Role / VP Operations
VP Operations and manufacturing search.
The person who decides whether the plan on paper becomes product out the door.
A VP Operations search finds the leader who runs plants and production for a manufacturer, owning safety, output, quality and cost. Steward Well runs these searches for manufacturing and industrial companies from $50M to $500M in revenue, partner-led, with a calibrated shortlist in 21 days.
What does a VP Operations own?
- Safety across every site
- Output and on-time delivery
- Quality and scrap
- Cost per unit and plant budgets
- Capital projects, like new lines or a new plant
- Plant managers and their teams
When does a manufacturer need a new operations leader?
Common triggers include a new plant, a jump in demand, a cost problem or a sponsor's plan that depends on margin. In value creation plans, operations is often the biggest lever.
Sometimes the current leader built the plant but can't run three. That's a different job, and the search should say so.
What separates a strong operations leader?
They can show results on the floor: fewer injuries, lower cost, higher output. They know the people on every shift. They've led change without losing the team.
We visit the details. What was the scrap rate before and after? How long did it take? Who did the work?
What do operations leaders earn?
The BLS puts 2025 median pay for industrial production managers at $126,060, with 3% job growth projected from 2025 to 2035. A VP over several plants at a $50M to $500M company earns well above that median, usually with a bonus tied to safety, cost and output.
How does a Steward Well search run?
- Discovery. A partner meets the owner, the board or sponsor, and the team the leader will inherit.
- A written success profile. What this person must have done by month twelve, agreed before we call anyone.
- An original market map. Built for your seat, not pulled from a stack of resumes.
- A calibrated shortlist in 21 days. Qualified, interested and assessed against the profile.
- Scored interviews, deep references and offer support. The search closes in 45 to 90 days.
- Twelve months of check-ins, backed by a written 12-month guarantee.
A partner runs every step. You never get handed to a junior team after the pitch. See the full approach.
Questions buyers ask first
Do you search for plant managers?
Our focus is VP Operations and above. For a critical single-site role, we can discuss it.
Do candidates need experience in our exact industry?
Not always. Process skills often carry across sectors. We test for the specific process you run.
How long does the search take?
We commit in writing to a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a completed search in 45 to 90 days.
Do you handle relocation?
We raise it on the first call with each candidate, so it doesn't surprise anyone at the offer.
See where your search stands before it starts.
The readiness diagnostic takes two minutes. It shows the gaps that slow a search down. When you're ready, a partner takes the first call.