Director of Manufacturing

Position Title: Director of Manufacturing
Department: Manufacturing
Compensation Range: $160,000-200,000 USD
Location: Naperville, IL, USA

About AGI

Ag Growth International Inc. (“AGI”) is a provider of the physical equipment and digital technology solutions required to support global food infrastructure including grain, fertilizer, seed, feed, and food processing systems. With over 4,000 employees worldwide, and facilities and offices in Canada, the United States, Brazil, India, Europe, APAC, Australia, and Africa, AGI sells its products globally through a network of wholly owned subsidiaries and third-party dealers and distributors.

The Opportunity

As a key member of the AGI Global Operations Team, the Director of Manufacturing will oversee all aspects of manufacturing operations across multiple facilities, ensuring efficient production processes, maintaining high-quality standards, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Our goal is to maximize productivity and keep cost to the minimum. By doing this, we increase customer and employee satisfaction. The role will show a strong commitment to operational excellence; strong ownership; high energy; high degree of optimism and reality; and strong commitment to build the manufacturing talent bench.

AGI’s current business footprint supports over 25 manufacturing facilities globally, with notable business positions across North America, Brazil, LATAM, EMEA, India, and APAC. This role requires strong leadership, communication and confidence skills in front of business leaders: Production employees, C-level, BOD, senior level executives, Plant Managers, functional leaders, etc. This is a collaborative role that works closely with senior and executive leadership as well as product management, engineering, production, marketing and sales teams.

The Team

The role will report to the VP of Manufacturing. The Director of Manufacturing will be accountable for multiple manufacturing plants (6-7) across the USA. This includes everything from production, quality control, maintenance, purchasing, materials management, manufacturing engineering, and financial performance, etc. As such, the role requires strong leadership and management skills to plan and launch strategic initiatives while driving execution and getting things done: production output, labor allocation, capex allocation, equipment reliability, talent development, etc. Collaboration with other functional and supporting departments are critical to ensure divisional alignment with AGI’s strategic goals for growth.

Responsibilities

• Promote AGI culture of safety as top priority
• Lead day-to-day operations with lean thinking, practical and results driven approach
• Make decisions with confidence and conviction while overseeing the day-to-day operations of all US manufacturing divisions, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency
• Develop and implement manufacturing strategies that align with the company's overall business objectives
• Monitor and analyze production metrics to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions as needed
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, industry standards, and company policies
• Set clear goals and expectations within the manufacturing organization and capable of bringing the team together to achieve desired results
• Enable priorities for Plant Managers to oversee production schedules, available capacity, material availability, equipment performance that support target metrics, and customers’ delivery and quality requirements
• Establish cadence with Plant Managers and divisional business leaders to review, plan, action on divisional performance metrics including opportunities for recovery and improvement
• Ensure continuous process improvement principles (“LEAN”, Kaizen and Kaikaku) are implemented.
• Establish performance metrics to pulse the operational competitiveness of the division and make improvements where deterioration exist (people, process, material, methods)
• Collaborate with administrative and technical functions to ensure flow of information and contractual requirements are fulfilled. Cross-functional collaboration and communication for alignment.
• Provide leadership for employee relations through effective communications, coaching, training, and development

Qualifications

• Post Secondary Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business or other
• 15 years in Manufacturing environments (preferred industrial manufacturing)
• Strategic thinker and strong decision maker
• Strong manufacturing leadership and talent identification and development
• Strong use of data to influence business decisions
• Understanding of complex technical product design requirements; capital projects; manufacturing; MTO / MTS
• Strong communication and relationship building skills across all levels of the organization, from Direct Labor to CEO
• Ability to prioritize requirements and manage time effectively
• Proven ability to provide leadership to a team of diverse professionals
• Strong business analysis, financial analysis, and project management capabilities
• Experience operating within a matrix organization
• Effective collaborator across functional disciplines
• Able to influence without direct reporting authority
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with tactical execution
• Ability to thrive and grow in a continuously evolving environment
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required
• High energy/high impact attitude to continue growing professionally and make AGI more profitable is required
• MS Office Proficiency (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Teams)
• MS Power BI or other Business Intelligence tools a plus
• Spend management, inventory, logistics technology applications (use and deployment experience a plus)
• AI and ML awareness

Why AGI?

We’re leading the way in global food supply chain solutions and here’s how:
We’re the leading global expert in providing farmers, processors and commercial customers with the right equipment and customized engineering solutions to produce, protect and deliver the world’s grain, fertilizer, seed, feed and food supplies. Dedicated to safety, innovation and customization, AGI offers one of the largest catalogs of equipment and full-service planning and engineering services for the storage, blending, mixing, conveying, conditioning, and processing of agricultural products worldwide. Supported by an extensive in-country sales and service team, AGI provides a global distribution network and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States, Brazil, India, France, and Italy.

Our Culture

Safety and teamwork are the cornerstones of our global culture. In all aspects of our business, diverse and inclusive teams work together to deliver quality products, solutions, and services for our customers around the world.

Benefits offered

• Annual bonus plan
• Paid Time Off
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life and AD&D
• Short Term Disability
• Long Term Disability
• Voluntary Life
• Employee Assistance Program
• Spending Accounts
• 401k with match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan with match

With AGI, you’re choosing an employer dedicated to strengthening and securing the global food supply chain.

AGI is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.

Accommodations are available upon request for candidates with a disability taking part in the recruitment process and once hired.