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Director of Operations

St. Louis, MO

Full-time, On-site

Salary/Exempt

Kemco Aerospace Overview

Kemco Aerospace is a manufacturing organization working closely with large aircraft and weapon systems OEMs, such as Boeing Defense, RTX/Collins Aerospace, Bell, Northrop Grumman and several others to deliver complex design-to-build and build-to print assemblies. Kemco Aerospace provides these assemblies in support of in-service platforms, such as: H-47, V-22, F-35, F-15, F-16, F-18, KC-135, E-2, and weapon systems such as Harpoon and SLAM-ER. Kemco Aerospace is part of the Crestview Aerospace family which is comprised of two (2) manufacturing sites, with operations in St. Louis, Missouri and Crestview, FL, and employs approximately 350 professionals.

Essential Job Functions

The Director of Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of an aerospace manufacturing facility with a core focus on engineering, CNC machining, precision manufacturing, and assembly operations. This role provides strategic and tactical leadership across Operations, Engineering, and CNC Programming to ensure safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives are consistently met. The Director of Operations drives continuous improvement, operational excellence, and cross-functional alignment to support company growth and customer satisfaction.

Principal Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Provide executive-level oversight of daily manufacturing operations, including engineering, programming, CNC machining, fabrication, assembly, and inspection.
• Develop and execute operational strategies that support company goals for productivity, quality, and profitability.
• Establish and maintain KPIs focused on throughput, capacity utilization, efficiency, scrap reduction, and on-time delivery.
• Lead and enforce a strong culture of safety, compliance, technological innovation and accountability.
• Direct the activities of the Engineering and CNC Programming departments, ensuring cost-effective and quality focused process plans that utilize the technology available to ensure best outcome for Company and Customer.
• Ensure engineering change processes are well-controlled and fully integrated with production planning.
• Collaborate with engineering leads within Customer base to improve manufacturability (DFM), reduce cycle times, and enhance process reliability.
• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement initiatives to streamline processes and reduce waste.
• Identify and implement advanced manufacturing technologies, automation opportunities, and process innovations.
• Develop long-term capacity planning, equipment investment strategies, and workforce development plans.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance to ensure compliance with AS9100, customer requirements, and industry regulations.
• Coordinate with Sales, Program Management, and Customer Service teams to align operational capabilities with customer expectations.
• Build and mentor a high-performance team across operations, engineering, and programming.
• Drive a culture of teamwork, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Professional Requirements, Qualifications & Desired Competencies:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field. Relative experience may be substituted for degree.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in aerospace or high-precision manufacturing.
• Extensive knowledge of CNC machining processes, equipment, tooling, and programming.
• Proven experience managing engineering and/or CNC programming departments.
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Preferred

• Master's degree in engineering, Business, or related discipline.
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems such as Epicor, SAP, or JobBOSS.
• Certifications such as PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, or Lean certification.
• Strong understanding of AS9100 or equivalent aerospace quality standards

Work Environment:

• Primarily works in a manufacturing setting with exposure to machinery and production equipment.
• Requires standing for extended periods and occasional lifting of materials.
• May involve occasional travel to suppliers or other company locations.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The employee may be required to follow other instructions and to perform other duties requested by their supervisor.

Physical Requirements:

Primarily manufacturing/assembly environment. Must be able to work in the following environmental conditions: noise, vibration, proximity to moving mechanical parts, moving vehicles, electrical current. Must be able to bend and reach. Must have close visual acuity such as viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, and/or operation of machines, and/or assembly or fabrication parts at close distance to the eyes. Must be able to communicate effectively. Must be able to maneuver up to 20 pounds. Will be performing substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

Kemco Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires, trains, and promotes employees in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran's status, or other legally protected status. Sponsorship is not available for this role. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US on a permanent and consistent basis without company sponsorship now and in the future. This position requires use of information or access to hardware which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, or Refugee.