Vice President of Operations
Location: Orleans County, NY
Hire Type: Direct Hire
Pay Range: $150,000 – $200,000 base + bonus (Total comp up to $250,000, depending on experience)
Work Model: Onsite
Recruiter Contact: Sean Pebbles, [email protected]
Positional Overview
Are you an experienced manufacturing leader looking for a new, impactful opportunity? Imagine Staffing is seeking a Vice President of Operations to oversee daily operations for a manufacturing client in Orleans County, NY. This newly created position is designed to support sustainable growth, enhance shop floor efficiency, and build long-term operational resiliency. Reporting directly to senior leadership, this individual will manage a team of approximately 30 employees across multiple departments and will play a key role in driving cross-functional collaboration through training, process improvement, and strategic leadership.
This is an exceptional opportunity for a hands-on manufacturing leader who is passionate about quality, shop culture, and long-term results in a company with high employee retention, flexible work culture, and strong generational roots.
Role & Responsibility
Tasks That Will Lead To Your Success
- Oversee day-to-day manufacturing operations including workflow, material flow, equipment utilization, and labor productivity.
- Collaborate closely with the VP of Engineering and Shop Supervisor to enhance operational systems and align production with customer expectations.
- Build and implement a cross-training matrix to ensure continuity across key roles and reduce risk from retirements or attrition.
- Drive the performance and accountability of a 30+ person team across multiple departments
- Own the material flow lifecycle: ensure raw materials are ordered timely, received correctly, inspected, and moved efficiently through machining to build completion.
- Improve order throughput and reduce process bottlenecks by addressing inefficiencies in long builds and replacement part delays.
- Lead hiring and termination decisions, primarily for machinists and skilled trades personnel.
- Design and roll out an annual employee review program, with an emphasis on skill growth and performance across specialty equipment and multi-machine roles.
- Contribute to a culture of fairness, flexibility, and long-term commitment; support employee growth while enforcing high production standards.
- Work within a straightforward, engineering-driven system (e.g., rounding sheets, print-based process flow) and contribute ideas to modernization as needed.
- Provide executive insight to support strategic decisions, expansion plans, or major investments alongside senior leadership.
Skills & Experience
- 10+ years of operational leadership experience in a manufacturing or machine shop environment;
- Proven track record of improving production efficiency and implementing sustainable cross-training programs.
- Strong communication and leadership skills; able to lead by example and gain trust on the shop floor.
- Experience with long-cycle manufacturing, Tool & Die, precision machining experience, or EDM systems is a plus.
- No formal education requirement: practical, hands-on leadership and results matter most.
- Comfortable with flexible, employee-first environments where relationship building and technical acumen go hand-in-hand.
- Able to start ASAP pending successful background check.