Production Director

Apex Sign Group seeks a manufacturing and operations leader to oversee pre-production and turn customer requirements into production-ready work. Reporting to the EVP of Operations, this role aligns design, engineering, estimating, costing, planning, and release readiness with Project Management and Manufacturing. The Director sets priorities, governance, and accountability to improve margin, quality, delivery, and scalable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead accountable teams across design, engineering, and production planning.
• Translate growth, margin, customer, and manufacturing priorities into a clear operating agenda.
• Ensure projects enter manufacturing with complete specifications, materials, routings, and execution requirements.
• Build credible schedules and align capacity, suppliers, and materials to delivery commitments.
• Partner with Manufacturing to improve schedule integrity, throughput, and asset use.
• Direct product design, engineering documentation, bills of materials, and routings for manufacturability, quality, compliance, and cost.
• Lead value engineering, estimating, and job costing to improve cost transparency, margin predictability, and lifecycle value.
• Standardize the operating model from project intake through production release, including stage-gate governance.
• Use ERP, MRP, PLM, and costing systems to improve data, workflows, and decisions.
• Align Project Management, Design, Estimating, Purchasing, Production, Sales, and Finance; resolving recurring issues and sustaining process changes.
• Coach and develop the team, close capability gaps, and reinforce ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Hard Skills

• Expertise in manufacturability, value engineering, costing, supply chain, and production planning.
• Strong financial, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Executive judgment and influence across strategy and execution

Soft Skills

• Strategic thinking and sound executive judgment
• Clear communication and cross-functional influence
• Accountability, conflict resolution, and decisive problem-solving
• Coaching, collaboration, adaptability, and change leadership

Measures of Success

• Margin, estimate accuracy, and cost variance
• Production readiness, schedule attainment, and on-time delivery
• Quality, rework, handoffs, and engineering changes
• System adoption and team capability

Qualifications Include

• College Degree is preferred
• 10+ years of senior leadership in manufacturing, product engineering, pre-production, or operations.
• Proven success leading multidisciplinary teams and improving margin, cost, schedule, and execution.
• ERP, MRP, PLM, sign manufacturing, fabrication, electrical products, or custom-engineered product experience preferred.

Why Join Apex

This is more than a pre-production role. It is an opportunity to step into a highly visible position that directly impacts production, efficiency, cost control, and customer success. At Apex Sign Group, you will have the chance to bring structure, urgency, and leadership to a growing operation.

Benefits

Apex offers competitive benefits for full-time employees, including health benefits, 401(k), paid time off, company holidays, and life and disability insurance.