Automotive Operations Director Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Managing Director

Business Unit: Automotive Electrical Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC)
Reports To: VP, Laboratories – North America
Scope: Full P&L ownership of Business Unit, with responsibility for strategy, operations, commercial growth, quality, engineering, and people.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Qualified Candidates MUST HAVE TIC in a SERVICES Industry - this is not an automotive manufacturing company. This company provides Testing, Inspection, & Certification for electrical components for automotive manufacturing companies.

Role Overview

The Managing Director is accountable for the overall leadership and performance of an automotive TIC business. The role provides strategic direction while ensuring operational excellence, full financial P&L oversight and profitable growth, technical leadership, customer satisfaction, capital equipment and facility investment, regulatory compliance, and development of a high-performing leadership team. The Managing Director serves as the primary business leader responsible for delivering financial performance and positioning the business for long-term growth.

Core Responsibilities

• Own full financial P&L, budgeting, forecasting, EBITDA, cash flow, and CapEx/capital planning.
• Develop and execute strategic growth plans, including expansion of services and key customer relationships with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• Oversee laboratory operations across EMC and electrical related TIC functions.
• Lead laboratory operations to improve safety, productivity, turnaround time, utilization, and customer responsiveness.
• Maintain quality systems and laboratory accreditation (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025) and ensure compliance with customer and regulatory requirements.
• Drive Lean, continuous improvement, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Develop, coach, and retain a high-performing leadership team with succession planning.
• Recruiting discussions and initiatives.
• Partner with commercial teams to increase revenue, improve quote conversion, and strengthen customer relationships.
• Promote a culture of safety, ethics, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Develop, write, and provide business performance and recovery plan presentations to executive leadership
• Provide sales support and be involved in business development
• Develop annual capital expenditure plans.
• Evaluate ROI for major projects, prioritize equipment purchases, facility improvements, and new laboratory capabilities.
• Lead implementation and adoption of enterprise systems including SAP, Ariba, CIMSA, CRM, and reporting tools.
• Coordinate SharePoint migrations, document management improvements, and information governance efforts.
• Participate in marketing and lead-generation initiatives supporting business unit growth.
• Review lead-generation metrics, CRM utilization, and marketing performance.
• Support development of dashboards and reporting tools used to manage business performance and customer acquisition efforts.

First-Year Strategic Priorities

• Assess the current operating model and develop a three-year strategic roadmap.
• Improve laboratory throughput, scheduling, and turnaround times.
• Identify opportunities to expand automotive testing capabilities and increase market share.
• Review organizational structure and strengthen key leadership positions.
• Establish measurable operational and commercial KPIs.
• Improve profitability through productivity improvements, pricing discipline, and resource optimization.
• Develop succession plans for key technical and operational positions.

• Financial performance on or ahead of plan.
• Improved laboratory productivity and on-time delivery.
• Higher customer satisfaction and stronger OEM/Tier 1 relationships.
• Quality audits successfully completed with strong compliance results.
• Leadership team aligned with clear accountability and succession plans.
• Documented strategic growth plan with measurable milestones.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• Over 10 years of leadership experience in electrical testing, certification, laboratory services, engineering services, manufacturing services, or related technical industries.
• Demonstrated responsibility for P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, and business growth.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical and operational teams.
• Experience with regulated environments, quality systems, and accreditation programs.
• Sales acumen, sales support, business development background.
• Customer-facing ability to meet or exceed expectations
• M&A and CapEx portfolio management experience highly preferred

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related discipline required.
• MBA or advanced professional certification preferred.