Operations Manager / Future General Manager (Manufacturing) in Edmonton

Edmonton Area, Alberta | Full-Time | Permanent

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. is currently assisting our client, a growing custom manufacturing organization, in the search for an experienced Operations Manager with the leadership capability and ambition to develop into the company’s future General Manager. This is a unique opportunity for a hands-on, commercially minded manufacturing leader who understands the realities of the shop floor but can also think strategically about people, systems, capacity, technology, profitability and growth. The organization operates in a high-mix, custom metal fabrication / engineered-to-order manufacturing environment and is entering an important stage of growth, professionalization and operational development.

Initially, the Operations Manager will take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing performance, including production, scheduling, workflow, labour, quality, safety, capacity and continuous improvement. A key part of the mandate will be strengthening the systems and operating disciplines that support the business - improving production visibility, developing people, increasing capacity, removing bottlenecks and creating more consistent and repeatable processes. You will work closely with ownership, Engineering/Design, Finance and the production team to ensure the entire manufacturing process operates as an integrated system rather than a collection of individual departments.

As the business continues to grow, the successful individual will progressively assume broader responsibility for financial performance, capital investment, technology, customers, organizational development and P&L, with a genuine succession path toward General Manager.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead daily manufacturing operations, production scheduling and shop-floor execution.
• Improve throughput, productivity, quality, on-time delivery, labour efficiency and capacity utilization.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement practical Lean and continuous-improvement initiatives that improve flow, eliminate waste and standardize processes.
• Establish and strengthen manufacturing KPIs, production data and operating disciplines to improve visibility, accountability and decision-making.
• Lead, coach and develop production supervisors, skilled trades and manufacturing employees.
• Build leadership capability within the organization rather than becoming the person who must personally solve every operational problem.
• Strengthen the utilization of ERP/MRP systems and improve production planning, scheduling and data accuracy.
• Partner closely with Engineering/Design to improve manufacturability, workflow, standardization and the transition from design to production.
• Understand and improve the interaction between sales, design, materials, labour, equipment, scheduling, production and customer delivery.
• Lead capacity planning and support plant-layout optimization, equipment investments and future facility expansion.
• Evaluate and implement practical opportunities involving CNC, CAD/CAM integration, robotics, cobots, machine vision, automation and emerging manufacturing technologies.
• Maintain strong standards for safety, quality, accountability and operational excellence.
• Use data and root-cause analysis to solve recurring problems rather than repeatedly treating symptoms.
• Partner with Finance on job costing, budgets, labour and material costs, margins, productivity, working capital, capital planning and financial performance.
• Help professionalize the organization while preserving the entrepreneurial strengths, customer responsiveness and practical culture that have contributed to its success.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Approximately 10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience with meaningful leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated progression into responsibility for teams, supervisors and increasingly complex manufacturing operations.
• Strong preference for experience in metal fabrication, truck equipment, commercial vehicles, trailers, sheet metal, industrial equipment, engineered-to-order or other high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience with production scheduling, capacity planning, workflow, labour management, safety, quality and continuous improvement.
• Experience within an organization that has grown, professionalized or materially increased production capacity is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and develop people, including supervisors and skilled trades.
• Practical experience with ERP/MRP systems, production data and KPIs.
• Strong Lean/process-improvement mindset with demonstrated ability to improve flow, reduce waste, standardize processes and establish measurable operating disciplines.
• Strong problem-solving capability with an emphasis on root-cause analysis and data-driven decision-making.
• Strong customer orientation and an understanding of how manufacturing performance impacts delivery, quality and long-term customer relationships.

EDUCATION

• Preferred educational backgrounds include: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Engineering Technology diploma combined with substantial progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Operations or Business degree combined with strong technical manufacturing experience.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

You are hands-on, entrepreneurial, practical and low ego. You understand how products actually move through a fabrication plant and can distinguish between theoretical improvements and solutions that will actually work in a high-mix manufacturing environment. You can earn credibility with skilled tradespeople while setting clear expectations and holding people accountable. You listen to experienced employees and respect the knowledge already within the organization, while being willing to respectfully challenge long-standing practices when there is a better way. You are decisive without being authoritarian, data-driven without being bureaucratic, and comfortable with change.

WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY?

This is a genuine succession and value-creation opportunity with the potential to become the senior operating leader of a growing Western Canadian manufacturer. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence the company’s people, plant operations, systems, capacity, facility expansion, technology, automation, financial performance and long-term strategy for years to come.