Job Description

Carrier North America Residential Solutions has an opportunity for an Associate Director of Manufacturing Operations who is responsible for leading assembly manufacturing operations to achieve world-class performance in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Productivity, and People Development. The Associate Director of Manufacturing Operations provides leadership across multiple production areas, supervisors, business unit managers, and support functions while ensuring alignment with The Carrier Way and Carrier Excellence principles.

The Associate Director of Manufacturing Operations serves as a senior operational leader for assembly, drives continuous improvement, workforce capability, operational discipline, and cultural transformation while delivering business objectives and customer commitments. Responsibilities include developing future leaders, improving operational performance, and supporting long-term strategic initiatives that enhance competitiveness and customer satisfaction.

Key Performance Metrics

• Safety: TRIR, Recordable Incidents, Near-Miss Reporting, Safety Audit Completion.
• Operations: Schedule Attainment, OEE, Throughput, Productivity, Overtime Utilization.
• Quality: First Pass Yield (FPY), Internal PPM, Customer Escapes, Warranty Performance.
• Cost: Conversion Cost, Cost Savings Delivered, Scrap & Rework Expense.
• People: Employee Engagement, Turnover, Succession Readiness, Training Completion.

What We’re Looking For

• Operational & Lean Mastery: Deep background in Lean Manufacturing, Daily Management Systems, and structured problem-solving.
• Strong People Leadership: Proven ability to build teams, navigate change, coach frontline supervisors, and drive accountability.
• Business & Strategic Acumen: Skilled in labor/capacity planning, budget management, and executing long-term manufacturing roadmaps.
• Cross-Functional Impact: Effective English communication skills with a track record of influencing teams and managing stakeholders.

This is an onsite opportunity in Collierville TN.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Drive a Zero-Injury Culture: Champion safety as the #1 priority through visible floor leadership and Gemba walks.
• Proactive Hazard Control: Lead risk identification, OSHA compliance, root-cause incident investigations, and sustainable safety fixes.

Operational Leadership

• Run Daily Operations: Lead multi-department, multi-shift production lines to consistently hit schedule, yield, and throughput targets.
• Optimize Workflow: Eliminate line bottlenecks, streamline labor utilization, and enforce Daily Management Systems.

Quality Leadership

• Build-In Excellence: Elevate first-pass yield, crush scrap rates, and build a culture of quality ownership.
• Structured Problem-Solving: Leverage root-cause analysis to turn quality gaps into permanent improvements.

Cost & Productivity Management

• Own the P&L Impact: Drive manufacturing conversion costs down while boosting operational effectiveness.
• Identify Efficiency Wins: Spot opportunities for process automation, waste reduction, and strategic ROI investments.

Continuous Improvement (Carrier Excellence)

• Lead Lean Transformations: Facilitate high-impact Kaizen events, streamline standard work, and deploy Carrier Excellence principles.
• Scale Best Practices: Benchmark performance and adopt proven operational strategies across the facility.

Workforce Development

• Grow Future Leaders: Mentor supervisors and managers through active coaching, talent reviews, and succession planning.
• Boost Team Engagement: Foster a collaborative, innovative culture centered around continuous learning and accountability.

Strategic Leadership

• Execute Strategy: Translate high-level business goals into seamless daily plant execution.
• Drive Innovation: Partner cross-functionally (Engineering, Supply Chain, HR, EHS) to launch new products, deploy automation, and prepare the plant for future growth.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• 8+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing/assembly/production environment.
• 5+ years of experience Lean and Continuous Improvement.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations management, supply chain, business, or related field
• Master's degree or MBA.
• Experience leading union, hourly and salaried workforces. - RL – drive change question
• Demonstrated success improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Multi-shift manufacturing leadership experience.
• Experience with automation, productivity improvement, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Additional information

• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the USA.
• No visa sponsoring available