National Cart Company
Vice President of Manufacturing
Seeking a VP-Manufacturing who thrives in a high-mix, rapid-changeover, prototype-to-production environment and moves fluidly from factory-floor problem-solving to capital strategy and beyond.
ABOUT NATIONAL CART COMPANY
National Cart Company (“NCC”) has been designing, manufacturing, and distributing high-quality material handling products and storage equipment, including utility carts, racks, store fixtures, and custom solutions designed for retail, fulfillment, warehouse, food service, industrial markets and national e-commerce for over 30 years. Family-owned and operated since 1979, NCC leverages advanced manufacturing capabilities alongside its customer-centric approach and proven agility to meet customer demand in a high mix, discrete manufacturing environment.
With over 460,000+ square feet of manufacturing and distribution space and 200+ dedicated employees across three locations (Saint Charles, Missouri; Reno, Nevada; and Olyphant, Pennsylvania), NCC’s success is tied not only to continued capital investments, yet also to its coast-to-coast distribution ability and multi-shift capabilities. NCC’s high quality laser cutting, tube bending, turret punching, welding, in-house fixture design/build, robotic welding, and tube-laser processing capabilities across steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and galvanized materials have earned NCC its ISO 9001:2015 certification in 2024. Learn more about NCC at www.nationalcart.com.
Reporting to NCC’s Owner/CEO, our Vice President of Manufacturing (“VP-Manufacturing”) will serve as a key member of NCC’s Strategic Planning Leadership Team. Partnering closely with the CEO, CFO, VP-Supply Chain and Director of Engineering, this role will help set company direction and implement business strategy. Ideal candidates bring experience with tube/sheet metal manufacturing and a proven track record in creating a culture of accountability in a variable volume, high-mix manufacturing or job shop environment, including oversight for plant leadership, HR, quality, safety, facilities, maintenance, and manufacturing engineering.
YOUR ROLE AS VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING
• ENSURE MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE – Own end-to-end manufacturing operations across three locations, including fabrication, welding, wire forming, tube bending, powder coating, assembly, and distribution functions. Drive world-class safety, quality, delivery and cost performance through refined KPIs and accountability systems. Improve throughput, labor productivity, OEE, inventory turns and on-time delivery. Ensure scalability of repeatable manufacturing workflows that support growth through lean and continuous improvement initiatives.
• LEAD HIGH-MIX PRODUCTION & MULTI-SITE OPERATIONS – Lead a highly responsive manufacturing environment that serves diverse customer requirements and requires short lead times and frequent product changeovers. Optimize production systems for high-mix, low-to-medium volume manufacturing while balancing customer responsiveness with operational efficiency. Develop agile planning and scheduling processes that support rapid shifts in demand. Ensure flawless executive for strategic customers with demanding service expectations.
• DRIVE STRATEGIC GROWTH + CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT – Build a manufacturing organization to support growth, automation and continued market expansion. Develop and execute manufacturing strategy aligned with company growth objectives. Partner closely with ownership on capital planning and equipment investments to achieve facility optimization initiatives. Ensure manufacturability of new product introductions while identifying opportunities to expand capacity, improve flexibility, and enhance NCC’s competitive advantage.
• LEAD + MENTOR A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM – Lead, mentor, and develop 4-5 a team of senior operation professionals with oversight for 250+ team members three locations and three shifts. Foster a culture that promotes a culture of safety, ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement and operational discipline. Collaborate closely with plant leadership and HR leadership to create a best-in-class workforce planning model that delivers effective training, management, retention and meaningful career progression.
• PROVIDE COLLABORATIVE + ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP – Serve as key member of executive leadership team, contributing to company strategy, long-term business planning and risk mitigation. Ensure that manufacturing serves as a strategic business partner across the company, partnering closely with supply chain to improve supplier performance, material flow, and inventory management and collaborating closely with engineering to improve product design, manufacturability, and production readiness.
IS THIS A MATCH FOR YOU?
• You excel in a fast-paced environment and bring a passion for growing privately held, family-owned business. You enjoy being part of a senior team and understand the challenges of scaling entrepreneurial businesses. You consider yourself to be a student of lean manufacturing and a people-first leader.
• You have gained 10-12+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership or senior-level production experience, including a minimum of 5 years in a high-mix, low/medium volume or fast-changeover environment. You bring a demonstrated record of success in growing people, products and processes. Exposure to lean philosophies and continuous improvement methodologies desired and oversight for multi-site, multi-location, or multi-business units a plus.
• Your experience includes knowledge of fabricated metal products, including welding, forming, cutting, and assembly. Specific machinery includes hand and robotic welding, automated turret punch and fiber laser combination, wire straightener and grid welder, rapid color-change powder coat system, quick change automated press brake, Bescutter software and cutting head, and heavy electrical capacity.
• You bring strong manufacturing engineering know-how alongside solid QMS leadership and CAPA discipline. You have a track record of improving OTD, quality, safety, labor productivity, and cost reduction as well as experience leading root-cause problem solving, corrective actions and customer issue containment. Prior experience with retailer compliance, audit readiness, packing/labeling discipline, EDI/ASN rigor, shipping accuracy, and EH&S systems desired.
• You bring strong people leadership and change management know-how alongside a solid dose of emotional intelligence. Your experience must include 5+ years of people oversight for a team of 100+ indirect reports. You are well-versed in proactively communicating in a clear and transparent manner with stakeholders at all levels. You confidently interact at all levels and react with diplomacy and tact.
• Your management style and personal values mirror NCC’s core values and culture. We engage in open, candid conversations and expect push back when necessary to develop the best outcomes. We accept responsibility for achieving personal, group, and organizational initiatives. We stay level-headed under stress, collaborate effectively in a cross-functional manner, and embrace a value-added mindset.
• You are willing and able to flex between strategic and tactical priorities required, serving as a hands-on leader as necessary. Superior people and project management skills and proactive mindset required.
• You have developed a solid business and financial acumen, well-honed negotiation skills, and are tech-savvy. Experience with capital expense planning and ERP/MRP systems desired. Prior P&L ownership or budget management experience is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, manufacturing, industrial technology or related field is required. MBA/MEBA or advanced degree is preferred.
WHY JOIN US?
• SHAPE THE FUTURE OF A SUCCESSFUL FAMILY-OWNED METAL PRODUCTS BUSINESS – Make a visible impact. Help lead the next chapter of growth for NCC. Inherit meaningful fabrication capabilities, an appetite for lean and continuous improvement, an owner’s commitment to capital investment, and a visible workforce development pipeline, including an established welding and manufacturing apprenticeship program in place at NCC!
• JOIN A TEAM WITH A BIAS FOR ACTION – When a customer’s need changes, it’s game time. With a reputation for speed and agility, a bias for action, and a common-sense driven business approach, NCC prides itself on a mix of old school craftsmanship and best-in-class customer service alongside family values and continuous improvement.
• CORE VALUES + CULTURE MATTER AT NCC – Integrity, dignity, personal development, profitable growth, and curiosity are the values that NCC seeks in its team associates. We look forward to talking with candidates who possess a can-do, hands-on approach along with a value-added mindset!
WORK LOCATION / RELOCATION / TRAVEL
This position is to be based on-site at our headquarter office in Saint Charles, Missouri. The role requires daily on-site presence with occasional travel to our facilities based in Reno, Nevada, and Olyphant, Pennsylvania, and as necessitated by business and growth initiatives. Relocation assistance available; relo desired upon hire.
COMPENSATION + BENEFITS
NCC is pleased to offer a competitive base salary with an annual bonus opportunity alongside comprehensive benefits, including multiple health insurance options. Benefits include paid life insurance, paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, parental leave, educational assistance, annual profit sharing, casual dress, and 401K plan with company match.
READY TO APPLY?
Take the next step and complete the interest form on this page to share your resume with Occhio Search & Recruitment. All resumes, referrals and general inquiries will be held strictly confidential. For questions or to make a confidential referral, contact Sarah at sarah@occhiosearch.com or Angie at angie@occhiosearch.com. All resumes, referrals and general inquiries will be held strictly confidential. National Cart Company asks that all questions, referrals, and applications be directed to Occhio Search. No direct inquiries with NCC, please.
National Cart Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes differences in form of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, geography, socioeconomic status, age, politics, religion, philosophy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and veteran status. All applicants who share this goal are encouraged to apply and we look forward to hearing from you!
