Sr. Manager, Operational Excellence

The posting, as Vulcan Elements wrote it

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure, resilient future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence and Integrity.

The Sr. Manager Operational Excellence is accountable for how this plant is organized, how it runs, and how it holds itself to a standard. The role establishes the site’s integrated management system and ISO framework, designs and deploys the plant operating system, builds the training and certification architecture for operators and engineers alike, and leads the continuous improvement program that converts capability into measurable performance.

Responsibilities

• Establish the site’s integrated management system architecture and the ISO framework it operates under, beginning with ISO 9001 and sequencing ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 as the site matures.
• Define the documentation hierarchy — policy, procedure, work instruction, form and record — and own the document control and change governance model that every function writes into.
• Build and lead the internal audit program: audit schedule, auditor qualification and training, finding classification, corrective and preventive action (CAPA) workflow, and closure verification.
• Design the management review cadence and the evidence that feeds it so reviews drive decisions rather than restate metrics.
• Ensure the management system interlocks cleanly with PSM elements — management of change, pre-startup safety review, and operational discipline — rather than running as a parallel structure.
• Prepare and lead the site through certification audits, surveillance audits and customer or regulatory assessments.
• Own the site continuous improvement strategy, portfolio and governance: idea capture, prioritization against business impact, execution discipline, and independent verification of realized benefit.
• Deploy a common structured problem-solving method (DMAIC and A3 or equivalent), train the organization in it, and establish it as the expected response to any significant deviation, defect or loss.
• Lead value stream mapping across the three process areas and the material flow between them; convert current-state findings into a sequenced improvement roadmap with named owners and committed dates.
• Establish the standard work, 5S, visual management and waste-elimination practices that make improvement sustainable rather than episodic.
• Drive measurable results in yield, first-pass quality, OEE, changeover time, scrap and conversion cost, and report benefit realization to site and executive leadership.
• Build and run the internal belt program — Yellow, Green and Black Belt — including project selection, coaching, tollgate review and certification, developing improvement capability inside the w

[…]
cade, structured problem solving and layered process confirmation.

• Demonstrated ownership of a manufacturing training and qualification program, including skills matrix design, certification and requalification standards, and competency assessment.
• Proven ability to influence without authority. This role carries three direct reports and site-wide scope; nearly everything it accomplishes happens through leaders who do not report to it.
• Track record of operating at both altitudes — setting the strategy for how a plant should run, then being on the floor writing the standard, facilitating the first sessions and coaching leaders through them personally.
• Excellent facilitation, written communication and executive presentation skills.

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Preferred

• Experience in a PSM-regulated or otherwise high-hazard environment, and familiarity with how process safety, quality and EHS management systems interlock.
• Background in powder metallurgy, thermal processing, chemical processing, precision machining or advanced materials.
• Formal organization design experience — span-of-control analysis, role architecture and decision rights.
• Demonstrated success moving an organization’s middle layer, not just its executives.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

The position requires regular presence on the production floor and the ability to navigate all areas of the facility. Candidates must be able to climb stairs, stand and walk for extended periods, and work in environments that may be hot, humid, or noisy. The role also requires the use of personal protective equipment, including respirators, and adherence to all applicable safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. Employees must be able to complete required fit testing, wear appropriate PPE for the duration of assigned tasks, and respond safely to changing conditions within the production environment.