Director of Production Operations

About Re:Build Manufacturing & Cutting Dynamics

Re:Build Manufacturing is a growing family of industrial and engineering businesses founded to pioneer a profitable model for revitalizing US manufacturing by combining enabling technologies, operational superiority, and strategic M&A. We deploy deep expertise in engineering, operations management, and technology—paired with a candid, principled operating culture—to supercharge the performance of our member companies and drive differentiated outcomes. Our complementary capabilities and collaborative inter-company operations enable us to offer a full range of services—including product and systems design, automation, fabrication, assembly, and large-volume contract manufacturing—for complex systems and products across diverse end markets such as aerospace, defense, mobility, healthcare, pharma, biotech, clean tech, chemicals, energy, lifestyle, food production, and industrial equipment. Ours is a fast-paced environment where individuals can stretch and be challenged to pursue their fullest potential.

Cutting Dynamics (CDI) has been one of the Re:Build member companies since 2021.  CDI was originally founded in 1985 with three employees and two wire EDM machines on Cleveland’s west side.  Since then, we have grown to over 220 employees working in four facilities in Avon and Avon Lake, OH.  We are a premier supplier to the aerospace, defense, commercial, and medical industries, providing high quality components, assemblies, and kitting solutions.  Our manufacturing operations utilize 165,000 square feet of production floor space to produce aluminum, steel, titanium, and thermoplastic composite products with a variety of manufacturing processes, and our AS9100 Quality Management System ensures they meet customer requirements and demands.  We partner with our customers by providing manufacturing feedback and program management support to help ensure successful outcomes that foster continued growth opportunities and build lasting business relationships.

The Role and who we are looking for

The Director of Production Operations role is new to CDI and is necessary to support our continued growth.  This role will serve as a transformational leader for CDI's production operations across multiple buildings, with a mandate to drive breakthrough improvements in throughput, quality, and cost by utilizing Lean principles, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled tools. This role holds full accountability for the performance of the production value stream and is expected to fundamentally reimagine how production is executed — not simply optimize existing processes.

We're looking for a bold, unconventional problem-solver who is comfortable challenging established norms in pursuit of better outcomes, and a systems thinker who connects the big picture to daily execution. Reporting to the General Manager, the Director will serve as a key architect of CDI's growth strategy.

About the role

• Translate enterprise strategy into manufacturing capability, partnering directly with the General Manager and Re:Build Leadership on long-range strategy and capital planning.
• Establish objective, data-driven performance metrics and use them to exceed operational and business objectives and relentlessly drive down cost of poor quality (COPQ).
• Champion the deployment of Lean methodology together with AI, automation, and advanced analytics to fundamentally change and improve how production operates.
• Build a flexible, resilient production operations organization capable of adapting quickly as business needs evolve. 
• Own full accountability for safety, quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness across all production operations, driving transformational rather than incremental improvement.
• Build a bench of future leadership talent by coaching and developing direct reports and plant personnel into strategic, forward-thinking leaders.
• Model and instill a culture of creative problem-solving and intellectual curiosity, while personally demonstrating the confidence to act decisively amid uncertainty. 
• Act with the highest ethical standards, integrity, and sound (yet appropriately aggressive) risk-based judgment in all strategic and operational decisions.
• Direct reports for this role currently include all three facility Plant Managers.  Additional direct reports may be added in the future. 

What you bring to the team

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of plant management or operations leadership experience in manufacturing, including experience leading multiple manufacturing plants or facilities at scale.
• Demonstrated track record of leading transformational, not just incremental, operational change — including the deployment of AI, automation, or advanced digital tools to materially change throughput, quality, or cost outcomes.
• Experience translating business strategy into scalable, organic business growth, with additional experience in facilities expansion and/or acquisition integration preferred.
• Deep Lean Manufacturing expertise, with evidence of having driven Lean transformation as a strategic lever rather than a tactical program.
• Demonstrated skill in motivating, coaching and developing team members to higher levels of performance and capability.
• Proven P&L ownership and capital allocation experience, including evaluating and executing major ROI-driving investments.

Location Requirements

The job will be on site at CDI’s facilities in Avon and Avon Lake, Ohio.  Periodic travel to other Re:Build Manufacturing sites may be required.