Operations Manager
About the job
- Demonstrated expertise in safety management and experience working in high-risk environments involving rail cars and heavy equipment.
- Experience managing a unionized workforce and working with union contract-related topics.
- Ability to perform effectively in a dirty, dusty, and physically demanding outdoor environment.
- A bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or Industrial Management is preferred; equivalent work experience is considered.
- Strong leadership, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
- Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
- Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Drive a safety-first culture, ensuring all activities comply with OSHA standards, site rules, and company safety policies.
- Oversee and enforce safe operations involving rail cars, heavy industrial machinery, and high-risk equipment.
- Maintain a visible field presence by observing, coaching, and correcting operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant performance.
- Lead and motivate a unionized workforce, fostering positive labor relations while ensuring accountability, productivity, and adherence to established procedures.
- Collaborate with mill leadership, subcontractor management, and safety teams to achieve operational objectives.
- Lead a production team and manage the costs and profitability of the dedicated production site to achieve optimal safety and productivity.
- Optimize resource utilization by implementing an effective leadership group, supervising and motivating hourly and salaried employees, and analyzing daily reports.
- Meet key performance indicators to exceed efficiency and performance standards.
- Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly production activity reports and respond to information requests from site, division, and corporate teams.
- In conjunction with maintenance, implement and manage a coordinated weekly planned and corrective maintenance schedule to ensure reliable equipment is maintained and production targets are met.
- Prepare production schedules for each project and weekly employee schedules to optimize performance.
- Monitor the production process, equipment downtime, and availability, and adjust schedules as needed to manage headcount and payroll expenses.
- Coordinate, establish, and implement standard operating procedures for all production operations.
- Provide on-the-job training and assistance as needed.
- Implement and drive continuous improvement, including through change management.
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including Environmental, Safety and Health guidelines and best practices, and mitigate risks associated with contractors and vendor insurance and indemnification.
- Ensure expenses are submitted and authorized before financial commitments and that receipts for goods and services are completed within the correct financial period.
- Comply with cost-saving initiatives and identify ways to reduce costs and enhance revenue.
- Function as part of the management team and align with core values to meet company policies and goals, escalating and reporting issues requiring further assistance.
- Plan, participate in, and contribute to internal and external business meetings as needed.
- Conduct daily production meetings to review prior-day performance, the current-day plan, next-day needs, and relevant projects or issues.
- Walk the facilities daily to follow up on plans, verify execution, ensure conformance to standards, and monitor inventories.
- Treat employees, customers, suppliers, and others professionally, respectfully, and courteously.
- A bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or Industrial Management is preferred; equivalent work experience is considered.
- Uncompromising commitment to safety.
- Hands-on, visible leadership style.
About the company
SMS Mill Services provides on-site support for steel mills by managing the full lifecycle of scrap metal—from receiving and inspection to inventory control and loading for electric arc furnaces. It also handles slag processing, metal recovery, transport, and services such as sizing, scarfing, logistics, and melt-shop maintenance. The company earns revenue via multi-year contracts with steel producers and has a global footprint with more than 14 locations, offering end-to-end outsourced services and asset/environmental management. Its goal is to help steel producers operate more efficiently and reliably, grow its market share through long-term contracts and geographic expansion, and pursue strategic opportunities like the 2025 FalconPoint acquisition while maintaining core scrap processing operations.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Portage, Indiana
Founded
2008
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- SMS won ArcelorMittal Piracicaba expansion in 2025, strengthening a flagship customer relationship.
- SMS won Charter Steel Cleveland scrap-management work in January 2025.
- FalconPoint says SMS delivered over 20% annual revenue growth for four straight years.
What critics are saying
- Indiana cited SMS in August 2025 for missing slag-plant emission records.
- OSHA opened a planned inspection at SMS Jackson, Tennessee, on May 12, 2026.
- Shipbreaking and mill-services carve-out leaves the remaining scrap business dependent on fewer assets.
What makes SMS Mill Services, LLC. unique
- SMS operates 14 locations across the U.S., Europe, and South America.
- FalconPoint backed SMS with $500 million for equipment, technology, and acquisitions.
- SMS embeds crews inside mills, managing scrap, slag, and environmental workflows.
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Benefits
Paid Holidays
Life Insurance
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↑ 0%FalconPoint Partners, a private equity firm, announced its acquisition of SMS, a high-growth industrial services business, with a commitment of $500 million to support its expansion. SMS, founded in 2008, provides outsourced services to steel mills and marine decommissioning. The acquisition aims to enhance SMS's growth, technology, and sustainability practices. FalconPoint will leverage its expertise to support SMS's continued success and value creation.