Location: Victoria (Saanichton), BC – Onsite role (full-time at our Victoria (Saanichton), BC site, with about 10% travel to other AML sites)
The AML Story
We've come a long way. AML has 52 years of experience designing and building oceanographic instrumentation and we have clocked consistent year-on-year growth of greater than 15%. We have customers on all seven continents. We have a 70+ person team of employees that care deeply about customer outcomes. In our market, we are known for two things: 1) Going to the ends of the earth to make our customers successful; and 2) Bringing fresh ideas to an established market. Earlier this year, we were acquired by Union Park Capital. Our mission? To drive the success of Union Park's marine technology thesis. AML is the operating foundation of that thesis, and our focus is on growing the core business while carefully extending our solution set via acquisition. We anticipate dramatic growth and significant change in the next 3 to 5 years.
How we Operate
At AML, we do things a bit differently. Think daily huddles. Think Rockefeller Habits, Scaling Up, and the One Page Plan. Think town hall meetings with on-the-fly Q&A sessions. If you are familiar with these concepts - or they are of interest to you - then you might be a fit for AML. We want people who want to commit their hands, their heads, and their hearts to their position. You see this commitment in our employee Glass Door rating: an impressive 4.70 on 5.00.
What you inherit
A manufacturing site with assembly, QC, material handling, shipping and ops engineering teams, led by supervisors who report to you. A VP of Operations who sets the direction, and a Manufacturing Excellence Manager who helps with standards.
Your Mission
You will get booked orders built and recognized as fast as the site can do it, safely and to quality. You will run the site like clockwork, with supervisors who know where they stand and a team that gets a bit better every quarter. Every day starts with one number: IGP recognized.
What You'll be Accountable For
- Accelerates Recognition of Booked IGP: Is booked IGP getting recognized as fast as the site can do it?
- Owns Site Health & Safety: Does everyone go home safe?
- Owns Manufacturing Quality: Are manufacturing quality problems written up and pushed until they're dealt with?
- Owns Site Manufacturing Efficiency: Is the site getting more done with the same people, equipment and building?
- Curates a Team of A Players: Does everyone on the team know where they stand?
- Implements the AML-way: Is the site getting a bit better every quarter?
- Owns Inventory Accuracy: Can we trust our digital inventory levels?
Some Other Daily Duties
- Weekly 1:1s, monthly skip-levels, quarterly ABC reviews. Checks that supervisors do the same with their teams.
- Has the hard conversation early. Works with HR on improvement plans and exits.
- Makes hiring decisions for site ops roles using the scorecards.
- Turns the volume plan into headcount, shifts and cross-training.
- Runs the site huddle and weekly review. Represents the site at the VP Ops weekly.
- Puts company standards in place at the site with the Mfg Excellence Manager and shares what works.
- Keeps the floor, equipment and building fit to run, with the Ops Engineer. Flags big spends to the VP Ops.
- Hosts customer, ISO and safety audits with Quality and closes the findings.
Your Skills & Competencies
- Turns Plans Into Results: Makes the plan simple and clear for the team: what we do this week, and who does it.
- Clears Roadblocks: Finds what slows production down and removes it fast.
- Sets the Pace: Gets the team moving fast on what matters, and keeps that pace without having to push.
- Holds the Line: Won't cut corners on safety or quality to make the quarter.
- Builds Ownership: Builds a team that can run without them, where people own their area.
- Always Improving: Keeps a loop going: spot, fix, check, make it the standard, repeat.
- Runs on Numbers: Knows the numbers and decides from them, not from gut feel.
Required Qualifications (must have)
- Education: Degree in engineering, operations or technology, or equivalent experience.
- Experience: 8+ years in manufacturing, including 3+ years managing supervisors over a team of 15+ people across more than one area (for example assembly, QC and shipping). Hands-on use of Lean, Six Sigma or TQM tools to improve a manufacturing operation.
- Industry Background: Small batch, precision electromechanical or instrument manufacturing preferred. ISO 9001.
- People Leadership: Has run regular performance reviews, hired against scorecards and dealt with low performers.
- Other: Legally able to work in Canada. Based at the site, with some travel to other sites (about 10%).
Desired Qualifications (nice to have)
- Certifications: Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt, or safety committee training.
- Systems: ERP on the shop floor (work orders, routings, labour reporting).
- Multi-site: Has worked across several sites using shared standards.
- Integration: Has brought an acquired site onto a common way of working.
- Service: Some exposure to repair or calibration work.
Posted Compensation Range
Total cash compensation (base + bonus, CAD, full-time): $100,000 – $125,000
How to Apply
Please send your complete history to hr@AMLoceanographic.com
IMPORTANT: In your cover letter, please:
- speak to what you'd do in your first 100 days in the role;
- identify the 3 most impactful professional lessons you've learned, with specific examples from your career; and
- name your personal core values, along with relevant examples of how you've applied each value to guide professional decisions.
All applicants must have pre-existing authorization to work in Canada.
