Senior Director - Manufacturing Operations

******Job Description Summary****** =================================== As a senior operational leader within GE Vernova's Wind Blades Manufacturing organization, this role serves as the operational backbone of the plant — driving day-to-day execution while partnering with the Plant Leader to shape site strategy, culture, and performance. **Job Description** =================== Senior Director – Operations Management GE Vernova | Wind Blades Manufacturing – GEV Wind Vadodara The Senior Director – Operations Management is accountable for delivering world-class manufacturing outcomes across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC), while leading a large, diverse workforce and engaging cross-functionally with Engineering, EHS, Quality, Supply Chain, Sourcing, HR, and Finance — both locally and globally. This is a high-impact leadership role that demands deep manufacturing expertise, a lean mindset, strong industrial relations capability, and the ability to unlock systemic bottlenecks that impede operational excellence. The role operates with significant autonomy and serving as a trusted operational co-pilot at all times. Roles & Responsibilities * Plant Operations Leadership • Drive Plant Operations with the Safety first and quality always approach. * Oversee daily, weekly, and monthly operational rhythms — including production planning, capacity utilization, shift management, and output delivery against plan * Serve as the acting Plant Leader during absences, and represent the site in global operational reviews and leadership forums * Translate site strategy into executable operational plans; cascade goals and metrics across teams through structured visual management and SQDC reviews * Partner with the Quality function to uphold blade quality standards, reduce non conformances, drive First Time Quality (FTQ), and ensure customer and certification requirements are met * Drive On-Time Delivery (OTD) performance by identifying and resolving production bottlenecks, resource constraints, and scheduling conflicts with urgency and precision * Co-own the plant P&L alongside the Plant Leader; drive accountability across all production lines for wind blade manufacturing operations Safety, Quality, Delivery & Cost (SQDC) * Champion a zero-harm safety culture; work closely with the EHS team to embed behavioral safety practices, drive incident reduction, and ensure regulatory compliance across the site * Own site cost performance — drive productivity improvements, reduce waste, and identify cost-saving opportunities in collaboration with Finance and Supply Chain Bottleneck Elimination & Continuous Improvement * Lead structured problem-solving efforts to identify and permanently eliminate systemic operational bottlenecks across mold operations, lamination, post-cure, finishing, and logistics * Champion and sustain a Lean Manufacturing culture — drive 5S, standardized work, value stream mapping, kaizen events, and CI initiatives across all production areas * Apply Six Sigma / DMAIC methodologies to reduce variability, scrap, and rework; foster a data-driven operational mindset across all levels of the workforce * Benchmark internal and external best practices; lead the adoption of new manufacturing technologies and process improvements relevant to composite blade manufacturing Cross-Functional & Stakeholder Collaboration * Act as the primary operational interface between the plant floor and functions including Engineering, Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, Sourcing, HR, and Finance — both at the local site and with teams * Drive alignment across global and local teams on production programs, new product introductions, tooling upgrades, and engineering changes; ensure smooth handoffs and minimized disruption to production * Collaborate with Supply Chain and Sourcing to ensure material availability, resolve supplier issues, and optimize inventory levels without compromising delivery commitments • Engage Finance to provide accurate operational forecasting, capex planning inputs, and variance analysis; build cost transparency into operational culture • Partner with HR on workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness Industrial Relations & Workforce Leadership * Lead and develop a large hourly and salaried workforce (typically 500–2000+ employees) across multiple shifts in a high-paced composite manufacturing environment * Serve as a key leader in industrial relations — manage union relationships (where applicable), navigate labor negotiations, grievance processes, and workforce engagement with fairness, transparency, and firmness * Build trust across the workforce through visible leadership, open communication, and consistent follow-through; create a culture of accountability, respect, and high performance * Drive talent capability building through structured training, on-the-job development, and leadership pipeline programs; ensure succession depth across critical operational roles Equipment Technology & Asset Management * Demonstrate working knowledge of manufacturing equipment used in wind blade production — including moulds, infusion systems, cutting tools, finishing equipment, and automated inspection technologies * Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to drive equipment reliability, OEE improvement, and capex investment decisions * Champion the adoption of digital manufacturing tools, IoT-enabled monitoring systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies to improve production visibility and predictive maintenance **Required Qualifications** * Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Chemical, Polymer, or Manufacturing Engineering (or equivalent technical discipline) * 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior plant or operations leadership role managing large, multi-shift workforces * Demonstrated experience in composite manufacturing, process-intensive, or large-scale discrete manufacturing environments (wind energy, aerospace, automotive, or similar preferred) * Proven track record of leading industrial relations in a large workforce environment * Strong command of Lean Manufacturing principles — demonstrated experience deploying lean tools at scale and sustaining a CI culture * Experience working across global matrix organizations, managing both local execution and global stakeholder alignment * SQDC ownership experience — measurable results in safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvement Desired Characteristics **Desired Characteristics** * **Natural operational leader — known for being present on the floor, close to the work, and trusted by the workforce** * Bottleneck hunter — instinctively identifies what is slowing the system down and acts decisively to remove obstacles * Collaborative and influential — builds strong relationships across functions and geographies without relying on authority alone * Lean practitioner — genuinely passionate about waste elimination, standard work, and continuous improvement as a way of operating * Data-driven decision maker — comfortable with manufacturing data, operational KPIs, and using metrics to drive accountability and improvement * Strong communicator — able to translate operational complexity for senior leaders, global teams, and frontline workforce alike • Resilient and adaptable — thrives in a dynamic, high-volume manufacturing environment where priorities can shift rapidly * Lean / Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent certification is a strong advantage * Familiarity with composite blade manufacturing processes (infusion, lamination, post-cure, NDT, finishing) is highly desirable but not mandatory Additional Information Field Details Grade SPB1 Job Family Manufacturing Operations Time Type Full Time Job Type Regular Relocation Assistance Yes Function Wind Blades Manufacturing – Operations GE Vernova is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. ******Additional Information****** ================================== **Relocation Assistance Provided:** Yes