Operations Department Head

Requisition Number: 79236

The company built on breakthroughs. ​  
Join us.​                    

Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.  ​  

How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations – not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company, and the world, forward. ​  

​At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.​   

Come break through with us.  

Corning’s businesses are ever-evolving to best serve our customers, industries, and consumers. Today, we accelerate and transform life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, display, automotive, and solar markets. We are changing the world with: 

• Trusted products that accelerate drug discovery, development, and delivery to save lives
• Damage-resistant cover glass to enhance the devices that keep us connected
• Optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions to carry information and ideas at the speed of light
• Precision glass for advanced displays to deliver richer experiences 
• Auto glass and ceramics to drive cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation 
• Solar polysilicon, wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, enabling low-cost solar energy solutions

Position Summary:

The Operations Department Head provides strategic and operational leadership for assigned manufacturing departments in a fast-paced production environment. This role is accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, people development, capacity, and continuous improvement.

The Department Head leads through front-line supervisors and team leaders, sets priorities, and ensures production plans align with plant objectives, customer commitments, and business needs.

Key Responsibilities:

Department Leadership and Operations:

• Provide direction for assigned manufacturing departments, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and reliable execution of production schedules and plant priorities.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable front-line supervisors, team leaders, and indirect departmental personnel.
• Translate plant and business objectives into departmental operating plans, priorities, performance expectations, and measurable goals.
• Ensure appropriate staffing, shift coverage, labor utilization, workflow, and capacity to meet customer demand and business requirements.
• Oversee production schedules, recovery plans, work sequencing, overtime strategies, and resource allocation across assigned areas.
• Serve as the accountable area owner for departmental performance, operational readiness, risk management, process discipline, and visual management.

Safety, Quality, and Compliance:

• Build a strong safety culture focused on employee well-being, hazard recognition, incident prevention, and compliance with environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Lead or support safety investigations, containment, corrective actions, and preventive plans.
• Ensure adherence to quality systems, work instructions, standard operating procedures, control plans, documentation requirements, and customer specifications.
• Maintain accountability for housekeeping, 5S, process control, standard work, workplace organization, and readiness for internal, customer, regulatory, and certification audits.

Performance Management and Continuous Improvement:

• Own department performance against key operating metrics, including safety, quality, output, yield/selects, uptime, delivery, schedule adherence, labor utilization, scrap, productivity, cost, and employee development.
• Review trends, identify gaps and risks, communicate results to plant leadership, and lead timely corrective and recovery actions.
• Use production, equipment, financial, and employee data to identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
• Lead continuous-improvement initiatives using Lean principles and structured problem solving to improve safety, quality, throughput, reliability, material utilization, productivity, and cost.
• Establish departmental action plans with clear ownership, follow-through, and measurable results.

People Leadership and Talent Development:

• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, teamwork, respect, continuous learning, and operational excellence.
• Develop supervisors and high-potential employees through coaching, feedback, training, performance development, and succession planning.
• Ensure consistent administration of company policies, performance and attendance expectations, recognition programs, and corrective or disciplinary actions.
• Partner with Human Resources on employee relations, workforce planning, recruiting, engagement, retention, and organizational development.
• Maintain current training plans, qualification records, cross-training, and competency requirements.
• Promote clear communication across shifts, departments, and leadership levels regarding production, staffing, equipment, quality, schedule changes, and open actions.

Cross-Functional Partnership and Business Planning:

• Partner with Planning, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Operations, Finance, and Human Resources to resolve material, equipment, staffing, process, capacity, workflow, and customer constraints.
• Participate in production and labor planning, capacity reviews, operational forecasting, budget development, and capital planning.
• Support the evaluation, implementation, and sustainment of new products, process changes, equipment upgrades, automation, and technology improvements.
• Escalate significant operational risks, business impacts, and resource needs to plant leadership with clear recommendations and action plans.
• Represent the department in leadership meetings, cross-functional reviews, audits, customer discussions, and improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Industrial Management, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressive leadership experience in a manufacturing, industrial, technical, or production environment; equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience managing safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, staffing, employee development, production planning, capacity, labor, scheduling, and workflow.
• Proven ability to analyze data, identify performance gaps, prioritize work, communicate effectively, and drive sustainable corrective actions.
• Experience administering performance expectations, attendance practices, employee coaching, training, and company policies.
• Strong leadership, decision-making, coaching, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and manufacturing, production, scheduling, ERP, reporting, and/or timekeeping systems.
• Ability to support a multi-shift manufacturing environment, including off-hours support as operational needs require.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Seven or more years of manufacturing leadership experience, including responsibility for multiple shifts, departments, or supervisors.
• Experience in an equipment-intensive, highly regulated, or technically complex manufacturing environment.
• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, DMAIC, Kaizen, 5S, value-stream improvement, or other structured problem-solving methods.
• Demonstrated success leading safety, quality, productivity, cost-reduction, capacity-expansion, or operational-excellence initiatives.
• Experience with budgeting, capital planning, labor forecasting, and financial performance management.
• Experience partnering with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Planning, Supply Chain, and Human Resources in a matrixed manufacturing organization.

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $106,400.00 - $146,300.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education. 

A job that shapes a life.  

Corning offers you the total package.  

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status.

Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at [email protected].