Director, Operations Transformation

It’s not just about your career or job title… It’s about who you are and the impact you will make on the world. Because whether it’s for each other or our customers, we put People First. When our people come together, we Expand the Possible and continuously look for ways to improve what we create and how we do it. If you are constantly striving to grow, you’re in good company. We are revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations, and we want someone who is ready to move with us.

Who will you be working with?

The global Wabtec Friction & Rubber Product Line designs and manufactures friction and rubber products for the global transportation industry.  The North American business unit portfolio includes brake shoes, disc pads and various liners for the freight car, freight locomotive, transit vehicles and industrial transportation segments. This role will be closely collaborating with our global friction and rubber operational leaders, as One Wabtec, to ensure peer sharing of best practices, lessons learned and automation advancements.

How will you make a difference?

As the Director, Operations Transformation, reporting to the site’s VP and General Manager, and working closely with the Director, Operations, you will be responsible for accelerating and successfully completing the ongoing transformation of the plant, fostering and inspiring a mindset dedicated to a Safety First culture, focused on the people, equipment and results. You will be taking an active role in the Continuous Improvement process to boost safety, employee engagement, automation, and quality throughout the operations.

What do we want to know about you?

• Bachelor’s degree in business, industrial automation, engineering or related area; or equivalent experience.
• 8 or more years of progressive leadership experience; ideally in a high-volume manufacturing work environment.
• Proven skill in successfully leading large scale projects from concept to completion.
• Demonstrated knowledge of manufacturing, budgeting, and business planning skills. 
• Strong knowledge of lean tools and methodologies
• Provide proper training and communication strategies to ensure seamless implementation of new and enhanced processes and product releases
• Proficiency in data analysis and process optimization, with a track record of improving operational performance
• Familiarity with robotics and automation in manufacturing processes is a plus
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology and automation to improve or eliminate repetitive manual tasks
• Ability to motivate staff through proper direction and mentoring to build a culture focused on department career development, safety, achieving and delivering business results
• Ability to travel occasionally, in some circumstances with limited notice

What will your typical day look like?

• Champion and accelerate the facility’s critical safety, operational process and layout transformation projects
• Support the ongoing transformation of the facility, fostering and inspiring a mindset of achieving results
• Lead process improvement initiatives and drive continuous improvement efforts across the organization.
• Utilize established performance metrics and monitor key performance indicators to evaluate operational efficiency and identify enhancement opportunities
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, and the global friction & rubber group operation team(s), to identify opportunities in processes and to streamline workflows for greater productivity
• Develop & deploy comprehensive training programs focused on enhancing team understanding of various process improvement methodologies and tools
• Partner with all aspects of the business to identify areas for overall business performance enhancement (process improvements, automation, improved ergonomics, safety improvements)
• Drive favorable improvement to KPIs, own and present to all levels of the organization.
• Strong collaboration and arbitration of on-site operations between production, human resources, engineering, sales, research & development, finance, supply chain, methods, quality, sourcing and maintenance, to reach production, quality and inventory targets
• Drive productivity improvement plans using defined KPIs, benchmarks and standards – including digitization of the processes
• Ensure site compliance according to Wabtec standards and regulations
• Ensure that the site maintains all certifications (Quality, Safety, Environmental, Cybersecurity, special processes…)

What about the Work Environment and Physical Demands of the job?
Work Environment:

The work environment charac