Job Details: Job Location: Apex Sign Group -TX - San Antonio, TX, Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: 4 Year Degree, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Job Category: Management, Apex Sign Group seeks a manufacturing and operations leader to oversee pre-production and turn customer requirements into production-ready work. Reporting to the EVP of Operations, this role aligns design, engineering, estimating, costing, planning, and release readiness with Project Management and Manufacturing. The Director sets priorities, governance, and accountability to improve margin, quality, delivery, and scalable growth.
Key Responsibilities
Lead accountable teams across design, engineering, and production planning.
Translate growth, margin, customer, and manufacturing priorities into a clear operating agenda.
Ensure projects enter manufacturing with complete specifications, materials, routings, and execution requirements.
Build credible schedules and align capacity, suppliers, and materials to delivery commitments.
Partner with Manufacturing to improve schedule integrity, throughput, and asset use.
Direct product design, engineering documentation, bills of materials, and routings for manufacturability, quality, compliance, and cost.
Lead value engineering, estimating, and job costing to improve cost transparency, margin predictability, and lifecycle value.
Standardize the operating model from project intake through production release, including stage-gate governance.
Use ERP, MRP, PLM, and costing systems to improve data, workflows, and decisions.
Align Project Management, Design, Estimating, Purchasing, Production, Sales, and Finance; resolving recurring issues and sustaining process changes.
Coach and develop the team, close capability gaps, and reinforce ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications: Hard Skills
Expertise in manufacturability, value engineering, costing, supply chain, and production planning.
Strong financial, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Executive judgment and influence across strategy and execution
Soft Skills
Strategic thinking and sound executive judgment
Clear communication and cross-functional influence
Accountability, conflict resolution, and decisive problem-solving
Coaching, collaboration, adaptability, and change leadership
Measures of Success
Margin, estimate accuracy, and cost variance
Production readiness, schedule attainment, and on-time delivery
Quality, rework, handoffs, and engineering changes
System adoption and team capability
Qualifications Include
College Degree is preferred
10+ years of senior leadership in manufacturing, product engineering, pre-production, or operations.
Proven success leading multidisciplinary teams and improving margin, cost, schedule, and execution.
ERP, MRP, PLM, sign manufacturing, fabrication, electrical products, or custom-engineered product experience preferred.
Why Join Apex
This is more than a pre-production role. It is an opportunity to step into a highly visible position that directly impacts production, efficiency, cost control, and customer success. At Apex Sign Group, you will have the chance to bring structure, urgency, and leadership to a growing operation.
Benefits
Apex offers competitive benefits for full-time employees, including health benefits, 401(k), paid time off, company holidays, and life and disability insurance.