Director of Operations
Graham, KYFull-time$175–225K/yrSeen 4 days agoSeen in employer's feed 4 days ago
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near Graham, KY, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense seeks a Director of Operations to lead a 150-person energetics manufacturing site. The role owns site performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost while ensuring compliance with explosive-safety and regulatory requirements. The leader will scale operations, develop teams and leaders, and guide production ramp and capacity expansion in support of customer demand.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Experience Required
15 - 20 years
Minimum Education Required
High School Diploma/G.E.D.
Compensation
$7.25 / hourly
Hours Per Week
40
Number Of Positions
1
Work Schedule and Shift Requirements
First (Day)
Job Description
This opportunity is located within our Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company business, a global leader of mission-critical hardware and systems solutions including precision energetics systems and innovative explosive solutions.
Job Description
Location:Graham, KY
Reports to:VP of Operations
At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense (EBAD), we bring nearly 200 years of innovation to the development of mission-critical energetic systems supporting defense and space programs. Our work operates in high-consequence environments where safety, precision, and discipline are non-negotiable.
We are seeking a Director of Operations to lead a growing energetics manufacturing site and scale operations without compromising safety, compliance, or execution. This role serves as the operational leader for a 150-person, high-risk manufacturing site, with full ownership of performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Beyond execution, this leader will play a key role in shaping the next generation of operations, talent, and manufacturing capability at EBAD - building the systems, culture, and leadership pipeline required to support long-term growth in a mission-critical environment.
What You'll Own
Full-site leadership in a high-mix, low-volume, high-consequence manufacturing environment
Ownership of site performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost
Ensure strict adherence to explosive safety, process controls, and regulatory standards
Operate within a PSM-regulated environment with full compliance to federal, DoD, and explosive safety requirements
Build and develop teams with a safety-first, accountability-driven culture
Drive performance through EBAD's operating system (EBOS) and lean execution discipline
Lead production ramp, capacity expansion, and operational readiness aligned to customer demand
What We're Looking For
Required Experience
15+ years of operations leadership in high-hazard manufacturing environments
Direct experience in energetics or explosives manufacturing (e.g., propellants, detonators, high explosives such as RDX or similar)
Background in aerospace & defense or similarly regulated industries
Experience supporting DoD programs and contracts
Ability to obtain DoD Security Clearance
Technical & Regulatory Depth
Working knowledge of energetic materials (RDX, HMX, propellants, detonators)
Strong understanding of explosive safety, hazard analysis, and risk mitigation
Experience with ITAR, ATF, and DoD regulatory environments
Leadership
Proven ability to lead teams in high-consequence environments where safety is critical
Track record of driving continuous improvement without compromising safety or quality
Experience building teams, developing leaders, and scaling operations through growth
Why This Role
Lead a critical, high-consequence manufacturing operation
Shape and scale a site during a period of significant growth and transformation
Build the next generation of operational capability and leadership within EBAD
Join a long-standing, mission-driven defense company with a legacy of innovation
Compensation and Rewards
We recognize that world-class leaders deliver world-class impact, and we reward accordingly. This role offers a competitive executive package that includes:
Base Salary: $175k - $225k plus annual bonus
Executive Relocation: Comprehensive support for a seamless transition
Additional Enhancements: Potential sign-on incentives and tailored rewards based on experience
We offer a competitive compensation package aligned with skills & experience, with flexibility to reward top talent and extraordinary qualifications.
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to r ace, r eligion, color, s ex, age, disability, s exual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.
Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to r ace, r eligion, color, s ex, age, disability, s exual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.
Job Type
Full time
Benefits Offered
Not specified
Veteran Preference
No
Place of Work
On-site
Requisition ID
REQ106910
How this job compares
Set against the 539 open Operations Director jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$175–225K/yr
- US median$146–185K/yr363 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $200K, is 14% above the US median midpoint ($175K) — in the middle half of Operations Director salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 13 open Operations Director jobs in Kentucky and 539 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most across the US
- Oracle43 open
- Compass Group, North America41 open
- Meta36 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 15 years of experience — more than three in four Operations Director postings that state a minimum ask for (median 8 years, across 397 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a high school diploma; 159 of the 539 open Operations Director jobs (29%) ask for a high school diploma or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
Prepare for this role
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.
