Vice President - Operations

Fontaine Modification Company

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

The Company's second in command, provided the person’s span of responsibility is as broad or almost as broad, on a day-to-day basis, as that of the Company President and that he/she has line rather than staff or advisory responsibility.

About Fontaine Modification

Fontaine Modification designs and manufactures innovative solutions for truck manufacturers, dealers, and commercial truck users worldwide. We fill the space between what OEM truck chassis builders can produce in their plants and what the market requires across fleet and vocational applications. For more than forty years, our commitment to integrity, customer responsiveness, quality, and superior workmanship has helped make Fontaine Modification a recognized industry leader.

The Opportunity

Fontaine Modification is seeking a hands-on, strategic Vice President of Operations to lead operational performance across nine sites. This executive will have enterprise responsibility for production, procurement, continuous improvement, quality, warranty, and safety. The role will build scalable operating discipline, strengthen accountability, improve customer outcomes, and ensure the organization delivers safe, high-quality modified vehicles on time and at a competitive cost.

The ideal candidate brings deep multi-site manufacturing leadership and direct experience in vehicle, specialty vehicle, heavy equipment, or similarly complex custom manufacturing. Success in a low-volume, high-mix environment is essential.

What You Will Lead

• Enterprise Operations: Set and execute the operating strategy for nine sites, aligning production, procurement, continuous improvement, quality, warranty, and safety with company growth and customer commitments.
• Production Performance: Lead capacity planning, production scheduling, labor deployment, flow, dwell-time reduction, and on-time delivery across all facilities.
• Procurement and Supply Chain: Develop sourcing and procurement strategies, strengthen supplier performance, negotiate key agreements, optimize inventory and logistics, and mitigate supply continuity risks.
• Continuous Improvement: Evolve and scale a practical operating system grounded in 80/20 business philosophy, lean manufacturing, Kaizen, Six Sigma, standard work, visual management, and disciplined problem solving.
• Quality and Warranty: Champion a culture of quality; strengthen quality systems, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, regulatory compliance, customer specifications, and the feedback loop from warranty to operations and engineering.
• Safety: Create an uncompromising safety culture, establish consistent expectations across sites, and ensure compliance with applicable safety requirements.
• People and Culture: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing operations organization. Build accountability, succession depth, training discipline, employee engagement, and strong floor-level communication.
• Financial and KPI Management: Own operating budgets and forecasts, improve cost performance, and use scorecards and KPIs to drive execution, transparency, and fact-based decisions.
• Technology and Innovation: Evaluate manufacturing technology, systems, and automation that improve capability, productivity, quality, and responsiveness in a high-mix environment.
• Executive Leadership: Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, contribute to enterprise strategy, and provide clear, regular reporting to the President.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership, including 5 to 7 years in a senior leadership role such as Vice President of Manufacturing or Director of Operations.
• Proven responsibility for multiple manufacturing facilities and the ability to create consistent operating standards while responding to site-specific needs.
• Direct experience in vehicle manufacturing or specialty vehicle manufacturing, particularly in a low-volume, high-mix production environment. Relevant automotive, heavy equipment, or complex custom manufacturing experience may also be considered.
• Demonstrated success leading production, procurement or supply chain, continuous improvement, quality, warranty, and safety functions.
• Proven record of implementing lean manufacturing, Kaizen, Six Sigma, or related continuous improvement methods and converting them into measurable operating results.
• Strong knowledge of procurement, supplier management, logistics, inventory control, quality management systems, root-cause problem solving, and corrective action.
• Financial acumen, including operating budgets, forecasting, cost control, capital prioritization, and KPI management.
• Experience evaluating and implementing ERP, manufacturing systems, technology, or automation solutions.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and change-management skills, with the credibility to work effectively from the shop floor to the executive team.
• Ability to travel up to 50 percent to support nine operating sites.

Leadership Profile

• Strategic thinker who translates company objectives into clear operating priorities and disciplined execution.
• Visible, hands-on leader who builds trust on the floor and holds teams accountable for results.
• Data-driven problem solver who balances safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people decisions.
• Customer-focused executive who understands the demands of custom vehicle programs and changing production mix.
• Builder of talent, systems, and culture who can scale operations without losing responsiveness or workmanship.

Why Join Fontaine Modification

• Lead and shape the operating model of a recognized leader in commercial truck modification.
• Influence strategy and execution across a nine-site operation with meaningful growth opportunities.
• Work on innovative vehicle conversion programs serving truck manufacturers, dealers, fleets, and vocational customers.
• Join a collaborative, high-accountability culture that values integrity, quality, responsiveness, and superior workmanship.
• Competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.