OPERATIONS MANAGER / FUTURE GENERAL MANAGER

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.

This is not simply an opportunity to manage today’s operation. The successful individual will be expected to help build the organization required for tomorrow.

THE OPPORTUNITY

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.
• Assess capital investments based on operational requirements, productivity gains and expected financial returns.
• 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.
• Understand how production decisions affect customer service, lead times, quality, flexibility, profitability and long-term customer relationships.
• Help professionalize the organization while preserving the entrepreneurial strengths, customer responsiveness and practical culture that have contributed to its success.
• Progressively assume broader commercial, strategic and P&L responsibility as you develop toward General Manager.

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.
• Candidates from adjacent sectors such as agricultural equipment, oilfield equipment, utility equipment, equipment upfitting and custom industrial manufacturing will also be considered.
• 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.
• Familiarity with Job Boss, Made to Manage or similar software an asset
• Experience implementing, upgrading or materially improving manufacturing systems is preferred.
• Familiarity with JobBOSS, Made2Manage or similar job-shop/manufacturing ERP systems would be an asset.
• Strong Lean/process-improvement mindset with demonstrated ability to improve flow, reduce waste, standardize processes and establish measurable operating disciplines.
• Exposure to CAPEX, manufacturing equipment selection, plant-layout changes and facility expansion.
• Exposure to CNC, CAD/CAM integration, robotics, cobots, machine vision or other manufacturing automation is highly desirable.
• Strong problem-solving capability with an emphasis on root-cause analysis and data-driven decision-making.
• Commercial and financial understanding of job costing, margins, budgets, working capital, labour productivity, capital returns and P&L concepts.
• 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.
• A highly capable trades-trained manufacturing leader may also be considered where the individual has demonstrated exceptional progression into systems, financial and organizational leadership.

An MBA is not required. Practical manufacturing judgment, leadership capability, systems thinking and demonstrated results will carry more weight than academic credentials alone.

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.

You naturally think in terms of systems. You understand that sales, design, materials, labour, equipment, scheduling, production, delivery and profitability are interconnected, and you avoid optimizing one area at the expense of the overall business.

You embrace technology and are comfortable with ERP, manufacturing data, automation, robotics and emerging AI-assisted systems where they can create meaningful operational value.

You understand the commercial side of manufacturing—including job costing, margins, working capital, labour productivity, customer service and capital returns.

Just as importantly, you are a builder of people. You develop capable leaders underneath you and create repeatable systems rather than making yourself indispensable to every daily decision.

You can manage today’s production issues while simultaneously thinking about the company’s future facility, technology, people, customers, competitive position and profitability.

Most importantly, you are looking for more than your next Operations Manager position. You want the opportunity to help build and professionalize a growing manufacturing business and ultimately step into General Management.

WHO COULD BE A GREAT FIT?

The best candidate may not come from a direct competitor.

We are interested in accomplished manufacturing leaders such as:

• An Operations or Plant Leader from a high-mix metal fabrication company.
• A Manufacturing Leader from truck-body, trailer, commercial vehicle or equipment-upfitting manufacturing.
• An Operations Leader from agricultural, oilfield, utility or industrial equipment manufacturing.
• An Engineering/Operations Leader from sheet-metal or engineered-to-order manufacturing who has progressed into significant people and financial responsibility.
• A strong second-in-command from a larger manufacturing organization who is ready to take on broader operating responsibility within a smaller, entrepreneurial business.
• An exceptional trades-trained manufacturing leader who has progressed well beyond technical expertise into people, systems, financial and organizational leadership.

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.

For the right manufacturing leader, this is an opportunity to do much more than operate an established plant. It is an opportunity to build the systems, develop the people, shape the operation and ultimately help lead the business into its next stage of growth.

Qualified and interested applicants are encouraged to apply today in confidence by sending your resume as a MS Document to us at:  info@indemand.ca.

ONLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED

 Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. may use artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled tools to support certain aspects of our recruitment process, including the screening and assessment of applications. These tools are used to assist with organizing, reviewing, and evaluating candidate information and do not replace human judgment or decision-making.