Director of Operation & Business Development

Industry: Fenestration (windows, doors, glazing, and related building products)

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Direct reports: Collaborates across all divisions/departments with no direct reports, other than individuals directly hired to assist Director.

Company size: ~1,500 employees

Classification: Full-time, exempt (senior management, non-executive)

Role Summary

The Director of Operations & Business Development leads the company's operational-efficiency and growth agenda under the direction of the CFO. This is a senior management role — not a member of the executive team — that translates the CFO's financial and strategic priorities into execution on the ground.

The mandate is a hybrid one. On any given week the role moves between the plant floor and the analyst's desk: improving cost-to-serve and cycle times in operations, then building the models and diligence that support growth initiatives and acquisitions. Success requires someone equally comfortable with lean operations in a fenestration manufacturing environment and with the financial modeling and analytical discipline the CFO relies on to make decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Efficiency & Performance

• Under the CFO's direction, identify, quantify, and help capture operational efficiency opportunities across manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and back-office functions, with clear ties to EBITDA and free cash flow.
• Manage the operating scorecard — safety, quality, on-time delivery, throughput, scrap/waste, labor productivity, and cost-per-unit — and drive continuous improvement (lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent) across plants and distribution points.
• Support footprint, capacity, and make-vs-buy analyses as demand shifts across residential, commercial, new-construction, and repair-and-remodel end markets.
• Help run S&OP (sales & operations planning) so commercial demand, production capacity, and inventory stay in balance through the industry's construction-cycle seasonality.
• Build the business case for operational technology and automation investments and track realized ROI for CFO review.

Growth Strategy & Financial Modeling

• Build and maintain the company's multi-year growth model, including scenario and sensitivity analysis across product lines, channels, and geographies, for use in CFO and leadership decision-making.
• Translate market data (housing starts, remodeling indices, commercial glazing demand, energy-efficiency and code trends) into actionable growth recommendations.
• Develop the analysis behind new products, new markets, and new channels, and help sequence them into a prioritized roadmap tied to capital allocation.
• Partner with Finance on the annual operating plan and long-range plan, ensuring operational assumptions and growth assumptions reconcile.

Mergers, Acquisitions & Corporate Development Support

• Source, screen, and prioritize acquisition targets, joint ventures, and partnerships that extend product breadth, geographic reach, or vertical integration within fenestration and adjacent building products.
• Build valuation and returns models (DCF, LBO-style returns, accretion/dilution) for the CFO and coordinate financial, operational, and commercial due diligence.
• Support the transaction process — deal analysis, diligence coordination, and negotiation preparation — working with outside advisors and internal stakeholders under CFO leadership.
• Develop post-merger integration plans and help drive execution (synergy capture, operational consolidation, systems, and people), reporting realized value against the deal model.

Business Development & Commercial Expansion

• Identify and develop new customer segments, distribution partners, and channel relationships (dealers, distributors, homebuilders, glazing contractors, OEMs).
• Analyze and help structure strategic supply and partnership agreements that improve cost position or open new demand.
• Represent the company with key accounts, industry associations, and at trade events to build pipeline and market intelligence.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of ~15 across operations, business development, and analytical functions.
• Set clear objectives and KPIs, manage performance, and build bench strength.
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration between Operations, Finance, Sales, and Product.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of progressive experience across operations and/or corporate development, ideally in fenestration, building products, or a comparable discretionary-manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ownership of a significant operational function or budget (multi-plant or multi-site exposure preferred).
• Hands-on experience with M&A analysis — modeling, diligence, and integration support.
• Strong financial acumen: fluency in operating models, valuation, and capital-allocation frameworks; able to work closely and credibly with a CFO.
• Track record of delivering measurable operational improvement (cost, quality, throughput) via lean/continuous-improvement methods.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, finance, or a related field.

Preferred

• MBA or equivalent graduate degree.
• Familiarity with fenestration-specific dynamics: energy codes and ratings (e.g., NFRC/ENERGY STAR), glazing technology, extrusion/fabrication, and the residential vs. commercial channel split.
• Experience in a private-equity-backed or acquisitive company.

Compensation

Performance Metrics