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Opportunity Overview

The Vice President (VP) of Operations will be charged with planning, directing, and deploying the operations strategy to support company growth. The VP of Operations will serve as a key member of the Vector executive team, reporting to the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Vector is a Granite Company, sharing the Granite Partners objective of 100-year sustainability. This is a fantastic opportunity for a leader who appreciates and embraces the entrepreneurial environment surrounding Vector as well as the benefits and support of being a Granite Company. The VP of Operations will collaborate with other leaders throughout the Granite community and serve as a member of the Lean & Operations Affinity.

The Position

Reporting to the President & CEO, the successful candidate will be charged with planning, directing, and controlling Vector’s operations activities to ensure a high performing operations organization which delivers low cost, high quality, consistent products. Operational excellence through safety improvements, contemporary lean manufacturing, and quality management concepts is a critical focus area of the position.

The VP of Operations is a key position for the Vector team and is responsible for leading a world-class manufacturing approach that optimizes team member safety, customer satisfaction, quality, efficiency, team member relations and performance measures. This individual will work collaboratively with other functions to align operational capabilities with short- and long-term customer needs. As a member of the executive team, the VP of Operations is responsible for integrating all functions from order entry to shipment with a continuous focus on improvement and quality. This position requires a strong, interactive leader who is fully competent in manufacturing systems and producing components and final assemblies to specific customer requirements.

Primary responsibilities are to:

• Execute operations strategy and planning, including participation in the development of annual business objectives/strategies. Provide specific leadership and expertise for manufacturing objectives.
• Maintain effective working relationships with all levels of team members, across all functions of the organization as well as customers and suppliers.
• Enhance and maintain organizational focus on lean manufacturing efforts to ensure implementation of world-class technologies and practices. Responsible for lean manufacturing policy in the business to meet the company’s performance goals and ensure the highest quality products at the lowest possible cost.
• Provide strategic and tactical guidance to ensure world-class operations which support targeted sales growth, reduce operating costs, and ensure customer service needs are met or exceeded.
• Partner with HR to enable team member training and development programs that ensure that the operations team is equipped with the latest skills, knowledge, and best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, engagement, and retention, while maintaining high standards of performance.
• Lead and manage the Operations team through effective coaching, mentoring, and performance management, setting clear goals and expectations, providing regular feedback, and fostering a supportive environment that promotes professional growth and high performance.
• Assist and drive new product development from design to manufacturability.
• Develop and implement capital spending plan to achieve safety improvements, targeted growth, process improvements, lean initiatives and cost savings in addition to addressing current maintenance and growth.
• Ensure that the operations departments are staffed with highly motivated and skilled professionals who contribute to the company’s overall mission.
• Contribute to corporate strategy and culture as a key member of the executive team.

Candidate Profile

The VP of Operations must be a proven and highly effective leader with well-honed business skills. This key position requires a minimum of 10 years of operations and manufacturing leadership experience in a discrete manufacturing environment.

Qualified candidates will possess a strong operations or manufacturing background with a broad understanding of customer relations, product specifications, and market conditions that affect the competitive landscape when dealing with engineered products with short cycle times. An undergraduate degree, ideally in Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering, is required. An advanced degree is desired.

Additional qualifications include:

• Solid analytical and strategy skills related to operations planning and implementation with the ability to lay out a long-term vision for the organization and manage and implement to that vision, modifying the direction along the way, as required.
• Knowledgeable in today’s best practices in manufacturing including lean manufacturing techniques, cellular, TQM, Kaizen, Kanban, etc. Demonstrated success implementing continuous improvement concepts.
• Experience in, or demonstrated knowledge of, an ability to reduce costs, improve customer service, and integrate processes across functional areas.
• Understanding of manufacturing standard cost systems.
• Proven ability to drive a proactive safety culture.

Location

The VP of Operations is an onsite role based at Vector’s headquarters in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive base salary in the $190,000 to $225,000 range, based on experience and qualifications, along with an annual bonus and the opportunity to participate in long-term incentives, including a stock appreciation rights (SARs) program.

Beyond pay, our market-leading benefits are designed to support your wellbeing. These include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability coverage. We also provide a health savings account with company match, a retirement plan with employer contributions through Vanguard, and access to the Granite Assistance Fund for support when it’s needed most. We value time for rest and personal growth, offering generous paid time off, including volunteer time off and paid holidays.