Director of Operations
Hitachi · South Boston, VA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Production
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 12+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level production role at Hitachi (industrial) in South Boston, VA. Ensures (with HR Manager support) that the area of responsibility is properly organized, staffed, skilled and directed.
- They ask for
- 12+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Value stream mapping, Assembly lines, SAP
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Production Engineer roles in Virginia: typical posted base $87k–$125k.
Median of the low and high ends of 5 live postings that list pay, out of 16 production engineer openings in Virginia, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Virginia plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 15 other live production postings in Virginia.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (12+ vs 8+)
Typical $87k–$125k, from 5 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 8+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Team leadership 50%
- New product launch 38%
- ✓ Lean 31%
- Root cause 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Black Belt, Assembly lines, 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 Production team at Hitachi
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See 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.
Write to Jacob → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- 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.
This plant: Hitachi in South Boston
17 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in production roles at Hitachi.
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- 1st Shift Production Supervisor · Production · Supervisor
- Process Engineering Technician · Process
- Sr. Quality Engineer · Quality · Senior
- Maintenance Supervisor - PT · Reliability · Supervisor
- Process Engineer - Off Shift · Process
Full description from HitachiAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
qualifications
Bachelors in engineering, business or related field with minimum of 12 years of experience in manufacturing field
Minimum of 6 years of management experience with direct reports
Alternately, this position may be filled at a more senior level for the successful candidate meeting these basic
qualifications
- ✓MBA.
- ✓SAP knowledge.
- ✓Certified Six-Sigma Green/Black Belt or pursuing in timely manager.
- ✓Distribution transformer experience is a plus.
- ✓Experience with lean concepts and tools and the application of associated tools.
- ✓Proven team leadership skills and ability to influence others at all levels of an organization.
- ✓People management skills with the ability to coach and develop direct reports.
- ✓Strong analytical skills to deal with data & statistical analyses.
- ✓Strong character, capable to deal with all aspects of change management, open-mindedness.
- ✓Very high level of structuring, self-motivated and self-organization.
Protected veterans and qualified individuals with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Hitachi Energy career site as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by completing a general inquiry form on our website. Please include your contact information and specific details about your required accommodation to support you during the job application process.
This is solely for job seekers with disabilities requiring accessibility assistance or an accommodation in the job application process. Messages left for other purposes will not receive a response.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Location
South Boston, Virginia, United States of America
Profession (Job Category)
Production & Skilled Trades
Job Schedule
Full time
Remote
No
Job Description
We are seeking a Director of Operations for our South Boston, Virginia growing manufacturing site. The role will oversee the execution of production and assembly lines throughout the factory, including technical and personnel oversight, to ensure alignment between activities and production plans to meet customers’ requirements. Overall responsible for all aspects of a day-to-day operation of all production line and department (value streams), including maintenance and material feeding.
Main Accountabilities
Safety and integrity. Implements Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) and business compliance standards and regulations within the units. Ensures a safe working environment, and continuous improvement in HSE process and integrity performance. Personally, lives the Hitachi Energy values and Group standards.
Strategy Deployment. Implements the global business unit/product group operations strategy within the area of responsibility, assuring the accountability model throughout Tier Accountability Meetings. Provides input to global business unit/product group strategy. Develops proactive tactical ways to increase business profits, customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness.
Budget. Prepares annual budget to maximize the performance of manufacturing, based on demand, oversees progress, and determines actions for cost optimization. Addressing issues as necessary in order to manage operations within the budget and resources.
Operational Performance. Ensure efficient and cost-effective operational results that meet safety, quality, order demand, specifications, and planning targets through the coordination and management of plant equipment, personnel, and production processes (quantity, quality, budgeted costs and proper productivity level). Focus on accurate, timely execution at the lowest cost possible with a constant focus on improving efficiency with safety and quality.
Operational Improvements. Develops programs, projects, goals, and metrics to lead the organization to the highest level of operational performance while optimizing working capital throughout Operations. Ensures that Lean and Six Sigma training and methods are implemented into the organization. Collaborates with Quality and Continuous Improvement teams to integrate lean manufacturing principles into production processes.
People leadership and development. Ensures (with HR Manager support) that the area of responsibility is properly organized, staffed, skilled and directed. Guides, motivates and develops direct and indirect subordinates within HR policies.
Basic