Director of Operations Technology & Automation

What You'll Do: Leading an organization of approximately 40 employees, including four managers, you'll work deeply alongside plant and operations leadership to establish priorities, evaluate opportunity and risk, drive accountability and ensure technology enables measurable improvements in manufacturing performance. Create one direction. Translate manufacturing strategy into a clear, prioritized roadmap for Operations Technology, Automation and Controls across seven facilities. Connect the plants and technical organization. Serve as the conduit between operational challenges and technical capability, ensuring teams understand the business problem and expected outcome before determining the solution. Set the portfolio priorities. Establish a disciplined approach to decide which work advances growth, reduces risk, improves reliability or strengthens the operating model - and which work can wait. Build the operating system for the function. Establish governance, decision rights, performance measures, communication rhythms and accountability that enable consistent execution. Lead transformation. Move the organization from reactive, project-by-project execution toward coordinated, strategic deployment of manufacturing technology. Partner deeply with Operations. Build credibility with plant and frontline leaders, understand the realities of the shop floor and incorporate operational knowledge into decisions about technology and investment. Lead the leadership team. Develop four managers and approximately 40 employees while strengthening leadership capability, succession, collaboration and accountability. Balance today and tomorrow. Protect the reliability of the run state while building the capabilities, roadmap and investments needed to support future manufacturing performance and growth.

What Success Looks Like: A clear strategy and portfolio that connects Operations Technology work directly to Charter Steel business priorities. A change leader who has successfully moved organizations from current state to a more effective way of operating.* The 40-person organization operates with common priorities, clear measures, disciplined governance and strong accountability.* The organization is able to distinguish run-state needs from project-state investments and manage both intentionally.* A strong people leader who can earn credibility with experienced technical leaders and confidently lead leaders who may be technical experts themselves. The Leader We're Looking For* An established leader with a firm background in manufacturing operations, plant leadership, manufacturing engineering, automation, controls, operational excellence or a similarly plant-connected environment.* A strong people leader who can lead experienced managers and technical experts with confidence and humility.* Business-savvy and strategic, with the judgment to make decisions when the answer is not purely technical.* Collaborative, influential and comfortable challenging leaders at all levels.* Experienced in transformation, change leadership or building a more disciplined operating model.* Technically credible without needing to be the deepest technical SME.