Senior Operations Manager Jobs in Appleton, WI (NOW HIRING)

This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic operations leader to step into a high-visibility role within a growing, technically sophisticated organization. The Operations Manager will serve as the operational backbone of a multi‑functional team — overseeing project execution, personnel development, cross‑functional coordination, and continuous improvement across engineering and operations. This leader will be a trusted partner to the president, a coach to a developing team, and a strategic voice shaping how the organization scales into new markets. The ideal candidate brings a rare combination of operational rigor, people‑first leadership, and the executive presence to earn credibility internally and externally from day one.

• Lead and develop a cross‑functional operations team spanning project management, engineering, sourcing, and production.
• Serve as a strategic sounding board and operational partner to the president on performance, revenue, and organizational matters.
• Oversee concurrent projects from inception through delivery, ensuring scope control, schedule adherence, and budget performance.
• Drive measurable improvements in project delivery, team productivity, and departmental efficiency using defined KPIs and accountability structures.
• Conduct structured assessment of team dynamics, capability gaps, and workflow inefficiencies upon entry; establish credibility before driving change.
• Establish and maintain KPI frameworks, reporting cadences, and performance accountability structures across all operational departments.
• Lead adoption and stabilization of ERP implementation, advocating for local operational needs within a global rollout.
• Coach, mentor, and develop team members through structured feedback, performance management, and hands‑on guidance.
• Manage personnel actions including recruiting, onboarding, performance reviews, and conflict resolution in partnership with HR.
• Analyze and redesign operational processes and workflows to drive measurable efficiency gains.
• Represent the operations department in cross‑functional leadership meetings; report departmental results and concerns to senior management.
• Manage upward and laterally within a matrixed, multinational structure with clarity, diplomacy, and executive presence.
• Shape organizational structure beneath this role — clarify reporting lines, build bench strength, and right‑size team support for growth.
• Support market expansion into water, food and beverage, and adjacent process industries.
• Document operational tasks, maintain departmental reporting, and proactively identify process improvements within and across departments.
• Influence the technical and strategic direction of the operations function.
• Ensure a safe, legally compliant, and high‑performing work environment.

• Ten or more years of cross‑functional operations or manufacturing leadership experience.
• Direct accountability for personnel management, departmental performance, and process execution across multiple functional teams.
• Demonstrated coaching and people leadership track record with structured feedback and performance management.
• Strong project management foundation with experience managing concurrent projects across engineering, sourcing, and operations.
• Proven ability to manage upward and laterally in a matrixed or multinational organization.
• Experience analyzing and redesigning operational processes to drive measurable efficiency gains.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related technical field.

• Master's degree (MBA or MS in Engineering/Operations).
• Experience navigating cultural complexity within a global corporate structure.
• Familiarity with industrial wastewater, pulp and paper, food and beverage, or adjacent process industries.
• Background in equipment engineering environments.

• Commanding leadership presence — earns credibility with customers, internal teams, and global stakeholders.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence — reads the room, manages conflict with empathy, and rallies teams through ambiguity.
• Diplomatic resilience — hears stakeholder concerns, acknowledges them authentically, and steers the organization forward.
• Client‑focused and forward‑thinking with the ability to anticipate next steps.
• Calculated risk‑taker and proactive problem solver.
• Outstanding communicator — persuasive, intuitive, and comfortable with courageous conversations.
• High personal energy, multitasker, and adaptable under pressure.