Senior Director, Operations

We’re looking for people who put their innovation to work to advance our success – and their own. Join an organization that ensures a more secure world through connecting and protecting our customers with inventive electrical solutions.

The Senior Director, Operations is a strategic operations leadership role responsible for scaling a $1.5B+ manufacturing campus and multi-site footprint through digital transformation, operational excellence, and high-impact leadership to enable accelerated growth and customer value. While this role carries responsibility for long-term operational strategy, digital transformation, capacity planning, and Smart Factory initiatives, the immediate mandate is centered on stabilizing and transforming one of nVent's most important manufacturing operations globally. The Anoka campus represents approximately $1.5 billion in annual revenue and employs roughly 1,700 people today, with expected growth toward 2,000 employees in the coming years. It is the largest manufacturing operation in the United States and the second-largest globally within nVent's manufacturing network.

Reporting directly to the Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain of the Systems Protection Segment, this role will have significant visibility across the organization and will play a critical role in shaping the future operating model of one of nVent's most strategically important manufacturing assets. Success in this role will create meaningful opportunities for broader enterprise leadership responsibility within nVent's global Integrated Supply Chain organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• •Champion a high-performance continuous improvement culture by embedding Lean and problem-solving disciplines across all levels of the organization; empower employees to identify waste, implement solutions, and deliver sustainable gains while formally recognizing exceptional performance and contributions.
• •Lead large-scale, multi-site operational transformation across a large scaled flagship campus and additional high-growth plants, ensuring alignment of capacity, capability, and talent strategies to support accelerated business growth and evolving customer demand.
• •Drive Smart Factory / Digital Manufacturing advancement by scaling production capability through strategic investments in automation, advanced tooling, equipment, and data-driven systems (Industry 4.0), while balancing legacy operations with next-generation technologies to optimize throughput, quality, and cost.
• •Own end-to-end operational performance across Operations, Procurement, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Facilities, Material Handling, and Business Support functions, ensuring disciplined execution against safety, quality, delivery, cost, and cash flow objectives
• •Develop and execute integrated strategic business plans that translate enterprise objectives into site-level actions, including long-range capacity planning, capital deployment (CapEx), workforce strategy, and footprint optimization across multiple locations.
• •Serve as a key leader and cross-functional partner, collaborating with senior leadership, supply chain, engineering, and commercial teams to align short- and long-term operational strategies, remove constraints, and ensure successful new product introductions and business expansion.
• •Lead, coach, and inspire a large, diverse organization by building strong leadership benches, strengthening succession pipelines, and fostering accountability, engagement, and inclusion across all functions and sites.
• •Leverage data and operational analytics to drive decision-making, identifying bottlenecks, improving asset utilization (OEE), optimizing material flow, and prioritizing high-impact investments that enable scalability and profitability.
• •Establish robust communication channels and employee engagement mechanisms to proactively monitor organizational health, gather feedback, and address concerns in partnership with Human Resources—ensuring a strong, transparent, and trust-based culture across all locations.
• •Ensure world-class safety, compliance, and sustainability performance, reinforcing a zero-harm culture while maintaining adherence to environmental regulations, responsible sourcing practices, and corporate governance standards.
• •Establish and sustain a rigorous management operating system across the campus, including daily management, tiered accountability processes, visual management, structured problem solving, and disciplined escalation practices that enable rapid identification and resolution of operational issues.
• •Drive stabilization and performance improvement initiatives across critical manufacturing lines, ensuring achievement of safety, quality, delivery, and productivity commitments while restoring operational predictability and customer confidence.
• •Lead the continued development of a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, transparency, problem solving, and employee engagement, creating an environment where issues are surfaced early, addressed rapidly, and solved at their root cause.
• •Evaluate and optimize material flow, production layout, workforce deployment, and capacity utilization across the campus, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term scalability requirements.
• •Partner closely with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Lean, Human Resources, and Finance leaders to strengthen organizational capability, improve execution, and ensure alignment around operational priorities and business objectives.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• •The ideal candidate will bring a BA or BS degree in Business, Engineering or similar field; MBA or other graduate degree is preferred.
• •Deep understanding of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies (TPM, Kaizen) within high-volume environments.
• •Strong command of Smart Factory technologies, including IoT integration, predictive maintenance, automated material handling, and data-driven shop floor management.
• •Comprehensive knowledge of EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety) compliance, supply chain logistics, strategic procurement, and capital expenditure (CapEx) management.
• •Expertise in long-range capacity planning, workforce strategy, and balancing the operational requirements of legacy product lines with the agility needed for new product introductions (NPI).
• •Proficiency in P&L management, budget forecasting, and aligning plant-level performance metrics with enterprise-wide financial objectives.
• •Ability to translate corporate strategy into actionable site-level plans and orchestrate cross-functional teams toward common goals.
• •Demonstrated success in leading large-scale cultural and technical shifts, including the transition to digital manufacturing environments while maintaining stable output.
• •Skill in leveraging operational analytics to identify bottlenecks, optimize production capability, and justify capital investments.
• •Exceptional ability to foster open, transparent communication across all levels—from the shop floor to the executive boardroom—and effectively partner with Human Resources on organizational health.
• •Proven ability to build, mentor, and inspire high-performing teams, fostering an environment of psychological safety and professional growth.
• •Ability to navigate complex matrix organizations and collaborate effectively with stakeholders in Sales, Engineering, Finance, and HR to execute short- and long-term plans.
• •Capacity to remain decisive and calm under pressure, managing the competing demands of high-growth production spikes, technical troubleshooting, and daily operational hurdles.•Ability to balance immediate, reactive operational needs with long-term, proactive improvements in infrastructure, tooling, and site facilities.
• •Aptitude for cultivating a high-engagement, inclusive workplace that promotes active employee participation in problem-solving and recognizes performance excellence.