Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Proposed Job Description

Reports to: President
Position: Full-time
Direct reports: Department leaders and operational staff as assigned by the President.

Position Summary

The Director of Operations leads the planning, coordination, and continuous improvement of Zilla’s operational activities. This position connects the work of sales, account management, design, detailing, production, warehouse, fulfillment, logistics, and administration so projects move efficiently from client commitment through delivery and closeout.

The Director is responsible for improving operational performance, developing employees and department leaders, establishing clear processes, and ensuring that Zilla delivers quality work on time and within approved budgets.

Initially, the Director will devote a significant portion of the position to exhibit detailing while learning Zilla’s people, culture, services, systems, and workflows. As operational leadership responsibilities expand, the Director will help establish and transition detailing responsibilities to a dedicated Exhibit Detailer.

Initial Responsibilities: Business Learning and Exhibit Detailing

• Develop accurate construction drawings for exhibits, components, and crates, including dimensions, materials, assembly details, and other information required for fabrication and use.
• Work with design, project management, production, and warehouse personnel to confirm that drawings are practical, complete, and consistent with project requirements.
• Maintain organized drawing files, revisions, and approvals so teams work from current information.
• Identify questions, missing information, and construction concerns before fabrication begins.
• Learn how Zilla estimates, sells, designs, produces, stores, fulfills, ships, installs, and services its work.
• Spend time with each department to understand responsibilities, workloads, handoffs, and recurring challenges.
• Document improvement opportunities and develop a prioritized operational plan with the President.
• Balance assigned detailing work with progressively increasing leadership responsibilities, reviewing priorities regularly with the President.

Ongoing Director Responsibilities

Operational planning and execution

• Maintain visibility into active and upcoming work, including project deadlines, staffing needs, production capacity, warehouse demands, and shipping requirements.
• Coordinate priorities across departments and resolve competing demands before they affect delivery.
• Lead regular operational meetings with clear decisions, assigned responsibilities, and follow-through.
• Identify schedule, cost, quality, and resource risks early; develop recovery plans and escalate decisions when needed.
• Establish clear standards for when work is ready to move from one department to the next.

Processes, systems, and accountability

• Develop and maintain practical operating procedures, checklists, and quality checkpoints.
• Clarify who owns each major activity, what information is required, and when the next department becomes responsible.
• Improve the accuracy and timely use of Zilla’s project, inventory, scheduling, and documentation systems.
• Investigate recurring errors and delays, address their underlying causes, and confirm that corrective actions are effective.
• Establish consistent project closeout and lessons-learned practices.

People and department leadership

• Set clear expectations for assigned department leaders and employees.
• Ensure efficient use of billable hours and reduce downtime expenditures.
• Coach leaders to manage their teams, communicate issues, and take ownership of results.
• Evaluate staffing, training, and cross-training needs; recommend hiring or organizational changes.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and employee development within the assigned reporting structure.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, safe work practices, and respect.

Quality, cost, and resources

• Establish quality expectations for fabrication, graphics, packing, fulfillment, shipping, and other assigned operational services.
• Reduce preventable rework, damage, missing items, and unnecessary handling.
• Review labor, material use, purchasing, overtime, freight, and outside services with the appropriate department leaders.
• Partner with accounting to understand estimated versus actual project costs and improve future planning.
• Recommend equipment, facility, supplier, and process investments supported by a clear operational need.
• Support workplace safety, equipment maintenance, and orderly production and warehouse environments.

Integration With Other Departments

Authority and Decision-Making

Within the responsibilities and limits assigned by the President, the Director may establish operational procedures, coordinate priorities, assign work through the reporting structure, and resolve routine operational conflicts.

The Director may pause an affected activity when a safety issue, significant quality concern, or missing critical information requires resolution, and promptly notify the appropriate leaders.

Hiring, compensation, major expenditures, changes to client commitments, and significant organizational changes require approval under Zilla’s established policies and approval limits.

Measures of Success

Performance will be evaluated using agreed-upon measures such as:

• On-time completion and accuracy of projects.
• Drawing accuracy and timely release of complete production information.
• Reduced rework, damage, packing errors, and missing items.
• Improved inventory accuracy and timely return processing.
• Labor and material performance against approved estimates.
• Clearer departmental handoffs and fewer avoidable last-minute escalations.
• Effective employee training, accountability, and leadership development.
• Keeping employees aligned and in understanding of company standards and expectations.
• Completion of agreed operational improvements.

Initial targets will be established after reviewing current performance and available data.

Qualifications and Capabilities

• Experience in exhibit fabrication, custom manufacturing, or a related project-based production environment.
• Ability to prepare and interpret detailed construction drawings using relevant CAD software.
• Working knowledge of fabrication methods, materials, assembly, crating, and installation considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate people, schedules, and resources across multiple projects.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, organization, and follow-through.
• Ability to coach employees, establish expectations, and address performance issues constructively.
• Sound judgment regarding quality, cost, scheduling, and client requirements.
• Willingness to learn through hands-on involvement and develop repeatable processes.

Transition to Full Operational Leadership

The President and Director will review the role at approximately 30, 60, and 90 days and regularly thereafter. Reviews will address business knowledge, detailing workload, leadership responsibilities, reporting relationships, and operational priorities.

As the Director’s leadership responsibilities grow, Zilla will determine when those duties require full-time attention and hire an Exhibit Detailer to assume the detailing work. The Director will support that transition through documentation, training, and appropriate technical oversight.