Vice President of Operations & Engineering
Location: Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah (Relocation offered for exceptional candidates)
Type: Full-time, On-site
Reports To: President / General Manager
Department Oversight: Production & Engineering
About Western Shotcrete Equipment (WSE)
Western Shotcrete Equipment is a high-performance manufacturer of premium trailer-mounted shotcrete and concrete pumps. Based in West Haven, UT, WSE has built a fiercely loyal customer base through exceptional product design, durable build quality, and a commitment to integrity and responsiveness.
Why Join WSE Now
This is a defining moment in our company’s history. We’ve built a great product and a strong brand. Now we’re building the team, systems and structure that will carry WSE into its next decade of growth. If you’re ready to take ownership of that transformation—with the tools, support, and freedom to do it right—this is your opportunity.
As we transition from a family-run operation into a modern, scalable enterprise, we are looking for mission-driven leaders to help shape the future of the company. Our path forward requires thoughtful structure, operational excellence, digital enablement, and a continuous improvement mindset—while protecting the soul of what has made WSE successful thus far: craft, care, and customer obsession.
Position Summary
The Vice President of Operations & Engineering will lead the full scope of WSE’s production, engineering, inventory, and delivery systems with the goal of transforming our shop into a highly efficient, scalable, and documented build-to-order manufacturing operation. This role is pivotal to the successful implementation of an enterprise-level ERP system, the formalization of BOMs and work order flows, the execution of lean production standards, and the development of a highly effective, cross-functional operations team.
This individual will be a pragmatic leader, a confident communicator, and a strong collaborator—capable of guiding teams through ambiguity, solving problems with empathy and data, and implementing systems that scale.
Key Responsibilities
Operations Leadership
- Oversee all day-to-day production functions including fabrication, machining, welding, mechanical and hydraulic assembly, QA, and deliverability.
- Establish takt-based production scheduling that reflects current workload, forecasted demand, and in-process cycle times.
- Introduce lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste, shorten lead times, and ensure consistent output.
Build-to-Order Manufacturing Strategy
- Architect and maintain a production environment designed for flexibility, agility, and repeatability in a build-to-order plus assembly model.
- Enable the company to scale volume efficiently without sacrificing product integrity or customizability.
- Ensure operational systems are resilient and responsive to shifting demand cycles or market fluctuations, including backlogs, part shortages, or special build requests.
ERP Implementation & Process Integration
- Lead cross-functional design, implementation and adoption of a full ERP platform, ensuring robust configuration for BOM management, work order travelers, purchasing workflows, and production tracking.
- Collaborate with technical, commercial and administrative teams to ensure ERP reflects real production behavior and supports reliable decision-making.
- Build a foundation of documentation, training, and system governance for continuous ERP optimization.
Engineering & Product Process Ownership
- Own the lifecycle of manufacturing documentation including drawing packages, BOMs, standard work instructions, and revision control.
- Implement product standardization where possible, while retaining the adaptability required for customer-driven configurations.
- Serve as the operational counterpart to R&D and innovation initiatives, ensuring manufacturability of all new designs.
Inventory & Supply Chain Management
- Drive and delegate the ownership of reliable supplier relationships that support a Kanban-style restocking approach, adapted for a low-mix, variable-volume manufacturing environment.
- Ensure material availability without overstocking, using predictive planning based on sales input, lead times, and part consumption data.
- Oversee the receiving, stocking, and usage of all materials and consumables across departments, ensuring ERP accuracy and traceability.
Quality Assurance
- Define and enforce quality gates and test procedures throughout the build process, from initial weld to final hydraulic test.
- Establish and track key metrics for defect rates, rework, and corrective actions with transparent reporting.
- Foster a culture of proactive quality and peer accountability across production teams.
Team Development & Culture Stewardship
- Lead structured hiring, onboarding, and upskilling of production personnel in coordination with the head of production/shop floor leader.
- Set clear expectations for performance, attitude, and safety—modeling the company’s transition toward a lean, enterprise-ready culture.
Who We’re Looking For:
You’re not just a director of manufacturing or an engineering manager. You’re a builder of operational excellence—someone who can stand in a gritty shop early on a Monday, solve problems with welders and technicians, then can walk into an ERP configuration meeting at 9:00 a.m. and drive digital transformation. You’re organized, humble, driven, and take pride in creating the conditions for other people to succeed. You understand what it takes to move from informal tribal knowledge to documented, repeatable, and scalable processes. And you’re not afraid to lead that journey.
Minimum Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, mechanical/hydraulics engineering, or industrial production management.
- Proven track record of ERP selection, implementation, and usage for production and inventory workflows (e.g., Epicor, Infor, JobBOSS, Oracle/NetSuite, SAP, etc.)
- Strong working knowledge of mechanical systems, BOMs, inventory forecasting, production planning, and build-to-order assembly operations.
- Demonstrated leadership of production and engineering teams through periods of transition or growth.
- Familiarity with Kaizen, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
- Excellent communication, organization, and decision-making skills in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Technology, or similar.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in capital equipment or heavy construction equipment manufacturing, large-scale hydraulics, or robotics and automation
- Familiarity with welding, precision machining, mechanical assembly, hydraulic systems or fluid dynamics
- Direct experience implementing an optimized supply chain strategy
- Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or relevant operational disciplines
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive salary + performance-based bonus
- Relocation assistance available for highly qualified candidates
