Director of Operations

Date Posted:

2026-11-11

Country:

Mexico

Location:

MX-SON-HEROICA NOGALES-300 ~ Calzada Industrial de la Manufactura 301 ~ PLANT 1

Position Role Type:

Onsite

What I need from this role

Nogales is a strategically important site that is growing quickly and changing in both scale and operating model. I need a Site Leader who can run today’s operation well while building the capability, organisation and strategy needed for the next 3–5 years.

The goal: make Nogales a benchmark Collins facility – safe, predictable, competitive, increasingly autonomous and a site the business chooses for future growth and investment.

Business context

• Manufacturing hours have approximately doubled over the last two years, with further growth expected.

• The site is transitioning from a maquiladora / shelter model to a Collins-owned facility.

• Nogales is important to product cost and supply continuity, with a significant share of BOM cost on selected products.

• Manufacturing includes composites, CNC machining, presses, lay-up, detail finishing and cosmetic processes.

• The site is remote from much of the wider leadership team, so the role requires real autonomy and strong enterprise connection.

What the Site Leader is accountable for

Performance: Deliver strong Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People and Cash performance with clear ownership and disciplined follow-through.

Strategy: Build and execute a 3–5 year site plan covering growth, capacity, technology, footprint, capital, cost and organisation.

Operational excellence: Create a simple operating system that improves flow, productivity, quality, equipment performance and delivery.

Manufacturing capability: Strengthen technical capability across machining, composites and the wider processes needed to support growth.

Growth and industrialisation: Lead NPI, transfers, capacity increases and capital deployment without destabilising current performance.

Leadership and talent: Build a strong leadership team, develop local talent, strengthen succession and push decisions to the right level.

Enterprise integration: Work effectively across Engineering, Supply Chain, Programs, Quality, Finance and HR, making decisions in the best interests of Collins and the customer.

Culture: Set high standards for ethics, safety, quality, trust, respect, ownership and collaboration. Surface issues early and address underperformance directly.

Leadership expectations

Strategic: Looks beyond the current quarter and can define what Nogales needs to become.

Executive presence: Communicates clearly and confidently from the shop floor to senior leadership; simplifies issues and takes a position.

Autonomous: Makes decisions without waiting for constant direction, while staying aligned to Collins priorities and governance.

Enterprise-minded: Does not optimise Nogales at the expense of the wider business. Makes trade-offs visible and brings recommendations, not just problems.

Collaborative: Can influence functions that do not report directly to the Site Leader and challenge without damaging relationships.

Transparent: No surprises. Risks are raised early, with facts, ownership and a recovery plan.

Developer of leaders: Builds an organisation that can operate without depending on the Site Leader personally.

Low ego / high standards: Listens, changes position when the evidence changes, and remains firm on expectations and values.

Essential experience

• Significant leadership experience in a complex manufacturing operation of comparable scale, including managers of managers.

• Bilingual Spanish / English with strong communication capability.

• Proven record of improving operational and financial performance, not simply maintaining a stable site.

• Strong manufacturing credibility, ideally including machining or other process-based operations.

• Experience leading transformation, turnaround, major growth or a step-change in site maturity.

• Ability to create and execute a multi-year manufacturing and site strategy.

• Strong P&L / financial understanding and the ability to connect operational decisions to margin, cash and customer outcomes.

• Strong cross-functional and matrix leadership skills.

• Clear evidence of leadership development, succession planning and alignment to RTX values.

Desirable experience

• Aerospace or other regulated manufacturing experience.

• Composites, lay-up or cosmetic / finish-process experience.

• Previous site leadership experience in Mexico.

• Experience with maquiladora / shelter operations or transition to greater local ownership.

• Greenfield, expansion, transfer-of-work or major NPI experience.

• Automation, MES / digital manufacturing or advanced manufacturing experience.

• Significant CAPEX / capacity expansion, customer recovery or turnaround experience.

What success looks like

First 90 days: Understands the operation, people, customer commitments, major risks and capability gaps. Establishes trust, clear priorities and a no-surprises communication rhythm.

Year 1: Stable operating system, stronger leadership accountability, clear decision rights and an agreed 3-year roadmap for growth, capability, talent and investment.

Years 2–3: Nogales is more autonomous, scalable and competitive; growth is absorbed without disproportionate cost or complexity, and succession is stronger.

End state: Nogales is recognised as a benchmark Collins site and a credible choice for future programs, technology and investment.

Bottom line: This is not just a strong Plant Manager role. I need a Site Leader who can build the next version of Nogales and leave behind a stronger organisation, stronger leaders and a site that can operate with greater autonomy.

Role Overview:

This position leads manufacturing operations for a large site or geographic area. Develops and manages processes and operating plans to ensure operational efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Formulates policies for all quality related items for a large site or geographic area, and ensures they are complete and documented so that established quality standards are met.
• Oversees and directs cost reduction efforts and process improvements for a large site or geographic area to ensure efficiency of operations and cost effectiveness.
• Oversees and directs scheduling for a large site or geographic area to ensure that the plants meet established targets and standards.
• Strategically designs processes for sequencing of work such as build and delivery for a large site or geographic area to ensure smooth operations and optimal use of resources.
• Designs innovative strategies for materials and logistics problem resolution for a large site or geographic area to ensure availability of materials and smooth operations.
• Ideates and implements policies for cell performance and productivity for a large site or geographic area to maximize productivity.
• Oversees and directs production innovation, including additive manufacturing, for a large site or geographic area to enhance production capabilities.
• Consults with and strategically advises customers to ensure that customers' needs are met.
• Responsible for all or a major portion of processing operations in a plant.
• Oversees production operations (shop floor management, workforce management, and flow disruption management), maintenance, plant engineering, scheduling and personnel.
• Manages and supervises the work of manufacturing production disciplines in the Operations function.
• Performs professional or management work regularly across multiple Manufacturing disciplines.
• Includes activities that cannot be attributed to a defined Operations discipline.

Qualifications:
This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in the appropriate discipline and 12 years of relevant experience or an Advanced degree in the appropriate discipline and 10 years of relevant experience.  In the absence of a degree, 16 years of relevant experience is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

The jobsite is located in Nogales, Mexico. Ideal candidate must be willing to work out of Nogales, MX.

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.
Some of our competitive benefits package includes:
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution
• Tuition reimbursement
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• And more

Apply now and be part of the team that’s redefining aerospace, every day.

RTX adheres to the principles of equal employment. All qualified applications will be given careful consideration without regard to ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.  

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