Must have had oversight of at least 5 plants – role is remote with up to 75% travel. Potential flex on salary.
This role provides senior operational leadership across a network of manufacturing facilities, with full accountability for site performance, leadership effectiveness, and operational consistency. The Senior Director of Operations ensures plants execute safely, efficiently, and profitably while translating enterprise strategy into disciplined, day-to-day execution at the plant level.
This leader operates through Plant Managers and site leadership teams, setting clear expectations, reinforcing standards, and driving measurable, sustainable improvement across the manufacturing footprint.
Key Responsibilities
Multi-Site Operational Leadership
- Provide oversight and direction for multiple manufacturing locations
- Drive consistent performance across safety, quality, service, cost, and people metrics
- Establish clear performance expectations and ensure disciplined follow-through
- Quickly assess underperforming sites and lead stabilization and recovery efforts
Operating Framework & Execution
- Champion a structured operating model across all locations
- Ensure effective use of standard work, tiered accountability, and performance visibility
- Reinforce operational rigor and rhythm through regular reviews and plant engagement
- Partner with continuous improvement, engineering, quality, and safety resources to embed best practices
Plant Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead, coach, and develop Plant Managers and their direct leadership teams
- Strengthen leadership capability, ownership, and problem-solving skills at the site level
- Evaluate bench strength and succession readiness across the plant leadership organization
- Build a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement
Reliability, Stability & Improvement
- Ensure manufacturing processes are stable, repeatable, and well-controlled
- Improve equipment uptime and asset reliability in collaboration with maintenance and engineering leaders
- Address chronic performance gaps using data-driven root cause analysis
- Elevate cross-site or enterprise-level constraints for broader alignment and resolution
Enterprise & Cross-Functional Alignment
- Work closely with supply chain, commercial, finance, HR, and quality partners
- Ensure operational capacity aligns with customer demand and business commitments
- Support capital investment planning, footprint optimization, and integration initiatives
- Present plant and network performance in executive-level reviews
Candidate Profile
- 12+ years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership experience
- Demonstrated success leading multiple manufacturing sites or a large, complex operation
- Proven ability to lead through Plant Managers and senior site leaders
- Track record of implementing and sustaining standardized operating systems
- Strong business acumen with the ability to balance execution, people development, and strategy
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
