This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced operator who knows manufacturing from the inside out. You will run the full business day-to-day for a well-established custom machine shop and fabrication company in Dallas, TX, reporting directly to the President and Owner.
The business has been operating since 2006, built on a reputation for quality CNC machining, manual machining, welding, and fabrication. It serves regional industrial customers in a high-mix, low-volume environment where urgency, responsiveness, and precision are non-negotiable. Ownership is actively investing in the business, with growth coming through both organic and M&A channels.
You will own operations, scheduling, quoting, customer and vendor relationships, team leadership, financial performance, and continuous improvement. If you want a role where your decisions shape the direction of the business, this is it.
Operational Leadership
- Lead daily machine shop and fabrication operations, including production planning, scheduling, and job prioritization.
- Maintain workflow efficiency, capacity utilization, and on-time delivery across a high-mix, fast-response environment.
- Coordinate communication between the office and the shop floor to keep both sides aligned and accountable.
- Respond decisively to urgent and rush work without losing control of the broader production schedule.
Customer & Vendor Management
- Serve as the primary point of contact for key customers. Own communication, delivery expectations, and issue resolution.
- Oversee quoting discipline, turnaround, and job fit to ensure profitable and well-scoped work.
- Manage vendor coordination, material procurement, tooling readiness, and subcontractor relationships.
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop both shop and office leaders and team members.
- Foster a culture of accountability, safety, urgency, and collaboration.
- Recruit, hire, and retain a skilled team. Build the leadership structure as the business grows.
- Establish a consistent communication rhythm that keeps the whole operation connected.
Financial & Business Management
- Develop and manage budgets, job profitability, quoting accuracy, and cost control.
- Track and improve KPIs including revenue, gross margin, on-time delivery, DSO, backlog, and material costs.
- Communicate proactively with ownership on business performance and operational health.
- Identify and surface opportunities for profitable growth.
Systems & Continuous Improvement
- Improve processes, documentation, and operating rhythm across quoting, scheduling, production, and invoicing.
- Lead practical continuous improvement efforts with a lean mindset.
- Support future ERP, digital workflow, and automation improvements as the business scales.
Safety, Quality & Compliance
- Ensure full adherence to OSHA requirements and company safety policies.
- Maintain and improve quality control processes, including calibration of measuring equipment and machinery.
- Document and uphold specific quality control standards across the shop.
Experience
- 7–10+ years of leadership experience in a machine shop, fabrication shop, or similar manufacturing environment.
- Proven track record in a high-mix, low-volume job shop with significant exposure to urgent and emergency work.
- Hands-on experience with quoting, job costing, workflow management, customer communication, and operational leadership.
- Ability to analyze and finish work without prints, and to machine prototypes and replacements from samples or ideas rather than CAD drawings.
Technical Knowledge
- Strong understanding of CNC machining, manual machining, welding, fabrication, and mechanical manufacturing processes.
- In-depth experience with mechanical repairs using machine shop and fabrication processes.
- Lean or process improvement exposure preferred.
Leadership & Communication
- Able to move between the shop floor and customer-facing conversations without losing credibility in either setting.
- Leads with accountability, integrity, and clear communication.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to operate with independence, urgency, and sound judgment.
- Comfort working with both engineers and maintenance personnel.
- Entrepreneurial mindset and ownership mentality strongly preferred.
- Ability to work in both office and shop-floor environments with routine exposure to machining and welding noise, heat, and manufacturing equipment.
- Ability to lift up to 40 lbs. occasionally and stand/walk on the shop floor as needed.
- Ability to operate a forklift, drive a work truck, and pull a gooseneck trailer.
The name of the hiring company is confidential and will be disclosed to qualified candidates during the recruitment process.
