Manufacturing Operations Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL

About the team:

The Automation Engineering Team is responsible for delivering robotics-driven automation deployments across a wide range of customer applications. The team partners cross-functionally to translate customer requirements into deployed systems, ensuring solutions are integrated, commissioned, and validated to perform reliably in real manufacturing environments. Automation Engineering works closely with customers, internal technical teams, and external partners to ensure operations are on schedule and maintain high standards for quality, safety, and repeatability.

About the role:

As Manufacturing Operations Manager, you will play a critical role within Formic's Automation Engineering organization. You will be responsible for building the operational foundation that enables Formic to deliver automation solutions safely, efficiently, and at scale.

You will serve as a key operational leader within Formic's Bolingbrook facility, working closely with the rest of the Automation Engineering Team, Supply Chain, Fleet Operations, Product, Software, Solutions Engineering, and Project Management teams, you will coordinate resources, align priorities, and drive execution across the organization.

This role combines people leadership, operational excellence, and hands-on problem solving. You will develop technical talent, improve organizational effectiveness, establish scalable processes, and help create the structure and accountability required to support Formic's continued growth.

We're looking for a leader who thrives in fast-paced environments, enjoys building systems and teams, and is excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of industrial automation.

In this role you will: 

• Serve as a key operational leader within Formic's Bolingbrook, Illinois facility, helping align priorities across engineering, inventory, logistics, and project execution activities
• Build and uphold a culture of ownership, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement
• Lead daily standups and execution reviews to ensure priorities are clear, resources are aligned, and blockers are addressed quickly
• Act as an escalation point for operational issues impacting execution, quality, or readiness
• Drive accountability for operational performance, quality, safety, and organizational effectiveness
• Partner cross-functionally to align operational readiness with customer commitments and project timelines
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Fleet Operations teams to ensure proper inventory levels, system availability, and future capacity requirements
• Forecast organizational capacity and proactively identify resource constraints before they impact execution
• Establish and improve SOPs, workflows, quality standards, and operational processes that support a scalable organization
• Ensure systems are built, tested, staged, and prepared to meet Formic and customer quality standards
• Track and improve key operational metrics including throughput, readiness, utilization, quality, and execution performance
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, eliminate bottlenecks, and strengthen cross-functional collaboration
• Partner closely with Product, Software, Solutions Engineering, Supply Chain, Fleet Operations, and Project Management teams to ensure successful execution across the automation lifecycle
• Communicate operational priorities, risks, and capacity needs across stakeholder groups
• Provide visibility into organizational performance, readiness, and operational health through regular reporting and reviews

What makes you a great fit:

• 6+ years of experience leading operations, automation, manufacturing, engineering, or other technical teams in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated success leading teams directly while influencing and driving results across cross-functional organizations
• Experience working with industrial automation systems, robotics, or related manufacturing technologies
• Experience with industrial robots or cobots such as FANUC, KUKA, Yaskawa, ABB, or Universal Robots preferred
• Experience with end-of-line automation systems including palletizing, depalletizing, case packing, or related applications preferred
• Proven ability to establish processes, develop SOPs, implement training programs, and drive operational improvements
• Experience managing quality, safety, operational readiness, and on-time execution in a manufacturing, automation, or technical operations environment
• Strong understanding of operational planning, resource allocation, capacity management, and performance metrics
• A hands-on leadership style with a willingness to roll up your sleeves, solve problems, and support the team wherever needed
• Strong judgment, ownership, attention to detail, and the ability to balance strategic thinking with day-to-day execution
• Excitement for building teams, improving systems, and helping scale a rapidly growing automation company

Bonus points if you have:

• Experience working for a robotics company, automation systems integrator (SI), original equipment manufacturer (OEM), or industrial technology organization
• Experience scaling operations within a high-growth startup or rapidly growing organization
• Experience supporting customer-facing deployments, installations, or field operations
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methodologies