Director Operational Excellence

Overview

Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST® is the largest and only national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the healthcare market. Acquired by private equity firm Calera Capital in 2018, ImageFIRST serves medical facilities nationwide providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs, and more while managing their clients’ linen inventory for cost management. As leaders in infection prevention, they currently own and operate the most HLAC-accredited facilities in the industry. With one of the highest customer retention rates in the industry – 97% – ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction and making staff happy with our white glove service!

Check out our company page: https://www.imagefirst.com/company/

Responsibilities & Qualifications

Director, Operational Excellence - CAPEX 

Location: East Coast (Northeast Preferred)Travel: Approximately 50%

Position Summary

ImageFIRST is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director, Operational Excellence to lead enterprise-wide engineering initiatives, capital project planning, and operational improvement efforts across our national network of healthcare laundry facilities.

This newly created leadership role will serve as a key partner to Operations and the Senior Leadership Team, driving long-term asset strategy, capital investment planning, engineering support, and operational sustainability. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable developing strategic initiatives, leading complex projects, and rolling up their sleeves to solve operational challenges in the field.

This role offers a unique opportunity to build foundational processes that will standardize engineering practices and strengthen operational performance across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Capital Planning & Strategic Investments

• Identify, prioritize, and develop capital expenditure (Capex) opportunities across the network.
• Build financial justifications, ROI analyses, and business cases for capital investments.
• Present capital recommendations and project proposals to the Senior Leadership Team.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to align capital investments with business strategy and growth objectives.

Project Engineering Leadership

• Lead enterprise engineering projects from concept through implementation.
• Provide technical leadership for facility upgrades, equipment installations, automation initiatives, and operational improvements.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and with measurable business impact.

Engineering Support for Plant Operations

• Serve as a technical resource for manufacturing and plant leadership across the ImageFIRST network.
• Provide engineering guidance and problem-solving support for facilities requiring operational or technical assistance.
• Partner with General Managers and Operations Leaders to resolve complex equipment and process challenges.

Operational Excellence & Strategic Initiatives

• Lead cross-functional operational improvement initiatives that support network stabilization, sustainability, and long-term operational performance.
• Partner with Operations Leadership to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, standardization, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a trusted resource for high-impact operational projects across the business.

Safety Leadership

• Champion a culture of safety across engineering and operational initiatives.
• Ensure engineering projects and equipment installations meet all applicable safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Environmental Health & Safety leadership to proactively reduce operational risk.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial operations, engineering, or capital project management.
• Experience leading multi-site engineering or operational initiatives.
• Proven experience managing capital projects and developing ROI-driven business cases.
• Strong knowledge of asset management, equipment lifecycle planning, and reliability.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Strong financial acumen with experience presenting recommendations to executive leadership.
• Ability to travel approximately 50%.

Preferred

• Experience supporting multiple manufacturing or industrial facilities.
• Plant management or operations leadership experience.
• Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experience.
• Military leadership experience is highly valued, particularly candidates who have transitioned into manufacturing, engineering, or operations leadership roles.
• Experience within healthcare services, industrial laundry, textiles, food manufacturing, consumer products, or other asset-intensive industries.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong operational execution
• Results-oriented and highly accountable
• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills
• Strong analytical and financial decision-making capabilities
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across functions
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and leading enterprise-wide change
• Hands-on problem solver with a continuous improvement mindset

Company Values & Benefits

Required Competencies:

• Be Respectful: Value all we come in contact with
• Be Remarkable: Create a positive moment with every interaction
• Be Safe: Keep ourselves and those around us safe
• Be Honest: Be guided by truthfulness in all we do  

Benefits:

• Weekly pay
• Medical, Dental, Vision 
• Pet, Legal, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance 
• 401k (match)
• Paid Time Off Package
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement 
• Referral Program
• Great company culture
• Collaborative team environment 

EOE / Drug-Free Workplace 

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.  We are fueled by the talent, passion, and diversity of our associates.