US Manufacturing Operations Manager

Position Title: U.S. Operations Manager

Reports to: Division General Manager

Location: Mokena, IL (Division U.S. Operations), with regular travel to Richton Park, IL

Team Led: Plant Managers — Mokena, IL and Richton Park, IL — plus supporting U.S. operations functional leaders and professional staff

Our client is a division of a Fortune 500 diversified industrial manufacturer with roughly $14B in global revenue, operations in 57 countries, and a portfolio of more than 16,000 active patents. Within that global enterprise, this division is a focused business serving major OEMs across North America, engineering and manufacturing housing units, vehicle doors, capless fuel systems, and electric vehicle (EV) charge ports.

The division operates multiple manufacturing locations across the U.S. and Mexico, anchored in the U.S. by its Mokena, IL and Richton Park, IL facilities. This role owns the U.S. operations contribution to the Division's performance, translating business-unit strategy into aligned, scalable execution across both plants and their supporting functions. As the business modernizes its operations and pursues renewed growth, it needs an Operations leader who can run today's network while building tomorrow's.

Set the strategy. Own the network. Build what's next.

This is not a caretaker role — it's the top operations seat over the division's U.S. manufacturing network, with the mandate to convert strategy into aligned execution across both plants and every supporting function. You'll set the operating cadence, sponsor transformation, and build the next generation of plant leadership. If you want a role where your reach spans a full US operation and the impact is systemic, keep reading.

• Network-level ownership — full accountability for the U.S. operations contribution to the Division P&L across both plants, not a single site

• Backed by Fortune 500 scale — the resources, capital, and career runway of a global industrial leader, with the mandate to reshape a network

• Real transformation mandate — sponsor cross-site initiatives such as network optimization, footprint consolidation, product rationalization, and supply-chain transformation

• A proven leadership pipeline — U.S. Operations Manager roles within this organization are a recognized path into senior general management and executive operating roles

• A network, not a plant — you'll own strategy, capacity, capital, and talent decisions across the full U.S. footprint, with Plant Managers reporting to you

Strategy & Network Leadership

• Translate Division strategy, growth priorities, customer requirements, and financial objectives into a coordinated U.S. operations roadmap

• Integrate priorities, resources, metrics, and operating practices across U.S. plants and supporting operations functions

• Establish a consistent operating cadence across sites; challenge recovery plans and hold plant and functional leaders accountable for sustained results

• Provide governance for product launches, manufacturing feasibility, capacity readiness, and operational risk

Financial & Capital Ownership

• Own the U.S. operations contribution to the Division P&L, including productivity, conversion cost, labor, scrap, freight, inventory, sourcing, and capital effectiveness

• Lead capacity, capability, footprint, technology, and capital planning across U.S. operations

• Drive consistent use of the division's 80/20 Toolbox and measurable operational and financial improvement

Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Sponsor complex, cross-functional improvements such as network optimization, facility consolidation, product rationalization, in-lining, launch-system improvement, and supply-chain transformation

People Leadership & Growth Partnership

• Develop Plant Managers and functional leaders; strengthen succession, decision quality, and accountability across the operations network

• Align Operations with Sales, Engineering, Product Development, Finance, Human Resources, and Quality to support profitable growth

What Success Looks Like in Year One

• U.S. operations are scalable and aligned, visibly supporting Division performance and profitable growth

• The U.S. operations P&L contribution, productivity, network economics, and capital returns show clear improvement

• Safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance are consistent across both sites

• At least one major cross-site transformation, footprint, capacity, or launch priority is executed successfully

• Plant Manager capability and succession depth are visibly stronger, with clearer operating accountability across the network