Vice President of Manufacturing

The Organization:

Milbank Manufacturing is a nearly century-old, family-owned manufacturer rooted in Kansas City and known for electrical solutions that help move and manage power. The company engineers and manufactures meter sockets, enclosed controls, commercial enclosures, and related products while emphasizing quality, service, safety, and value to customers.

The business combines a strong Midwest manufacturing legacy with broad market reach. Milbank serves utility, contractor, residential, commercial, industrial, OEM, infrastructure, and transportation customers through a manufacturing and distribution footprint built to support reliable delivery and evolving customer needs.

Milbank’s mission is grounded in engineering and manufacturing high-quality electrical products while delivering exceptional service and value. Its values emphasize honesty and integrity, product quality, personal safety, financial responsibility, and personal accountability.

The Opportunity:

This is a high-impact executive manufacturing leadership opportunity with a respected, family-owned manufacturer at a point of continued growth and operational evolution. The Vice President of Manufacturing will help shape enterprise manufacturing strategy, strengthen scalable operating systems, and ensure the organization continues to deliver best-in-class safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance. The role offers the opportunity to lead complex fabrication, coating, assembly, inspection, and testing operations for products that serve critical power and infrastructure applications. Success will require a leader who can build capability, standardize processes, advance Lean and continuous improvement, and develop the next generation of plant and production leaders.

The Position:

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Vice President of Manufacturing will provide strategic and hands-on leadership for manufacturing operations related to electrical metering enclosures, switchgear cabinets, metal control housings, and related industrial metal products. The role is expected to report to the Chief Operating Officer and/or Chief Executive Officer, depending on final structure.

This executive will lead manufacturing performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, people, and financial outcomes. The position will oversee operations including sheet metal fabrication, CNC punching and laser cutting, bending, welding, coating, assembly, final inspection, and testing while ensuring compliance with customer specifications and applicable standards.

The Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is a proven senior manufacturing executive with deep experience in metal fabrication, electrical enclosures, metering cabinets, or comparable regulated industrial products. This person brings the credibility to operate at the executive table and the presence to earn followership on the shop floor.

A successful candidate will be a strategic thinker, data-driven operator, and practical change agent who can improve throughput, reduce scrap, shorten lead times, and protect quality without compromising safety. The ideal leader will also have strong financial acumen, a record of building high-performing teams, and the ability to develop plant managers, production leaders, technical talent, and skilled-trade capability.

Just as important, the successful candidate will fit a values-driven, family-owned culture and lead with accountability, humility, urgency, and respect for the people who make the operation work every day.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic manufacturing leadership: Develop and execute manufacturing strategies aligned with growth, capacity expansion, margin objectives, and customer commitments.
• Operational performance: Lead manufacturing operations producing metal electrical enclosures, metering cabinets, switchgear cabinets, and metal control housings.
• Manufacturing execution: Oversee sheet metal fabrication, CNC punching/laser cutting, bending, welding, powder/paint coating, assembly, final inspection, and testing.
• Lean and continuous improvement: Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives to improve throughput, reduce scrap, optimize labor efficiency, and shorten lead times.
• Process standardization: Establish common manufacturing processes, best practices, production scheduling discipline, material flow, and floor layout improvements across operations.
• Quality and compliance: Ensure products meet UL, NEMA, ANSI, IEC, ISO 9001, applicable regulatory standards, and customer requirements; champion root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Safety and environmental leadership: Lead EHS initiatives and promote a safe, compliant, incident-free workplace with accountability at every level.
• Supply chain partnership: Collaborate with Supply Chain on sourcing and availability strategies for steel, copper, coatings, hardware, and electrical components.
• Cost and capital management: Manage manufacturing budgets, capital expenditures, operating expenses, cost-down initiatives, productivity improvements, and margin objectives.
• People leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop plant managers, production leaders, and technical teams; strengthen succession planning, workforce planning, training, and skilled-trade development.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with Engineering and Quality on new product introduction, design for manufacturability, and customer-driven product or process improvements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Management, Operations, or a related field required; MBA, engineering master’s degree, or comparable advanced training preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including significant responsibility for plant or multi-site operations.
• 7+ years in senior leadership roles overseeing metal fabrication, electrical enclosure manufacturing, engineered industrial products, or a comparable regulated manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience with electrical enclosures, metering cabinets, switchgear-related metal products, industrial metal products, or similar high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of UL/NEMA standards, regulated manufacturing environments, quality systems, and customer specification requirements.
• Demonstrated record leading Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, waste reduction, productivity improvement, and change management initiatives.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including budget ownership, capital planning, operating expense discipline, and EBITDA/margin improvement.
• Exceptional communication skills, executive presence, and ability to engage effectively with executive leadership, plant leadership, frontline teams, customers, and suppliers.
• Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent certification preferred.

Key Success Metrics

• Safety performance, including TRIR, incident rate, near-miss reporting, and safety engagement.
• On-time delivery, lead time reduction, schedule attainment, and customer responsiveness.
• Manufacturing cost per unit, productivity, labor efficiency, and operating expense performance.
• Scrap, rework, first-pass yield, customer quality metrics, PPM, returns, and corrective action closure.
• Throughput, cycle time, capacity utilization, working capital discipline, and material flow efficiency.
• EBITDA contribution, margin improvement, and successful execution of capital projects and cost-down initiatives.
• Leadership bench strength, retention, workforce capability, engagement, and succession readiness.

Additional Expectations

• Be an active, visible leader in Kansas City and across manufacturing operations, balancing executive strategy with regular shop-floor engagement.
• Serve as a trusted member of the senior leadership team and contribute to long-range planning, capital investment decisions, and enterprise growth priorities.
• Build a cadence of KPI-based operating reviews that creates clarity, accountability, and quick escalation of barriers to performance.
• Develop strong partnerships across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, HR, and EHS.
• Model Milbank’s values by leading with integrity, personal accountability, financial responsibility, product quality, and an uncompromising commitment to safety.
• Travel to other facilities, suppliers, customers, or industry events as required by business needs.