Description
***THIS IS AN ON-SITE POSITION BASED IN MINERAL WELLS, TX***
Primary Function:
The Commercial Operations Director & General Manager (GM) is a senior leadership role responsible for driving end-to-end business performance across manufacturing, operations, and commercial growth. This leader will oversee a production-focused business unit delivering high-quality products and solutions to both commercial customers and government/defense programs.
This role blends P&L ownership, operational leadership, and customer engagement, ensuring scalable production, regulatory compliance, and sustained revenue growth.
The ideal candidate brings experience from industrial manufacturing environments such as heavy equipment, welding/fabrication, structural systems, towers, or similar - paired with either direct experience in government contracting or the ability to quickly learn and operate within that framework.
Key Responsibilities:
General Management & P&L Ownership
- Own full P&L performance, including margin expansion, and cost control
- Develop and execute strategic plans aligned to both commercial markets and defense opportunities
- Drive business unit performance through KPIs, forecasting, and operational metrics
Operations & Production Leadership
- Lead high-volume and/or high-mix manufacturing operations, ensuring on-time delivery and quality
- Optimize production processes, capacity planning, and supply chain efficiency
- Implement lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and cost reduction initiatives
- Scale operations to support both standard product lines and custom-engineered solutions
Commercial & Business Development
- Partner with sales and capture teams to grow commercial and government business pipelines
- Support proposal development, pricing strategies, and contract negotiations
- Identify and penetrate new markets including infrastructure, communications, industrial systems, and defense applications
Government & Regulatory Alignment
- Ensure compliance with applicable regulations
- Establish scalable processes for audits, reporting, and contract execution
Team Leadership & Culture
- Build and lead a high-performing cross-functional team across operations, engineering, quality, and commercial functions
- Foster a culture of accountability, safety, quality, and continuous improvement
- Develop leadership strength and succession planning
Work Conditions:
Employee will be working within an office environment.
Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
- 10+ years of leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, or general management
- Experience in industries such as:
o Heavy equipment manufacturing
o Welding/fabrication
o Structural/tower manufacturing
o Industrial or engineered products
- Strong understanding of supply chain, production planning, and quality systems
- Experience working with commercial customers and/or government contracts
Preferred Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or related field (MBA preferred)
- Demonstrated success managing P&L and scaling production environments
- Experience within government regulated industries
- Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, ISO, or AS9100 environments
- A background in communications equipment, RF systems, or ruggedized industrial products
- Experience supporting both custom engineered solutions and scalable production environments
EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability
Summary
Long Wave Inc. is a Small Business defense contractor headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK. We are an industry leader in the installation and maintenance of Very Low Frequency/Low Frequency/High Frequency (VLF/LF/HF) communication systems, software development, software, and hardware installation, Nuclear Command and Control Communication (NC3), Contract Support Services (CSS), and systems engineering. We have grown into an agile company based on experience, trust, and integrity. Long Wave is the best Strategic Communications Small Business in America. As a leader in services and solutions, software, and engineering products, we make certain that our abilities are as diverse and unique as our customers.
As a government contractor, we specialize in:
- Engineering
- Tower and Antenna Maintenance and Installation
- Software Development
- Software and Hardware Installation
- Operations and Maintenance of Government Facilities
- Information Technology and Cybersecurity Services
- Simulation and Training
- Program Management Services for Various Agencies and Clients
Staffed with retired military, senior engineers, and support personnel from industry, we have helped to design and implement some of the United States Military’s most critical and innovative communications technologies. Our subject matter experts have hundreds of years of combined experience operating, maintaining, and modernizing communications suites around the world and our software developers have decades of experience analyzing, architecting, developing, testing, and deploying software solutions for the United States Navy and commercial customers.
Our military men and women around the world count on Long Wave to provide services for many of today’s modern military communication programs. Some of our accomplishments include:
- The Clarinet Merlin Receiving System (CMRS), a shore-based communications system that continuously monitors emergency transmissions from buoys launched from United States Navy submarines;
- A Command and Control (C2) Dashboard, which provides databases for operational and maintenance support for the United States Navy’s Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) leadership;
- Long Wave developed Trainers and Stimulators that provide mission rehearsal capability, which can completely simulate a communication suite with integrated voice and data communications.
Long Wave is proud to have been supporting the United States Military since 1995.