Company: BizLink

Role: Director of Operations

Location: Kitchener, ON

Reporting Relationship: President

The company:

BizLink Group (BizLink), founded in 1996, is headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA. BizLink is the most vertically integrated interconnect solution supplier with in-house manufacturing for key components, cables, wires, harnesses, connectors, etc. These facilities, located in America, Europe and Asia, work closely with each other to provide customer service tailored to fit customers’ specific needs.

As a tier-one interconnect solution company, BizLink has state-of-the-art facilities, advanced manufacturing processes, and professional research and development capabilities. With flexible production resources and global R&D teams, BizLink always provides reliable interconnect solutions in close proximity to markets BizLink strives to continue collaborating closely with customers to turn their innovative ideas into reality.

BizLink elocab Ltd (BizLink Canada) is located in Kitchener, Ontario and was acquired in January 2022 by the BizLink Group. It is operated as a privately held Canadian division. As a global supplier of custom interconnects solutions, BizLink elocab Ltd. has been leading the way in cutting-edge product innovation and advanced manufacturing, making us a sought-after development partner and supplier to international industrial, medical, and semiconductor companies.

Since its inception in 1996, the BizLink elocab Kitchener facility has seen tremendous business growth and has expanded twice. During the expansion stages, employees provided input on facility amenities such as the lunchroom, on-site gym and patio area. The company recognizes the importance of regeneration at work. Therefore, meditation/religion observation rooms, table hockey, videogames, patio/deck, free soda pop beverages and community tables are available within the facility.

The opportunity:

BizLink elocab Ltd. continues to grow year after year – the company recorded $24 Million in sales in 2019, $27 Million in 2020, $37 Million in 2021, $45 Million in 2022 and is forecasting $50 Million in 2023. This growth was not only reflected in sales but also in employee numbers. No layoffs or workshare was done during the COVID-19 pandemic and personnel grew from 71 to 120 employees in the last 4 years.

Due to this growth, the company is now looking for a driven Director of Operations for their Kitchener, ON location. The Director of Operations will oversee BizLink elocab’s ~120-employee manufacturing facility. This site operates in three production settings: bulk cable, laminated flat cable, and systems business. The Director of Operations will have 4 direct reports including 3 Production Managers and the Maintenance Manager.

The day-to-day management of the Kitchener facility will fall within the responsibility of this role. The key responsibilities include creating and carrying out operational plans that adhere to the manufacturing and business strategy, managing business operations including production and finance, and assessing operational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership

  • Organize the day-to-day operations of the manufacturing facility, while keeping in mind the operational plans to ensure long-term success and growth of the business.
  • Recommend solutions and effectively solve-problems, assisting the managers of the plant.
  • Analyze and interpret data on production and identify possible challenges.
  • Create and implement new operational policies that increase efficiency of production.
  • Monitor safety measurements on the plant to ensure employees are safe, and the plant follows local and federal regulations.
  • Actively track and (if needed) report on supply to ensure the facility has materials to avoid production delays.
  • Identify and advise on training opportunities for the employees to improve skills.

Financial Leadership

  • Responsible for Profit and Loss (P&L) for the facility (specifically: overseeing the separate profit centers in the plant) while reporting to the President who has direct oversight.
  • Actively work on new strategies to improve profits and provide financial recommendations to higher management.

The successful hire:

Previous Experience & Skills

  • Minimum of 7+ years of experience in an operational leadership role, preferably in a manufacturing setting.
  • Experience or familiarity with cable production, or experience in a meters based production environment is an asset.
  • Ability to foresee operational challenges, supply issues, and other challenges that the facility might encounter.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills regarding operation and leadership.
  • Financial literacy and experience with P&L responsibility and reporting is an asset.
  • Kaizen, continuous improvement expertise is preferred.

Interpersonal Skills

  • Strong leadership skills with an ability to foster a collaborative work environment.
  • Excellent written and verbal professional communication skills.
  • A hands-on mentality.

Education & Certification

  • University Degree is required, while a Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an asset.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.

Currently, women make up 41% of BizLink elocab’s workforce, while visible minorities make up 42% of the company. On the leadership level, 27% of all managers and 2 out of 5 (40%) executive members are women.

BizLink elocab Ltd. has retained Pender & Howe to lead the recruitment initiative for their Director of Operations. Pender & Howe is a boutique retained executive search firm specializing in collaborating with human capital leaders, governing boards and CxOs in identifying exceptional leaders. More information about Pender & Howe is available at www.penderhowe.com. As an executive search firm, Pender & Howe has a deep social responsibility to recognize and champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in every recruiting assignment. We embrace a wide range of qualities and perspectives candidates bring and encourage them to apply regardless of their backgrounds. To this end, we highly value confidentiality – both for our client and candidates. Pender & Howe ensures that all the information that is shared with us is kept with strict confidence, unless requested otherwise.

This search is led by Travis Hann. For consideration, please email a copy of your CV in confidence to: [email protected].