Case Study: Executive Search - Vice President
Background
Our client is a West Michigan–based manufacturing organization operating three manufacturing plants across two locations in Michigan and one out-of-state facility. As the organization continued to grow, leadership identified the need for a Vice President of Operations to oversee all manufacturing operations and headquarters functions. The VP of Operations role reported directly to the President and was positioned as a key leadership role responsible for driving performance, accountability, and operational excellence across the organization.
To ensure alignment from the start, we conducted an onsite meeting with the President and HR Director and completed a full tour of the headquarters and manufacturing facility. This allowed our team to gain firsthand insight into the environment, leadership expectations, and company culture.
Challenge
This engagement was a confidential executive backfill search requiring both deep technical expertise and a meaningful leadership shift.
The incumbent executive remained in the role during the search, requiring complete discretion and limited exposure.
The organization needed a hands-on, decisive leader who could drive change, improve execution, and hold teams accountable.
The role required deep expertise in high-pressure die casting, a niche manufacturing discipline with a limited national talent pool.
While the search was conducted nationwide, the successful candidate needed to be based in West Michigan, where few high-pressure die casting organizations exist.
The ideal leader needed to come from a small to mid-sized manufacturing environment and demonstrate a down-to-earth, hands-on leadership style with a passion for developing people.
Candidates were required to provide concrete examples of past accomplishments related to operational improvements, business growth, process transformations, and leadership effectiveness.
Solution
Through in-person meetings and facility tours, we gained a detailed understanding of leadership gaps, cultural expectations, and operational priorities.
We conducted a nationwide search with a strong emphasis on West Michigan, focusing exclusively on executives with high-pressure die casting experience.
We leveraged our established network of local manufacturers, current and past clients, and senior-level candidates to access talent not visible through traditional job postings.
From an initial pool of candidates, we narrowed the search to the top 10 and conducted in-depth evaluations across leadership style, technical background, work history, motivators, compensation alignment, and long-term career outlook.
Five highly qualified candidates were presented for client consideration.
We prepared the finalist candidate prior to every interview, ensuring clarity around expectations and maintaining strong engagement throughout a multi-round interview process.
Results
Successfully placed a Vice President of Operations with over 20 years of casting and high-pressure die casting experience.
Identified a highly qualified executive who was already based in West Michigan, eliminating relocation risk.
The selected candidate demonstrated a hands-on leadership style, a passion for developing teams, and a proven track record of driving operational and business transformation.
Since joining the organization, the VP of Operations has integrated seamlessly with the team, strengthened leadership execution, and is actively driving the company through a significant growth phase.