CelLink is scaling advanced manufacturing in Georgetown, and we’re looking for a hands-on Director of Operations to lead day-to-day manufacturing, Production Planning, and NPI operations. This is not a sit-behind-the-desk leadership role. You’ll be highly visible on the manufacturing floor working directly with production leaders and teams to solve problems in real time, improve performance, and build the systems and accountability needed to scale safely and efficiently.

You’ll own operational performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, capacity, yield, scrap, and throughput, while partnering closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, NPI, and Manufacturing Performance. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Lead daily manufacturing operations with a strong floor presence; identify and resolve safety, quality, delivery, staffing, equipment, and workflow constraints.
• Lead Production, Production Planning, and NPI, establishing clear operating standards, KPIs, priorities, and accountability.
• Own operational planning and performance, including production schedules, capacity, staffing, budgets, forecasts, labor, productivity, scrap, yield, throughput, and manufacturing costs.
• Translate company and customer objectives into executable Operations plans that support efficiency, scalability, quality, cost, and on-time delivery.
• Lead NPI-to-production transitions, ensuring production readiness, effective handoffs, and successful production ramps.
• Drive continuous improvement and factory optimization through Lean methodologies, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, structured problem-solving, workflow and layout improvements, and strong management routines.
• Use manufacturing data, KPIs, ERP/MES systems, and operational reporting to identify risks, make decisions, allocate resources, and drive corrective action.
• Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and other teams to remove constraints and improve manufacturing performance.
• Build and develop high-performing teams and front-line leaders through coaching, accountability, and performance management.
• Maintain a safe, clean, organized, and compliant manufacturing environment while demonstrating CelLink’s values of integrity, teamwork, self-discipline, and professional competence.

Experience/Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing/operations experience, including significant experience in high-volume or complex manufacturing.
• 7+ years of people leadership, including responsibility for manufacturing teams and front-line leaders.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Proven success driving performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, labor, yield, scrap, and throughput.
• Experience managing operating budgets, forecasts, staffing, capacity, and manufacturing cost performance.
• Strong background in Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, Value Stream Mapping, and/or Kaizen.
• Experience partnering across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functions to solve operational challenges.
• Strong financial and business acumen with the ability to connect manufacturing performance to business results.
• Ability to lead through rapid growth, production ramp, changing customer demand, capacity constraints, and organizational change.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, communication, organizational, and influencing skills.
• Ability to establish credibility and accountability at every level of the organization through a visible, hands-on leadership style.

Nice to Have

• Experience in high-growth, high-volume, automated, or technically complex manufacturing.
• Experience with production planning, capacity planning, and NPI-to-production transitions.
• Experience implementing or using ERP, MES, production planning, and manufacturing performance systems.
• Lean/Six Sigma experience or formal training.
• Experience leading multiple manufacturing areas, shifts, or production functions through significant growth or change.
• Experience using manufacturing and financial data to drive decisions, resource allocation, and performance improvement.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

Working Conditions/Hours

Salaried Exempt

Physical Demands – Office and Manufacturing Environment

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms and pull/push; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds without assistance. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment – 

Includes both a typical office environment, with minimal exposure to excessive noise or adverse environmental issues, and a shop environment, with exposure to high noise levels from operating machines, physical hazards from moving equipment and machine parts, nuisance dust, and skin exposure to chemicals used to run/maintain machines

PPE-

May be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment, including but not limited to safety glasses, safety shoes, bump-caps, gloves, hair nets, masks, & clean-room frocks while adhering to the prescribed safety procedures