Vice President Of Operations

Fontaine Commercial Trailer, Inc.

Come join a team where People make the difference! As a part of Marmon Holdings, Inc., a highly decentralized organization, we rely heavily on people with the aptitude, attitude, and entrepreneurial spirit to drive our success, and we're committed to attracting and retaining top talent.

Responsible for all KT Pacer operational activities including achievement of planned financial, quality, and growth objectives. Work collaboratively with KT Pacer’s other members of the core leadership team to achieve targeted safety, productivity, and quality expectations with a customer centric focus. Oversees and manages factory operations in a multi-site, multi-shift environment. Demonstrates the potential and performance to aspire to full P&L responsibility in a one to three-year time frame.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Enhance customer satisfaction through on time delivery of a quality product and periodic interactions and communications with customers
• Continuously review organization structures and processes to adapt to changing business conditions
• Facilitate and champion an on-going, vibrant continuous improvement culture that incorporate the disciplines of Lean, 80/20 and Theory of Constraints
• Collaborate with Purchasing on direct and indirect material needs including prioritizing needs to meet production targets
• Collaborate in the development of long-term strategic and annual operating plans for KT Pacer
• Create a Servant Leadership environment that results in consistent performance and achievement while cultivating a positive workplace culture
• Hold production leaders accountable via collaboratively developing their Performance Outcomes, achieving good performance, and addressing issues in a timely manner
• Insure products are produced to specification and facilitate the permanent resolution of manufacturing-related quality issues
• Manage and monitor key shift/daily/weekly/monthly measures
• Create a Safety First and Always Culture and champion the safety of all employees; lead through example and build a Safety First and Always commitment from all associates at all levels of the organization when on the KT Pacer premises or performing official KT Pacer business off premises. Foster a spirit of continuous improvement toward the ultimate goal of an incident free workplace.
• Deliver on agreed upon Production targets to support Annual Operating Plan
• Provide direction, development, leadership, and coaching to production leaders
• Coordinate with Human Resources on attracting and retaining employees that contribute to KT Pacer’s long term success
• Maintain interaction and keep open communication with associates by answering questions and explaining policies and procedures; monitor and actively cultivate associate morale; respond to, prioritize, and act upon ideas to improve associate engagement
• Proactively identify and capitalize on new opportunities and/or respond to unexpected challenges and changes in business/market conditions
• Establish annual Performance Outcomes and long-term development plans for key production leaders and direct reports assuring that every employee understands their role, how they contribute to the organization, and how they can grow with the business
• Coordinate with Sales on specifications and scheduling for individual and multi-unit orders
• Manage facilities in multiple locations providing feedback and direction on facility layout, capital projects and on-going maintenance
• Interact and collaborate with other leaders within Kentucky Trailer and Marmon to incorporate best practice sharing among the organization

First Year Goals and Deliverables:

• Quality: Create and maintain a Continuous Improvement infrastructure that improves production labor efficiency by 5% each year (as measured by direct production labor costs as a percentage of sales) and improves product quality by 8% annually (as measured by Year-over-Year improvement in warranty costs)
• Productivity: Plan, organize, and deliver a Production System to meet or exceed the Annual Operating Plan unit production goals of 360 units in 2023 with a run rate of 400 units per year moving into 2024 in Iowa. In Alabama, plan, organize, and deliver a production system that has the capacity to meet 15% Year-over-Year Revenue Growth for that plant.
• Culture: Groom and continuously develop an organizational culture that engages and attracts employees which will result in a 90% retention rate for employees with one (1) or more years of experience at both the Iowa and Alabama locations
• Safety: Build a Safety Culture that incurs no lost time incidents and reduces the recordable incident count Year-over-Year, maintaining a TCIR below 2.0 and a DART below 1.5 at both Iowa and Alabama locations.
• Leadership: Serve as a key member of the KT Pacer Leadership team, collaborating on setting and achieving the strategic direction of the organization. Build relationships, industry knowledge, and financial acumen to become a Divisional President at KT Pacer (or within the broader Kentucky Trailer | Marmon | Berkshire Hathaway organization).

Desired Qualifications and Experience Levels:

• Ability to read prints and technical documents
• Excellent Written and Oral communication skills
• Experience with Continuous Improvement in a manufacturing setting or certification in Lean Manufacturing with the ability to demonstrate measureable successes in efficiency improvements, cost reduction, and quality improvement.
• Minimum of 10 years in a manufacturing environment with a proven record of success and increasing responsibility
• Must be able to pass background and drug screening
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects/priorities simultaneously
• Must be willing to live and work in the greater Cedar Rapids, Iowa area
• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or other technical discipline
• Excellent problem solving skills
• Excellent (or rapidly improving) safety record at his/her facility

Candidate’s Opportunity will be enhanced if they:

• Have MBA or other financial education
• Have mechanical and/or electrical aptitude
• Have manufacturing experience with a Trailer, Truck Body, or Motor Vehicle Manufacturer

Throughout our company and in all interactions, KT Pacer Associates choose to be:

• Honest, free of deception
• Patient, demonstrating self-control
• Respectful, treating others as important individuals
• Humble, without arrogance or pretense
• Forgiving, letting go of resentment when wronged
• Committed, honoring the choices we make
• Selfless, focusing on the needs of others
• Kind, giving encouragement and appreciation to others

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.