Vice President, Operations

DESCRIPTION

Driven by a commitment to research, quality, and service, PDI provides innovative products, educational resources, training, and support to prevent infection transmission and promote health and wellness. Encompassing three areas, our Healthcare, Sani Professional and Contract manufacturing divisions, we develop, manufacture, and distribute leading edge products for North America and the world. We have several locations across the US and are looking for new Associates to join our team!

POSITION PURPOSE

The Vice President of Operations will be an accomplished change agent responsible for overseeing and optimizing all aspects of the company's operations, including manufacturing, supply chain, customer experience, and operational excellence. This role ensures operational strategies and execution align with regulatory requirements, quality standards, business objectives, and growth targets. The VP of Operations will lead a high-performing team focused on safety, compliance, efficiency, cost control, and customer satisfaction. This leader will be accountable for building a culture of accountability, visibility, and continuous improvement, while driving alignment between operational levers (output, quality, uptime) and business results.

The VP will partner closely with cross-functional teams to execute on strategic priorities, enhance performance through data-driven decision-making, and ensure predictable, scalable, and sustainable operations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for all operational functions.
• Lead day-to-day operations across Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Warehousing, and Logistics to meet or exceed KPIs.
• Ensure alignment of operational activities with financial and strategic goals.
• Foster a culture of safety, compliance, and performance excellence.
• Develop and implement scalable operational systems, processes, and infrastructure to support current and future growth.
• Ensure production targets are met while maintaining product quality, safety, and compliance.
• Ensure operations fully comply with FDA and EPA other applicable global regulatory standards.
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory Affairs to proactively identify and mitigate compliance risks.
• Oversee end-to-end supply chain activities including production planning, inventory management, logistics, and distribution.
• Drive continuous improvement methodologies to enhance efficiency and reduce cost.
• Manage operational budgets, capital expenditures, and cost improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to corporate strategy, annual operating plans, and long-term business planning.
• Ensures that the plant's equipment, processes and products meet or exceed cGMP, PDI manufacturing standards, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Track and report key operational KPIs and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of operations leaders and professionals.
• Build a culture of accountability, performance, and engagement.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and alignment across departments.
• Provides oversight for the headcount strategy and workforce planning initiatives to ensure optimal organizational structure to support PDI's business strategy.

Strategic Planning & Execution:

• Own and refine monthly operations scorecards across all operational verticals.
• Partner with the Planning and Finance teams to translate forecasts into feasible, optimized production plans.
• Anticipate capacity constraints and lead resolution planning for growth readiness.
• Champion Lean Six Sigma principles and lead Kaizen events (including upcoming Changeover initiative).
• Reduce changeovers, unplanned downtime, and labor inefficiencies through structured problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration.
• Drive maintenance reliability through structured PM adherence and root cause tracking.

Team Leadership:

• Mentor and coach second-tier leaders, holding them accountable to metrics and behaviors.
• Support cross-training, talent development, and succession planning across the operations team.
• Promote a culture of open communication, ownership, and daily accountability.
• Collaborate with Quality, Regulatory, Finance, and Commercial teams to ensure operations meet customer, compliance, and business needs.
• Lead and/or contribute to capital projects and system implementations (ERP, PBI dashboards, etc.).

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS:

• Operational Efficiency: Achievement of production output targets; reduction in downtime; on-time delivery
• Quality & Compliance: Zero major audit findings; CAPA resolution within target timelines; first-pass yield and non-conformance reduction.
• Cost Management: Achievement of cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) reduction goals; budget adherence; sustained gross margin improvement.
• Customer Satisfaction: Order fulfillment accuracy; reduction in product complaints and returns; positive customer feedback and survey results.
• Continuous Improvement: Year-over-year improvement in KPIs related to throughput, waste, and process variation
• Team & Culture: Leadership effectiveness (as measured by engagement surveys and retention); successful succession planning and talent development.
• Strategic Execution: Timely execution of major initiatives, including facility expansions, product transfers, or system upgrades.
• Success Traits:

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Hands-on, data-driven decision maker with a bias for action
   2. Strong leadership presence with high accountability and integrity
   3. Change agent who can drive alignment and bring people along the journey
   4. Detail-oriented and metrics-focused, with the ability to zoom out for strategic thinking
   5. Clear communicator with ability to influence at all levels of the organization
   
   
   
   

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience; Master's degree preferred

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE

• Must be able to motivate employees and demonstrate superior management skills (i.e., business knowledge, leadership, communications, ability to analyze technical issues, conflict resolution).
• Thorough knowledge of cGMPs and all regulatory requirements is required, along with sound technical expertise in manufacturing, packaging, maintenance, engineering and supply chain management.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive operations leadership experience, including 7+ years at a senior level for a medical device manufacturer
• Experience in a regulated medical device manufacturing environment required.
• A proven track record and commitment to building and leading a diverse, high performance, manufacturing, operations team.
• Must have thorough knowledge of production, production planning, inventory control, GMP compliance, quality systems and industrial engineering.

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Strong knowledge of FDA, EPA and other relevant global medical device regulations.
• Demonstrated success in implementing and continuous improvement programs.
• Financial acumen with ability to manage budgets, cost control, and operational KPIs.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach to problem-solving and execution.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• No hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.

SALARY RANGE:

• $250,000 - $300,000 annually

BENEFITS

PDI is pleased to offer comprehensive and affordable benefits for our associates, which includes:

• Medical, behavioral & prescription drug coverage
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k) savings plan with company match and profit sharing
• Basic and supplemental Life and AD&D insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Short & long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Health Advocacy Program

PDI also offers many voluntary benefits such as: Legal services, critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident coverage, ID theft and fraud protection, pet insurance and employee discounts.6

At PDI, we are also committed to helping our associates maintain a healthy and sustainable work/life balance and are proud to provide associates with paid time off programs including: sick & safe leave, vacation, company & floating holidays, paid parental leave, and depending on the position we also offer summer hours and flex place/flex time options.