As Senior Director of Operations, you are accountable for end-to-end operational performance across Kratos’ manufacturing and supply chain footprint, supporting a rapidly scaling, engineered-to-order business in low- and medium-voltage switchgear. This role oversees Production, Supply Chain & Logistics, Fabrication, Assembly, Quality, Safety, and Shipping across multiple facilities in Colorado.
You are a core member of the Kratos senior leadership team, partnering closely with peers across Engineering, Project Management, Sales, Finance, and Product to set direction, drive alignment, and deliver predictable results. This role is accountable for meeting or exceeding the annual operating plan while building the operational capabilities required to support long-range growth objectives and increasing operational complexity.
Success requires disciplined execution, systems thinking, and the ability to lead through scale — balancing near-term delivery commitments with longer-term operational readiness. You will establish the strategy, structure, and operating rhythm needed to improve safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, and working capital while enabling speed, flexibility, and customer confidence.
Main Job Duties
- Own end-to-end operational performance across Supply Chain & Logistics, Fabrication, Assembly, and Quality, ensuring consistent results in safety, quality, on-time delivery, inventory accuracy, and productivity
- Lead the development and execution of long-range manufacturing and supply chain strategies aligned with Kratos’ growth objectives and go-to-market strategy
- Translate enterprise strategy into executable operating plans with measurable outcomes and clear accountability
- Establish operational priorities, metrics, and management routines that enable predictable execution in a high-mix, project-based manufacturing environment
- Drive continuous improvement across the value stream to improve flow, throughput, quality, and cost while addressing systemic constraints
- Provide strategic oversight of fabrication and assembly operations, ensuring disciplined production planning, capacity planning, and production control prior to releasing work
- Lead procurement, internal supply chain, and logistics operations to ensure material availability, effective kitting, and predictable support of assembly execution
- Develop and maintain a resilient supply base capable of supporting engineered-to-order products and variable demand while actively managing supplier performance
- Optimize inventory levels, material flow, and working capital while maintaining high inventory accuracy
- Ensure strong environmental, health, and safety performance across all facilities, maintaining compliance with state and federal standards
- Lead quality systems, inspection, testing, and corrective action to ensure customer and regulatory requirements are met, including maintenance of ISO 9001 certification
- Drive built-in quality and closed-loop corrective action to reduce cost of poor quality and improve first-pass yield
- Build, develop, and retain a high-performing operations leadership team capable of scaling with the business
- Champion ERP, digital tools, and data-driven decision-making across operations
- Represent Operations in executive leadership discussions, operating reviews, and cross-functional planning forums
- Perform other similar and related duties as required
CANDIDATE PROFILE
Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:
- Senior operations leadership experience in a multi-site manufacturing environment, ideally engineered-to-order or project-based
- Demonstrated success leading manufacturing, supply chain, and quality functions at scale
- Proven ability to balance strategic planning with disciplined operational execution
- Strong systems thinker with the ability to identify trends, diagnose constraints, and drive sustainable improvement
- Highly collaborative leader capable of influencing across functions and levels of the organization
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to align teams around priorities and execution plans
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; MBA strongly preferred