Director of Operational Excellence Recruiters
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OpEx directors who run an enterprise system across plants. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
OpEx directors who run an enterprise system across plants.
Plant managers answer to their own targets, local customers and, often, a long history. The director must design a system that fits the whole company and persuade each site to adopt it, using influence, data and executive backing. The failure pattern is familiar: a handsome program launched at headquarters, a few early adopters, and plants that quietly returned to local ways. Owners hiring for this role need someone who has already survived that resistance and kept a program alive across more than one site.
Titles vary widely, including director of continuous improvement, vice president of operational excellence and head of operating system. The same title can describe a coach with three staff or an executive with budget and a seat in operating reviews. Fit depends on whether your plants are similar or diverse, whether they came through acquisition, and whether the owner is ready to back the director when a plant manager pushes back. A leader from a single-product group may struggle in a portfolio of unrelated businesses.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Qualified means enterprise scope can be verified. We ask how many sites the candidate covered, how the operating system was defined, what the standard tiers and audits were, and what happened to the sites that resisted. We ask for evidence that results continued after the early period, and about their relationship with the chief operating officer or owner.
Qualification in practice
Qualified means enterprise scope can be verified. We ask how many sites the candidate covered, how the operating system was defined, what the standard tiers and audits were, and what happened to the sites that resisted. We ask for evidence that results continued after the early period, and about their relationship with the chief operating officer or owner. Reference checks should include plant managers who were on the receiving end, since they will describe whether the director helped them or simply reported on them. Experience through an acquisition integration is a strong signal.
Authority without line control
The central question is how the candidate builds authority. Some negotiate common metrics and a review rhythm that plant managers value. Some rely on executive mandate, which works until the sponsor changes. We ask for a case where a plant manager disagreed and what the candidate did next. Strong answers involve data, joint problem solving and a decision about when to escalate. Weak answers describe frustration.
Designing a system that fits
An enterprise system should feel like the company's own, not a borrowed binder. A director has to decide what is standard across plants and what remains local. A foundry and an assembly plant may share daily management and problem solving but not flow design. We ask candidates how they decided what to standardize, how they trained plant leaders and how they audited without turning the review into a punishment. Where plants are unionized, the director needs to work with labor relations, since changes in work organization can touch bargaining obligations that vary by site.
How the search is run
These searches are usually confidential, because plant managers may not know a leader is being added or replaced. We begin by clarifying reporting line, budget, headcount and the sponsor's commitment. We approach candidates through direct conversation and test them with detailed case discussion rather than a resume read. Owners receive a short brief per candidate covering scope, sites, outcomes, style and concerns. We also advise on how to introduce the director to plant teams, since the first months decide whether the system is received as help or oversight, and the sponsor has to be visible.
Improvement must respect the control system
An operational excellence director also needs judgment around quality systems. We ask how they changed standard work without bypassing approved specifications, document control or customer requirements. A faster process is not a successful improvement if it introduces an uncontrolled product change.
Need a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
Candidates work in private equity backed groups, multi-plant manufacturers, and in corporate operations teams of larger firms. Some came from plant manager or operations director roles and moved into the enterprise system. Others rose through continuous improvement and have deep method skill but less line authority. A few come from consulting practices serving manufacturers.
Each background shapes style: the former plant manager understands pressure, the improvement specialist understands method, and the consultant understands persuasion. We map candidates to your portfolio and the maturity of the sites.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Why fit is difficult. An operational excellence director is asked to change how many plants run without owning any of them. Responsibilities behind the title. We examine the candidate's history in comparable structures, not just comparable titles. Authority without line control.
- Why fit is difficult. An operational excellence director is asked to change how many plants run without owning any of them.
- Responsibilities behind the title. We examine the candidate's history in comparable structures, not just comparable titles.
- Authority without line control. In private equity backed businesses, where the value creation plan sets a clock, the director also has to translate method into results that investors recognize, without overpromising early savings.
The search
How the search runs?
Agree the briefTitles vary widely, including director of continuous improvement, vice president of operational excellence and head of operating system. The same title can describe a coach with three staff or an executive with budget and a seat in operating reviews.
Agree the brief
Titles vary widely, including director of continuous improvement, vice president of operational excellence and head of operating system. The same title can describe a coach with three staff or an executive with budget and a seat in operating reviews.
Approach relevant people
Candidates work in private equity backed groups, multi-plant manufacturers, and in corporate operations teams of larger firms. Some came from plant manager or operations director roles and moved into the enterprise system.
Qualify the work and support the hire
Qualified means enterprise scope can be verified. We ask how many sites the candidate covered, how the operating system was defined, what the standard tiers and audits were, and what happened to the sites that resisted.
Need a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about Director of Operational Excellence searches?
Need a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your Director of Operational Excellence search?
Need a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$102,440 annual national median for SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this Director of Operational Excellence hire?
Do they report to the COO?
Often, but it varies. Reporting to the owner or CEO can give more weight, and we discuss which fits your company.
How much travel is typical?
Multi-site work involves regular plant visits, and we clarify expectations with you so candidates can decide early. Candidates work in private equity backed groups, multi-plant manufacturers, and in corporate operations teams of larger firms.
Do you recruit from consultancies?
Sometimes: We test whether the person has run a system for years as an owner rather than advised for a short engagement. A leader from a single-product group may struggle in a portfolio of unrelated businesses.
Can the search be confidential?
Yes: We handle sensitive searches without naming your company until a candidate is a serious fit. These searches are usually confidential, because plant managers may not know a leader is being added or replaced.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need a Director of Operational Excellence? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
Is this a corporate role?
Usually, though some directors live at a flagship plant. We confirm location and travel before approaching candidates.
What should you know before sending director of operational excellence?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Director of Operational Excellence