SR DIRECTOR OPERATIONS

Sr. Director, Operations

At Daniel Defense Only the Best Build the Best…

Daniel Defense engineers and manufactures the world’s finest weapon systems and accessories. Our mission to honor God and defend Freedom is accomplished by serving customers and providing top quality solutions to our military, law enforcement and civilians that are seeking premium firearms for home defense, hunting, and sport shooting.

We are seeking a Sr. Director, Operations to lead this effort. This senior executive will own all aspects of Production, Assembly, Shipping, Receiving, and Value Stream Optimization — driving on-time delivery, improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and continually optimizing insourcing and outsourcing to ensure Daniel Defense maintains and advances its core manufacturing competencies.

Additionally, this leader will be responsible for hiring and developing the best talent and for engaging all employees in continuous improvement to foster an empowered, high-performance culture.

The Sr. Director, Operations must be equally effective working at all levels of the organization — from rolling up their sleeves on the shop floor to building and delivering executive-level presentations to the C-suite.

This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and is a key contributor to the Daniel Defense Business Excellence System (DDX).

As the Sr. Director, Operations, you will be responsible for the functions outlined below:

Essential Functions:

Responsible for demonstrating commitment to and leadership of environmental health and safety principles, policies and procedures.

Lead all Production, Assembly, Shipping, and Receiving operations.

Drive on-time delivery (OTD) performance to achieve and exceed customer expectations.

Lead enterprise efforts to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) across manufacturing assets.

Optimize value streams through Lean principles, flow optimization, and DDX deployment.

Strategically manage insourcing and outsourcing decisions to continually build, strengthen, and refine Daniel Defense’s core manufacturing competencies.

Hire, develop, and retain top operations talent; build a culture of engagement, continuous improvement, and operational accountability.

Engage all employees in continuous improvement, driving grassroots participation in Lean and Business Excellence activities.

Work seamlessly across all levels — hands-on on the shop floor to drive results, and equally comfortable preparing and presenting strategic updates to the C-suite.

Report to the COO and partner closely with Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, and Commercial leadership.

Leadership of Production & Operations

Provide strategic and tactical leadership for:

Production & Machining

Assembly

Shipping & Receiving

Production Planning and Scheduling

Set clear performance expectations and drive execution to achieve on-time delivery (OTD) targets.

Lead operational teams to achieve or exceed safety, quality, delivery, cost (SQDC) objectives.

Drive daily, weekly, and monthly performance through Lean Daily Management (LDM) systems.

Be highly visible on the shop floor — engaging directly with teams and driving execution where the work happens.

OEE Improvement & Value Stream Optimization

Lead enterprise focus on improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) across production operations.

Optimize material flow, process flow, and information flow through value stream mapping and Lean-based process improvements.

Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to drive asset utilization, capability expansion, and cost competitiveness.

Develop and execute capacity planning to support current and future product and volume requirements.

Insourcing, Outsourcing & Core Competencies Strategy

Define and execute insourcing vs. outsourcing strategies to build and sustain Daniel Defense’s core manufacturing competencies.

Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Quality to select and manage strategic partners where outsourcing is appropriate.

Drive continuous evaluation of make vs. buy decisions to ensure strategic alignment with:

Brand integrity

IP protection

Core competencies

Operational agility

Cost leadership

Talent Leadership & Employee Engagement

Hire, develop, and retain the best operations talent at all levels.

Build high-performing teams through leadership, coaching, clear goal setting, and development pathways.

Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and operational excellence.

Engage all employees in continuous improvement, ensuring broad participation in Lean, Kaizen, problem-solving, and DDX initiatives.

Recognize and reward employee contributions to improvement and operational excellence.

Business Excellence & DDX Leadership

Serve as a Business Excellence leader and key contributor to the Daniel Defense Business Excellence System (DDX).

Drive cultural adoption of Lean, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence principles across Operations.

Leverage visual management, tiered accountability, and standard work to drive sustainable performance gains.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Enterprise Impact

Partner with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Commercial leadership to align Operations with enterprise goals.

Ensure operational readiness for new product launches in collaboration with New Product Development (NPD) and Manufacturing Integration.

Provide clear, data-driven updates to the COO and C-suite — capable of building and delivering executive-level presentations on Operations performance and strategy.

Support Business Excellence, Operational Excellence, and Commercial Excellence initiatives enterprise-wide.

Participates in the company’s efforts to continuously improve in Safety, 6S, Quality, Delivery and Productivity.

Expected to be a contributor to the company standards on high integrity, safety, fair and equitable treatment, and a positive work environment

Other responsibilities as deemed appropriate or necessary by management.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

15+ years of progressive leadership experience in Operations or Manufacturing roles, with significant experience leading Production, Assembly, and Logistics functions.

Proven track record of improving on-time delivery (OTD) and OEE in a high-mix, high-precision manufacturing environment.

Expertise in leading value stream optimization, Lean manufacturing, and flow improvements.

Experience leading insourcing vs. outsourcing strategy development and execution.

Demonstrated ability to build, sustain, and evolve core manufacturing competencies.

Proven success in hiring, developing, and retaining top talent, and engaging employees in continuous improvement.

Experience working effectively at all organizational levels — hands-on at the shop floor, and equally adept at building executive presentations and communicating with the C-suite.

Familiarity with DDX or similar Business/Operational Excellence systems.

Strong financial acumen — understanding of P&L, working capital, and cost management.

Technical & Leadership Strengths

Exceptional Operations leadership and people development skills.

Ability to translate strategic objectives into executable operational plans.

Deep understanding of OEE improvement, flow dynamics, capacity planning, and Lean tools.

Proven success leading cross-functional collaboration and enterprise alignment.

Highly effective change agent who can drive cultural adoption of Business Excellence principles.

Strong executive presence — comfortable and credible presenting to C-suite leaders.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills — from shop floor to executive level.

Personal Attributes

Passion for Operational Excellence and building the best firearms in the world.

High degree of initiative, urgency, and accountability.

Hands-on, visible, shop floor-oriented leader who leads by example.

Strong communicator and collaborative leader.

Committed to Daniel Defense’s mission and core values.

Energized by building high-performance teams in a fast-scaling premium brand.

Demonstrated ability to recognize and work in accordance with our Permission to Play Values.

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to lift and carry awkward items weighing 50 pounds.

Requires intermittent standing, walking, sitting and bending throughout the work day.

Must be able to work in a manufacturing environment, to include working in and around machinery, exposure to noise and chemicals, lights/lasers, etc.

Must be able to wear appropriate Personal Protection Equipment as required by your position and/or Company policy.

Daniel Defense is an EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability employer and promotes a "Drug Free Workplace".

Note: The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by those assigned to the job. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in this job. Responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of the employer and do not establish a contract of employment – Daniel Defense is an at will employer.

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