Manager of Operations

Lucifer Lighting Company is a privately held San Antonio-based designer and manufacturer of precision-engineered architectural lighting fixtures—found everywhere from Apple stores to JP Morgan Chases Headquarters in New York City, illuminating the campuses of the top 5 of the largest tech companies and 5 of the top 10 tallest towers in the U.S. The worlds leading architects and designers trust us for minimalist, industrial design built on service, quality, and innovation. Our people make magic happen; we are passionate, smart, hard-working, committed, and creative—doing work thats as enjoyable as it is exceptional.

We light the worlds most beautiful spaces.

Position Summary: Oversee Production, Warehouse, Supply Chain/Planning, Quality Assurance and Lean Process to fuel throughput, drive innovation and consistently hit KPIs and budget targets. Chart the strategy for Company growth, keeping our manufacturing operations ready to meet customer demand worldwide.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Drive operational outcomes and best practices, with sharp focus on production efficiency, asset utilization and quality.

Advance KPIs and tools that improve manufacturing efficiency and communication—meeting customer requirements, reducing cost and ensuring on-time delivery.

Address gaps in department and Company process, recommending and leading change-management initiatives to correct current processes and drive efficiencies.

Partner with senior management to shape short and long-term goals, then implement same and hold multiple departments accountable to fulfill these goals.

Own manufacturing strategy and readiness to support business objectives.

Drive seamless coordination between managed departments, with Shops (separately managed) to optimize workflow, cut lead times, and elevate quality—fostering a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.

Partner with HR to recruit, retain and develop top talent in managed departments, sustaining a motivated, high-performing workforce.

Partner with Finance to keep Operations spending on budget and achieve and grow the Companys gross profit margin target.

Production

Supervise the Production Manager to ensure production goals are met.

Collaborate with Finance on forecasts ensuring manufacturing responds to current demand, thoughtfully managing staffing level, contractor/ full-time ratio and overtime.

Ensure Production is working on correct order lines to maintain low built-not-shipped.

Understand and direct others in managing demand reports in ERP database.

Lean Process:

Supervise and mentor the Lead Lean Engineer and/or Lean Manager and team.

Promote Kaizen events to reduce wasted time and increase efficiencies in managed departments.

Implement advanced technologies to boost throughput and improve quality inspection.

Identify opportunities to boost manufacturing efficiency and deliver annual cost savings.

Advance Lean and Six Sigma training and leadership to Operations departments to promote a culture of problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Drive change and efficiency metrics using Lumens company software.

Partner with Engineering to re-engineer parts and products, reducing wasted time in assembly suggested by Lean Process and Production staff.

Warehouse:

Supervise the Warehouse Manager to ensure warehouse goals are met and requested processes followed.

Drive picking efficiencies in parts from Warehouse to support Production; work with balancing the various sections within Production.

Ongoing review of Warehousing parts location, operations, and staging with Production, to drive efficiencies, to include Production workstation layouts and thru-puts.

Quality Assurance:

Supervise the Quality Manager to ensure quality goals are met.

Ensure Quality team is well-trained and evaluating the full scope of required measurements.

Own the library of Quality tools, measurements and CMM equipment, ensuring best-practice QC checks for every part and finish type.

Champion a culture of proactive quality assurance across Production and Shops.

Keep Gemba boards current and act quickly on adverse trends.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Natural leader and coach who builds strong teams and drives results by inspiring and developing others.

Ethical leader who earns trust and confidence across the organization.

Organized strategic thinker skilled at prioritizing multiple urgent initiatives.

Resilient and adaptable in the face of constant change.

Working knowledge of ERP and other business system processes.

Strong problem-solver with outcome-driven, process-oriented approach.

Skilled at uniting diverse personalities into a cohesive, high-performing team culture.

Executive presence that sets vision and strategy for Operations, driving the organization through change and innovation.

Required Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree (BS) plus 5+ years (10+ years preferred) in a manufacturing company, including at least 5 years in an Operations, Supply Chain, or Engineering leadership role.

ERP and Sales systems planning and forecasting.

Experience with die casting, extrusion, welding, machining, injection and manufacturing operations.

Proven track record hiring, developing, motivating and mentoring teams that set and achieve ambitious goals.

Epicor EPR software and SolidWorks CAD experience are highly preferred.

Microsoft Office Suite, including Access.

Experience with manufactured product assemblies in high-mix, low-to-medium volume manufacturing.

Working Environment:

Smoke free workplace.

Lucifer Lighting Company is an equal opportunity employer.