Operations Recruiting
Operations leaders who make complexity disappear.
We place Operations leaders who understand the whole system, supply chain, production, logistics, and the people holding it together. Every search is run personally by Nick Burns, with 15+ years placing these roles.
What operations searches require
Operations hires are high-stakes. Here's what we hear before every search.
Operations leaders who see the whole system
The best ops leaders don't just manage their function, seeing how supply chain, production, logistics, and the people holding it together interact. Finding that kind of systems thinker takes a different kind of search.
Industry complexity matters
A plant manager in medical devices and a plant manager in food manufacturing are different people with different requirements. We don't send generic candidates. We match on industry, complexity, and team size.
Speed has a cost
Operations roles that go unfilled cost real money every day. We average 30 days from kickoff to accepted offer because we do the sourcing work upfront, not after you've already waited six weeks.
Roles we place
2026 market ranges for the Minneapolis metro and greater Minnesota.
COO
$200K–$380K+PE-backed and high-growth roles include significant equity
VP Operations
$160K–$250KP&L ownership, multi-site, strategic layer
Director of Operations
$120K–$180KManufacturing and healthcare command a premium
Plant Manager
$100K–$160KLean/Six Sigma certified with large hourly workforce
Director of Supply Chain
$120K–$175KGlobal sourcing, APICS certification pushes higher
Procurement Manager
$90K–$130KStrategic sourcing with contract negotiation
Operations Manager
$75K–$115KMulti-function with P&L exposure at upper end
Office Manager
$55K–$80KTeam management and facilities adds to range
Full salary benchmarks at thetrustedhire.com/salary-benchmarks
Ready to find your next operations leader?
Tell us about the role. We'll tell you what the market looks like and whether we're the right fit.
