Manufacturing Operations Manager - Advanced Leader Program

Howmet Engine Products, a division Howmet Aerospace, seeks motivated and experienced leadership to join our team!   The Advanced Leader Program (ALP) is designed for Plant Manager level talent, in search of an operations career path moving across our plants.  The ideal candidate will gain knowledge of the processes and customers in the Engines Business Unit of Howmet Aerospace, by leading projects or stepping in to plant leadership roles.  Candidates must have the ability and desire to grow into a super-size Plant Operations Manager (750 - 1,000 employees and handle P&L between 250 million to 500 million).  The ideal candidate will follow a career path to multi-site leader roles and ultimately a role such as Operations leader at the VP & GM level.  

Location : LaPorte, Indiana

Job Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates high ethical standards and reinforces a culture of accountability, ownership, and operational excellence.
• Ensures full compliance with all Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) requirements and drives a proactive culture focused on risk reduction and safe operations.
• Leads employee engagement and communication initiatives, maintaining strong organizational alignment through regular all-employee meetings, business updates, and two-way communication.
• Leads the development and execution of strategic and operational plans in partnership with local leadership, utilizing Hoshin Planning and other structured business planning tools.
• Supports the identification, development, and execution of new market opportunities from proposal through commercialization and market realization.
• Develops and executes workforce and headcount plans in coordination with Campus HR to ensure staffing levels and organizational capabilities align with operational requirements.
• Drives continuous improvement in workplace safety and environmental performance in partnership with the Campus EHS team.
• Partners with Finance to establish, manage, and achieve P&L objectives, with accountability for operational cost performance and financial results.
• Provides direct leadership and operational oversight of Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality Control, and Maintenance functions. Maintains overall accountability for quality, on-time delivery, productivity, operational efficiency, continuous improvement, and cost performance.
• Leads the annual operating and strategic planning process for the plant and manages monthly forecasting activities to ensure performance remains aligned with business objectives.
• Leads preparation for and execution of monthly business reviews with Senior Management, providing clear visibility to operational performance, financial results, risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Maintains a strong understanding of customer requirements and operational expectations, ensuring the organization consistently delivers products and services that meet or exceed customer needs.
• Establishes and manages performance measures for short- and long-term growth, profitability, and “external gross profit,” regularly evaluating results and implementing actions to close performance gaps.
• Proactively identifies operational issues, performance gaps, and business risks; establishes priorities and directs corrective actions to achieve forecasted objectives and improve overall business performance.
• Provides clear operational leadership for asset and working-capital management, including inventory optimization, equipment utilization, and OEE performance of critical assets.
• Analyzes production capacity, demand forecasts, and resource requirements to identify constraints and bottlenecks. Develops and executes capacity improvement plans utilizing Lean principles, process optimization, equipment investment, outsourcing, or other appropriate solutions.
• Drives a culture of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement across the operation, establishing sustainable processes that improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost.
• Develops organizational capability by identifying, coaching, and retaining high-performing talent while establishing effective succession plans for key leadership and technical positions.
• Establishes clear accountability throughout the organization through defined performance objectives, operating metrics, management routines, and regular performance reviews.
• Ensures the operation maintains disciplined daily management practices, including performance monitoring, issue escalation, root-cause analysis, and timely execution of corrective and preventive actions.
• Drives cross-functional alignment and execution to ensure operational priorities are translated into measurable results and sustained business performance.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering, Manufacturing, or Business discipline from an accredited institution.
• Minimum 10 years of manufacturing experience; at least 7 years within a leadership capacity.
• Experience must include financial P&L, leading manufacturing excellence, customer management, and driving improvements through the implementation of lean manufacturing principles.
• ​Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• This position entails access to export-controlled items and employment offers are conditioned upon an applicant's ability to lawfully obtain access to such items.

Preferred Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have the following: 

• Experience driving improvement through the implementation of the lean manufacturing principles, total quality practices, six sigma.
• Strong leadership skills that create an engaged employee environment 
• Strong customer management skills
• Demonstrated results in leading manufacturing excellence.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes. 
• Strong analytical, communication, interpersonal, organizational and negotiation skills.
• Strong financial literacy