Director of Manufacturing
Talis Group · Louisville, KY
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 23 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at Talis Group (industrial) in Louisville, KY.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, Kanban, Automation
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Kentucky: typical posted base $99k–$150k.
Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 31 manufacturing engineer openings in Kentucky, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Kentucky plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 30 other live manufacturing postings in Kentucky.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (10+ vs 60+)
Typical $99k–$150k, from 7 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 60+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 77%
- ✓ Lean 35%
- ✓ Automation 32%
- Root cause 26%
- Six Sigma 23%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 23%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Kaizen, Kanban, Team leadership, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Talis Group
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from Talis GroupAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Talis Group’s client is a successful privately owned multi-site manufacturer with a record of steady growth and ambition to accelerate it. The company is looking for a Director of Manufacturing who believes that the foundation of Lean is developing people and who has the operating discipline to turn the belief into better safety, quality, delivery, cost and growth. The company is currently using many elements of TPS but have a long way to go – and that is exactly the opportunity. Their processes are relatively straightforward, making their plants an unusually good environment for a serious TPS practitioner. They need to strengthen standardized work, daily management, kaizen, flow and pull; develop operators and supervisors; and invest intelligently in automation. They have a lot to build. They want someone who finds that exciting. Position offers full benefits and compensation at $200-$250 based on experience. Highlighted Duties Lead a multi-site manufacturing organization across production, sourcing, scheduling, maintenance, quality, logistics, and shipping/receiving. Develop people and build strong leaders at every level—from operators to supervisors and managers. Spend significant time on the shop floor (gemba), coaching leaders, identifying opportunities, and driving accountability. Own key operating results including safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, and people development. Build and sustain a Lean/TPS operating system using daily management, visual management, standardized work, leader standard work, structured problem solving, and Kaizen. Identify and address problems at their source, using data and structured problem solving to drive sustainable improvements. Improve manufacturing flow through value-stream optimization, pull systems, Kanban, and one-piece flow where appropriate. Lead both major improvement initiatives and daily continuous improvement efforts with measurable results. Use operating data, financial information, and capital investment strategies to improve overall business performance. Partner across functions to improve labor utilization, scheduling, machine uptime, quality, inventory accuracy, and product cost. Highlighted