Director of Operations

Plant Operations Manager - Wire Drawing & Annealing

Location: Granite Falls, NC

Work Type: Full-Time, On-Site

About The Company We are a privately held wire drawing and annealing manufacturer serving industrial customers with drawn steel and annealed wire products.

The company operates in a hands-on manufacturing environment where safety, quality, productivity, customer service, and continuous improvement are central to daily operations. We value accountability, teamwork, practical problem-solving, and operational excellence.

About The Role We are seeking an experienced Plant Operations Manager to oversee day-to-day manufacturing and plant operations at our wire drawing and annealing facility.

This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for safety, production, quality, staffing, maintenance, shipping and receiving, inventory, scheduling, cost control, and continuous improvement .

The ideal candidate will have 8-10 years of current or previous experience in wire drawing manufacturing and operations management and a strong understanding of wire drawing processes, equipment, production requirements, and plant operations.

Key Responsibilities

Safety & Workforce

• Ensure the safety and well-being of all plant associates.
• Follow and enforce all corporate safety policies and applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
• Ensure production employees understand and follow company policies, procedures, and expectations.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels to meet production requirements.
• Ensure all associates receive proper training for their roles and responsibilities.
• Provide hands-on leadership and support across plant operations.

Production & Operations

• Oversee daily wire drawing and annealing operations to achieve production, quality, and efficiency targets.
• Maintain working knowledge of all levels of wire drawing operations and processes.
• Ensure all plant operating procedures are consistently followed.
• Schedule production activities to maximize productivity, equipment utilization, and on-time completion.
• Monitor machine efficiency, utilization, downtime, scrap, die consumption, and other key production metrics.
• Maintain production machine uptime standards and identify opportunities to reduce downtime.
• Ensure completed products are properly manufactured, inspected, tested, and released to Shipping.
• Monitor production performance and take corrective action when goals or standards are not being met.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure products meet established quality specifications and customer requirements.
• Evaluate and determine the appropriate disposition of non-conforming products or materials.
• Oversee Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) and ensure issues are addressed effectively.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing processes, productivity, quality, and efficiency.
• Make recommendations to management regarding improvements to overall plant operations.
• Promote a culture of accountability, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Maintenance & Equipment

• Ensure preventive maintenance activities are completed on schedule.
• Monitor and improve preventive maintenance completion rates.
• Work with maintenance teams to maintain equipment reliability and uptime.
• Ensure engineering projects and equipment installations are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Identify equipment-related issues and implement solutions to minimize production disruptions.

Shipping, Receiving & Inventory

• Oversee shipping and receiving activities to ensure on-time delivery and accuracy.
• Monitor raw material inventory allocation and return-to-stock accuracy.
• Maintain accurate month-end inventory records for materials such as steel rod, dies, lubricants, and other production supplies.
• Coordinate production and material requirements to support uninterrupted operations.
• Ensure inventory levels and material usage are properly controlled.

Financial & Cost Management

• Maintain fiscal responsibility for costs associated with plant operations.
• Monitor production costs and identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency.
• Control scrap, material consumption, downtime, labor utilization, and other operating expenses.
• Support management in achieving overall production and profitability objectives.

Required Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in wire drawing manufacturing and/or plant operations management.
• Strong working knowledge of wire drawing processes, equipment, and production operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing or plant operations.
• Strong understanding of production planning, scheduling, and process optimization.
• Experience managing safety, quality, maintenance, inventory, and production performance.
• Proven ability to lead, train, and develop production employees.
• Experience monitoring operational KPIs such as machine utilization, efficiency, downtime, scrap, and die consumption.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple operational priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.
• Ability and willingness to work on-site in Granite Falls, NC with a hands-on approach to plant operations.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an experienced wire drawing manufacturing leader who understands the technical and operational demands of a wire production facility.

This person should be comfortable being hands-on on the plant floor while also managing production schedules, staffing, maintenance, quality, inventory, costs, and performance metrics.

A strong candidate will have a proven track record of improving machine uptime, production efficiency, scrap control, die consumption, preventive maintenance, and overall plant productivity while maintaining high safety and quality standards.

Key Performance Areas

Success In This Position Will Be Measured Through

• Safety performance
• Production efficiency and utilization
• Machine uptime
• Downtime reduction
• Scrap reduction
• Die consumption
• Product quality
• Preventive maintenance completion
• On-time shipping and receiving
• Inventory accuracy
• Staffing and training
• Production scheduling
• Cost control
• Continuous improvement
• Timely completion of engineering and equipment projects