SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER

Senior Operations Manager

Reports To: Vice President of Operations

Department: Operations

Location: Space Coast, Florida

Position Summary

The Senior Operations Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and day-to-day management of Century Arms' Space Coast operations. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Operations, this position serves as the senior operational leader for the facility and is accountable for achieving operational excellence through strong leadership, employee development, process discipline, and continuous improvement.

The Senior Operations Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership for approximately 40 employees while ensuring the safe, efficient, and compliant execution of all operational activities. This role is responsible for driving productivity, quality, inventory accuracy, customer satisfaction, and financial performance while fostering a culture built on accountability, teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Working closely with the Vice President of Operations and cross-functional leaders throughout the organization, the Senior Operations Manager ensures that all site operations align with Century Arms' strategic objectives, operational standards, and long-term growth initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Provide overall leadership for the daily operation of the Space Coast facility. 
• Ensure operational objectives support Century Arms' strategic business goals. 
• Lead all manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, inventory control, shipping, receiving, and supporting operational activities. 
• Establish operational priorities while balancing safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer requirements. 
• Ensure efficient utilization of labor, equipment, facilities, and resources. 
• Drive operational consistency through standardized work practices and disciplined execution. 
• Develop annual operating plans aligned with company objectives. 
• Identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies. 

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build and maintain a high-performance culture based on accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement. 
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop supervisors and employees. 
• Conduct performance evaluations and establish measurable performance expectations. 
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, employee relations, talent acquisition, succession planning, and performance management. 
• Develop future operational leaders through coaching and professional development. 
• Promote employee engagement while maintaining a positive, respectful, and inclusive workplace. 
• Address employee performance concerns promptly and professionally. 

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean Manufacturing principles throughout the operation. 
• Improve productivity, efficiency, throughput, and workflow. 
• Reduce waste, scrap, downtime, and operational costs. 
• Utilize Root Cause Analysis to eliminate recurring operational issues. 
• Develop and monitor key operational metrics to drive performance improvements. 
• Foster a culture focused on problem solving and operational excellence. 

Financial Management

• Develop and manage departmental operating budgets. 
• Monitor labor utilization, overtime, productivity, and operating expenses. 
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining product quality and customer satisfaction. 
• Support capital planning and equipment investments. 
• Maintain accountability for inventory accuracy and asset utilization. 
• Participate in annual planning and forecasting activities. 

Safety, Regulatory & Quality Compliance

• Promote a culture where employee safety is the highest operational priority. 
• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, ATF requirements, company policies, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations. 
• Support ISO Quality Management System requirements and continuous quality improvement initiatives. 
• Lead investigations involving safety incidents, operational failures, and corrective actions. 
• Ensure compliance with environmental, health, and safety requirements. 
• Promote safe work practices throughout the organization. 

Cross-Functional Leadership

The Senior Operations Manager serves as a key operational partner across the organization, building strong working relationships with functional leaders to ensure alignment between site operations and Century Arms' strategic objectives. This role fosters collaboration, open communication, and shared accountability to improve operational performance, enhance customer satisfaction, support business growth, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Through effective coordination and problem-solving, the Senior Operations Manager helps remove operational barriers, optimize business processes, and ensure consistent execution across all functional areas.

This position partners closely with leaders in:

• Quality 
• Engineering 
• Supply Chain 
• Purchasing 
• Product Development 
• Compliance 
• Human Resources 
• Finance 
• Sales & Customer Service 

Together, these partnerships support operational excellence by improving productivity, product quality, inventory management, customer service, process efficiency, and overall business performance while ensuring alignment with the Company's strategic goals and long-term objectives.

Business Performance & Operational Metrics

The Senior Operations Manager is responsible for developing, monitoring, and communicating operational performance through meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the effectiveness of the operation and support informed business decisions. 

This role analyzes operational data, identifies trends and opportunities for improvement, implements corrective actions when necessary, and ensures the operation consistently meets established performance objectives. Regular operational reviews and performance updates are provided to the Vice President of Operations and executive leadership to ensure alignment with Company goals and drive continuous operational improvement.

Key performance metrics include, but are not limited to:

• Safety performance and regulatory compliance 
• Product quality and customer satisfaction 
• On-time delivery and production attainment 
• Labor productivity and workforce utilization 
• Inventory accuracy and operational efficiency 
• Cost management, waste reduction, and scrap performance 
• Continuous improvement initiatives and measurable process improvements 
• Employee engagement, retention, and leadership development

Experience & Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, Business Management, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive manufacturing or operations leadership experience. 
• Minimum 5 years leading supervisors, managers, or multi-functional operational teams. 
• Demonstrated success managing manufacturing or distribution operations. 
• Experience managing operational budgets and KPIs. 
• Experience with ERP systems and Microsoft Office. 
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles. 
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills. 

Preferred

• Experience within the firearms industry. 
• Experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, automotive, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments. 
• ISO 9001 experience. 
• APICS, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or equivalent certifications. 
• Multi-site operational experience.