Senior Director of Operations

Are you an experienced operational leader who leads by example and genuinely thrives on the manufacturing floor? We are seeking a dynamic, hands-on Senior Director of Operations to own our manufacturing execution. In this role, you will be the driving force on the floor, building magnets for a First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) fusion facility. If you are energized by solving unprecedented technical challenges, establishing brand-new operational standards, and translating rapid engineering iterations into crisp, confident execution, this is your next milestone.

What you'll do:

Operational Leadership & High-Velocity Execution:

• Active Floor Presence: Maintain a highly visible, hands-on presence across our 24x7 manufacturing operations to support teams and ensure seamless daily execution
• Strategic Leadership Buffer: Act as a steadying force for the plant and advocate for team needs
• Execution Driver: Anchor operations in a deeply embedded safety culture. Actively help team remove roadblocks and move faster

Leadership Multiplication & Team Development:

• Executive Coaching: Manage, mentor, and empower a team of Production Directors
• Talent Architecture: Design and oversee technical and leadership development frameworks to ensure shift supervisors, line leads, and engineers can operate in a fast-paced environment with high uncertainty
• Culture of Psychological Safety: Cultivate an environment that balances high accountability with the psychological safety required to surface and solve first-time failures collectively

Cross-Functional Strategy & Project Management:

• Strategic Alignment: Partner closely with peers in Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHSS to ensure rapid execution
• Project Lifecycle Mastery: Scope, plan, and execute new manufacturing initiatives, managing them from inception through commissioning to timely completion within budget constraints

Continuous Improvement & Quality Excellence:

• Iterative Lean Culture: Implement lean manufacturing principles to rapidly map new value streams, optimize process flows, improve efficiency, and reduce operational costs
• Rigorous Quality Assurance: Oversee all manufacturing operations to guarantee that every output meets or exceeds the company's stringent quality standards and customer requirements

What we’re looking for:

Pioneering Operational Leadership:
• Extensive experience in a senior operations or production executive role (e.g., Senior Director of Production, Director of Operations) managing multi-layered teams
• Proven success leading operations through commissioning, qualification, and hyper-growth ramp-up phases
High Ambiguity Tolerance & EQ:
• Exceptional emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to transition a team through high-stress, ambiguous operational phases using supportive, clear coaching frameworks
First-Principles Problem Solving:
• Outstanding root-cause analysis skills
• Ability to diagnose and solve unprecedented technical and mechanical issues from scratch
Resilient Leadership:
• A track record of keeping teams motivated, focused, and safe during the inevitable trial-and-error phases of launching a novel technology
Continuous Improvement Expertise:
• Deep practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), or other asset-reliability frameworks
Executive Communication & Acumen:
• Exceptional interpersonal skills to collaborate cross-functionally and present operational performance metrics effectively to executive stakeholders

Must-have Requirements:

• This role typically involves working in both office and manufacturing environments
• May require travel to various manufacturing sites and supplier locations
• Perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time
• Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics