Director of Vertical Operations

Are you looking to lead in a rapidly growing environment? Do you love collaborating to drive results? Winnebago Outdoors is seeking a Director of Vertical Operations based in Forest City, IA.
This role will provide leadership to the Manufacturing Verticals to ensure the right parts are delivered to Motorhome Assembly Lines at the right time, with high quality and competitive costs.
The Director of Vertical Operations partners cross functionally to create cost effective, innovative, and state of the art processes to manufacture and assemble motorhomes.
This role is a change and transformation agent focused on evolving the organization to a best-in-class RV manufacturer, with sights on world class manufacturing and assembly.
The position is dedicated to Footprint Optimization and arranging the physical and human resources of the organization in the most cost-effective and flexible way to match capacity to demand.
This role enables a culture of continuous improvement and ownership with a focus on New Product Development, Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Employee Engagement; while using forward-thinking principles to reduce complexity and simplify processes within the organization.
Ultimately this role provides Leadership and advances the business within and beyond the operational areas.
Key Areas of Responsibility: Committed to Zero Harm, designs processes and products to move people out of harm’s way.
Present and communicate Vertical Organization status on a regular basis.
Helps conduct capacity planning and supports and executes plans to ensure capacity meets demand.
Supports organizational sustainability implementation as these efforts evolve.
Supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the organization (DEI); and is an active team member that partners with HR and other functions.
Focused on Safety, Quality, First Pass Yield, Material Presentation, Inventory Reduction, Product Availability, Capacity, Productivity, Product Margins, Employee Engagement, and Turnover Reduction.
Responsible for hiring, performance management, employee development, leadership and motivation for the Vertical Operations.
Conducts talent reviews, succession planning, employee reviews, and organizational design.
Serves as a leader, coach, and mentor to direct and indirect teammates within the organization.
Ensures the Vertical Operations are structured and organized in an optimal way to support the organization both near and long term.
Builds the capabilities of the Vertical Operations and ensures the team is positioned to support growth.
Ensures the Vertical Operations stays current with best practices, trends, advancements, and incorporates this knowledge into new products and processes.
Routinely make decisions to determine resource requirements, establish department projects and schedules, and resolves manufacturing problems to meet customer design, quality, delivery, and cost expectations.
Review, recommend, prioritize and support process and machine/equipment development activities.
Supervise cost reduction and systemic improvement activities, and establishment of quality and safety controls and improvements.
Work with management teams to develop, define, and improve functional systems, procedures, and general policies.
Provide direct assistance in the management of broad-based changes that impact multiple product platforms and processes.
Develops capital and expense budgets that allows the Vertical Operations (and enables the organization) to meet its goals.
Facilitate capital equipment justification, specification, and procurement.
Develops and implements budgets and staffing plans consistent with business needs.
Responsible for developing and implementing manufacturing processes that are safe, robust, repeatable, process capable, and balanced.
Responsible for the deployment of labor production targets, by line or area, that are measured, visible, obtainable, and are displayed on a real time basis.
Responsible for the identification and implementation of cost saving opportunities for production processes and individual component parts, to include but not be limited to LEAN program savings.
Proactively resolves process related problems before they can impact promised customer ship dates.
Actively pursues and implements continuous improvement tools and methods such as Design for Manufacturability and Assembly and Lean initiatives that ensure assembly operations production process meet or exceed customer expectations.
Partners and collaborates cross-functionally with the senior managers and leaders to address and resolve existing assembly problems, concerns or obstacles that may have a negative impact on customer satisfaction.
Education & Experience Bachelor’s degree in operations, Business, or Engineering preferred.
Master’s Degree a plus.
15 years of progressive operational experience.
10+ years of people management experience including leading teams through change.
Multi-plant vertical leadership experience of +400 employees a plus.
Previous experience working in a high mix, low volume vertically integrated organization preferred.
Experience working with cross functional areas such as design, safety, quality, finance, materials, etc.
Working knowledge with driving and implementing lean and continuous improvement efforts.
Proven decision making and communication skills.
Strong financial and business acumen.
Proficient in MS Office.
Ability to travel approximately 10%, but flexible to the needs of the business.