Director of Manufacturing

The Director of Manufacturing leads Fortem’s day-to-day manufacturing operations, with accountability for production execution, inventory control, warehouse operations, and manufacturing systems across multiple product lines. This role improves throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and lead times while maintaining safe operations and product quality.

Reporting to the VP, Manufacturing and Operations, the Director develops manufacturing leaders, establishes consistent operating practices, and translates delivery priorities into executable production plans. The Director partners with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management to resolve constraints and prepare manufacturing operations for continued growth.

The Director is accountable for measurable manufacturing performance and for building a scalable operating organization that consistently delivers against customer, quality, cost, and schedule commitments.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Leadership

• Manage and develop production managers and operational leaders through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Establish consistent standard work, operating routines, and accountability across manufacturing and warehouse teams.
• Provide the VP and cross-functional stakeholders with manufacturing forecasts, risks, and recovery plans; communicate delivery impacts early and recommend actions.
• Build a scalable manufacturing organization by developing production managers, establishing clear ownership and decision-making authority, and ensuring teams consistently meet safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.

Production Execution & Continuous Improvement

• Translate delivery requirements into coordinated production plans, staffing requirements, and operating targets.
• Own schedule attainment and throughput; lead operating reviews, resolve competing priorities, and direct recovery actions.
• Lead improvements that reduce bottlenecks, work-in-progress delays, material shortages, and rework to improve productivity and shorten lead times.
• Monitor safety, quality, delivery, throughput, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, work in progress, and lead time; verify that improvements produce sustained results.
• Establish and achieve measurable manufacturing performance targets, using data-driven operating reviews to identify performance gaps, assign corrective actions, and sustain improvements.

Inventory, Warehouse & Manufacturing Systems

• Oversee receiving, storage, kitting, production replenishment, material movement, and shipment preparation to maintain efficient material flow.
• Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined transactions, cycle counting, and reconciliation with Finance and Supply Chain.
• Ensure accurate, timely use of ERP and manufacturing systems for work orders, inventory records, production status, and operational reporting.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to maintain accurate manufacturing documentation and material requirements and control product and process changes.
• Ensure production plans are executable based on material availability, labor capacity, and equipment constraints, and maintain disciplined ERP execution to provide accurate visibility into production status, shortages, and projected completion dates.

Quality & Safety

• Maintain manufacturing accountability for quality at the source; support defect containment, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions to reduce scrap and rework.
• Reinforce safety, housekeeping, and process compliance, ensuring production demands do not bypass required inspections, approvals, or safe work practices.
• Maintain clear boundaries with Quality Assurance, preserving its independent authority for inspection, product acceptance, and quality-system compliance while ensuring manufacturing promptly addresses defects and corrective actions.

Financial Management & Capacity Readiness

• Manage manufacturing expenses and labor performance within approved budgets; identify cost drivers and implement productivity improvements.
• Drive cost and productivity improvements by monitoring labor utilization, cost per unit, scrap, rework, and other significant operating cost drivers.
• Assess capacity and staffing needs; recommend hiring, cross-training, equipment, facility, and capital investments to the VP.
• Lead manufacturing readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas, coordinating staffing, training, tooling, materials, and documented processes.
• Develop and execute manufacturing capacity plans covering production layout, staffing models, equipment utilization, material flow, and facility readiness to support forecasted demand and business growth