Jobloria
Director of Industrial Engineering
Hire Horizons
Location : Spring Grove, IL, 60081
Job Type : Full Time / Part Time
Date Posted : 1 December 2025
We are seeking a highly experienced
Director of Industrial Engineering
Department:Engineering / OperationsReports To:Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Direct Reports:TBD (Production Control, Process Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Corporate Managers, QA Segment Engineers, Flex Manager)
Position Summary
We are seeking a highly experiencedDirector of Industrial Engineeringto lead operational excellence, demand responsiveness, and scalable growth in a complex job-shop manufacturing environment. This role combines strategic foresight with hands-on leadership, ensuring production capabilities align with dynamic market demands while driving continuous improvement across multiple sites.
The Director will play a critical role in enhancing efficiency, cost effectiveness, and delivery performance by optimizing processes and integrating advanced manufacturing methodologies.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the evaluation, implementation, and maintenance of manufacturing systems (MES, ERP, simulation models, advanced analytics).
- Align operational capacity with market demand through data analytics, capacity models, and real-time scheduling.
- Ensure simulation and planning models reflect real operating conditions with validated data integrity.
- Optimize production flow and job routing to manage customer orders effectively while collaborating with Sales Leadership.
- Translate business strategy into actionable operational initiatives to enable scale, efficiency, and responsiveness.
- Stay ahead of industry trends in heavy manufacturing, evaluating emerging tools and technologies.
- Drive cross-site initiatives that improve enterprise-wide performance.
- Build and grow industrial engineering capabilities through mentoring, training, and knowledge-sharing.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, technical curiosity, and operational excellence.
- Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Sales, and Plant Leadership to ensure alignment.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of industrial engineering or operational leadership experience in heavy manufacturing or capital equipment.
- Expertise in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, capacity modeling, ERP/MES integrations.
- Experience with shop-floor simulation, scheduling, and data analytics platforms.
- Strong track record in continuous improvement and cross-functional leadership.
- Project management skills for scope development, timelines, and deliverables.
- Excellent communication skills with ability to lead change across multiple sites.
- Deep understanding of job shop dynamics, including short lead times and custom orders.
Freqently Asked Questions
A Director of Industrial Engineering implements advanced manufacturing methodologies and data-driven capacity models to enhance production flow and job routing. By aligning operational capabilities with market demand, they enable optimized scheduling and continuous improvement, crucial for adapting to the dynamic nature of job-shop environments.
Effective Directors exhibit strong cross-functional leadership, excellent communication skills, and the ability to drive change across multiple sites. They foster continuous improvement cultures, mentor teams, and translate strategic business goals into actionable operational plans, ensuring scalable and responsive manufacturing processes.
Career growth often involves progressing from senior engineering or operations roles into strategic leadership positions overseeing multi-site manufacturing operations. Mastery of lean manufacturing, project management, and cross-department collaboration paves the way toward executive-level opportunities in industrial engineering management.
Hire Horizons offers a collaborative culture emphasizing operational excellence and innovation. Directors benefit from access to cutting-edge manufacturing systems and support for cross-site initiatives, empowering them to lead transformative projects and enhance enterprise-wide efficiency within the Spring Grove industrial landscape.
The company prioritizes mentoring, training, and fostering technical curiosity. Directors are encouraged to grow industrial engineering capabilities across teams, leveraging analytics and simulation tools to drive continuous improvement and operational alignment with market demands.
Locally, certifications like Lean Six Sigma and PMP are highly regarded due to their relevance in optimizing manufacturing workflows. Proficiency with ERP and MES platforms is also valued, reflecting the region’s emphasis on integrating advanced analytics into industrial operations.
Spring Grove's heavy manufacturing industry is experiencing steady growth, increasing demand for seasoned Directors who can manage complex job-shop environments. Candidates with expertise in capacity modeling and cross-site leadership are particularly sought after due to competitive local production needs.
Salaries for this position in Spring Grove typically range from $130,000 to $160,000 annually, aligning competitively with national averages for heavy manufacturing leadership. Compensation packages often include performance bonuses tied to operational efficiency and growth milestones.
This role uniquely emphasizes managing job-shop manufacturing complexities, integrating simulation models with real-time scheduling, and driving enterprise-wide continuous improvement. Unlike other directors, it requires deep engagement with capacity modeling and cross-functional collaboration across multiple production sites.
The company’s strategic focus on scalable growth and demand responsiveness directly shapes operational priorities. Directors translate these goals into initiatives that optimize production flow and leverage data analytics, ensuring manufacturing aligns with evolving market requirements and maintains competitive advantage.
Spring Grove, IL