Open interim project
Project1407
Interim Operations Leader, CNC machining turnaround, North-eastern United States
Confidential mandate. The client name is not disclosed. Further mandate details are shared under a signed NDA.
Cross-border executive leadership, bridging the decision centre and the operation.
The mission in three moves
- 01DiagnoseMap capacity, bottlenecks and job margins in the first weeks
- 02ScheduleRun a weekly production schedule and release programming and setup capacity
- 03DeliverShip to target every week and hand over a stable operating rhythm
- Function
- Operations Leader / General Manager
- Scope
- Operational Turnaround
- Location
- North-eastern United States
- Duration
- 3 months initially, extension likely
- Start
- Within weeks
A full order book, the machines in place, and output stuck below plan
The owners, who direct the business from the United Kingdom, have firm financial control in place and want an experienced operator on site to take charge of the shop floor. The current shop leadership remains in the business and will work alongside the Interim Manager, together with an on-site representative of the owners who supports with data and reporting.
Confidential mandateFurther mandate details will be shared with qualified Interim Managers under a signed non-disclosure agreement. CE Interim publishes every mandate anonymously to protect the companies it works for.
Run the shop and turn demand into shipments
- Diagnose the shop quickly: capacity, bottlenecks, job routing, quoting accuracy and margin by job, then agree a short roadmap with the owners
- Build and run a weekly production schedule that the team trusts and follows, with a daily shop-floor review
- Release the programming and setup bottleneck: rebalance work, cross-train, add capacity where needed and cut setup times
- Convert booked orders into on-time shipments and lift weekly output to the agreed target
- Introduce job-level visibility of margin, complexity and lead time, so pricing and priorities rest on data
- Bring basic digital discipline: controlled CAD/CAM file management, consistent use of the job management system and a few simple KPIs
- Lead the existing team with respect for its craft knowledge, and leave a clear operating rhythm behind
Success is a shop that ships to plan every week
- A weekly production schedule in place within the first weeks and followed on the shop floor
- Weekly shipped output raised to the agreed target and held there
- Overdue orders cleared and customer delivery performance restored
- Programming and setup no longer the constraint, with shorter setups and cross-trained people
- Margin and complexity visible per job, with a documented path to sustainable profitability
- Controlled data and file management replacing informal workarounds
- A stable operating rhythm and leadership structure handed over at the end of the assignment
Credible at the machine and in front of the owners
- 15+ years in precision CNC machining, with plant, operations or general manager responsibility in high-mix, low-volume job shops
- Deep practical knowledge of 3- and 5-axis milling and turning, CNC programming and setup, ideally in Mastercam-based environments
- Has built production schedules and capacity plans from scratch in shops that ran on experience and memory
- Commercially literate: understands quoting, job costing and margin per job, and can explain the numbers to owners
- Has introduced practical digital tools in a small shop: job management discipline, CAD/CAM data control and simple KPIs
- Turnaround instincts: calm, direct and quick to act when output and cash are under pressure
- Earns authority on the shop floor and respects experienced machinists and long-serving people
- At ease reporting to owners in another country and time zone, with concise written updates
- Comfortable as an interim: credible from week one, focused on results and clear about when to hand over
This mandate is for a hands-on job shop operator
- Senior operations or general management experience in precision CNC machining job shops
- Hands-on command of CNC programming and setup, with Mastercam experience strongly preferred
- A track record of raising output in a capacity-constrained shop within a few months
- Full-time on-site presence, five days a week, in the north-eastern United States; living within reach of the site is a clear advantage
- Right to work in the United States and availability to contract on a B2B basis
- Available to start within weeks
Come prepared with evidence
- The shop you ran: size, machine mix, products and customer sectors
- How you built or rebuilt production scheduling, and the effect on on-time delivery
- How you removed a programming or setup bottleneck, with setup times or throughput before and after
- How you improved output and margin: starting point, actions taken and measurable results
- The systems or data discipline you introduced and how the team adopted it
- How you worked alongside an owner or long-serving leader who stayed in the business
Priority will go to Interim Managers who have personally turned around output in a Mastercam-based CNC job shop in recent years.
What happens in the next 48 hours
CE Interim works in hours, not weeks. This is what happens after you apply for Project 1407.
- 01Hour 0You applyComplete the form below with concrete evidence for Project 1407.
- 02Same dayPartner reviewA CE Interim Partner reviews your experience against this mandate.
- 03Within 24 hoursVettingIf you are not yet vetted by CE Interim, we verify your experience with referees from comparable mandates.
- 04Within 48 hoursPartner conversationA dedicated CE Interim Partner contacts you personally to discuss, under a signed NDA, how we would approach this mandate together to make it a success.
- 05NextClient interviewWe arrange your interview with the client’s leadership team to agree the mandate.
This is how CE Interim operates: a proven, mandate-matched executive ready to start within 72 hours of the completed mandate brief.
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Before you apply
Who is this mandate for?
- Plant, operations and general managers with deep experience in precision CNC machining job shops
- Hands-on leaders who can program, set up and schedule, ideally in Mastercam-based shops
- Operators who have lifted output in a small, capacity-constrained shop within months
- Executives at ease reporting to owners abroad, with clear written updates
- Available within weeks, full time on site in the north-eastern United States, contracting on a B2B basis
Who is this mandate not for?
- Managers in a permanent position looking for their next employment: this is a fixed-term interim mandate
- Leaders from high-volume, automated production without job-shop or programming background
- Advisers who prefer to recommend rather than run the shop day to day
- Anyone unable to be on site in the north-eastern United States five days a week
Who is the client?
The client’s name is not disclosed. The mandate is handled confidentially, and further mandate details are shared with qualified Interim Managers under a signed non-disclosure agreement.
What kind of engagement is this?
A fixed-term interim mandate of 3 months initially, extension likely, starting within weeks. Contracting terms are covered in the confidential briefing.
Who supports me during the mandate?
A CE Interim Partner stays involved from mandate alignment to handover: assignment governance, progress visibility, escalation and knowledge transfer. You lead the mandate; the Partner supports you and the client throughout.
How quickly does CE Interim move on a mandate?
Within hours. A Partner reviews every application the same day, and within 48 hours a dedicated Partner discusses the mandate under NDA with the Interim Managers who fit. Clients receive a proven, mandate-matched executive ready to start within 72 hours of the completed mandate brief.
How should I present my experience?
Be specific. Name the situation, what you personally did, the size of the team and the measurable result. The evidence section above lists exactly what the Partner review looks for.
How do I refer to this mandate?
Please quote Project 1407 in every message, email or call with CE Interim, so your application is matched to the right mandate.
This mandate is not quite right for me. What now?
Browse all open interim projects, or follow CE Interim and subscribe to our newsletters on LinkedIn to stay close to future mandates.
Apply for Project 1407
Complete the form with specific examples of comparable mandates. Concrete evidence and your availability help the Partner review your fit quickly.
Project 1407: please quote this number in all communication
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Why work with CE Interim on an operational turnaround between the UK and the USA
What sets us apart is leadership across borders and cultures. When owners direct a business from Europe and the operation runs in the United States, expectations on pace, reporting and decision rights rarely line up by default. Our Interim Managers bridge the two: they run the shop the way American teams work, and report the way international owners need to see it.
Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim Partner: former CEOs, CFOs and COOs who have carried executive responsibility themselves. As a member of Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of executive interim management firms, we work alongside 100+ partners in 50+ countries of intervention, with a global network of 60,000+ Interim Managers.
Trust Before Deployment. Partnership Through Delivery.
- 01Built by executivesLed by partners who have carried executive responsibility themselves.
- 02Cross-border by designMandates across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, between international owners and local operations.
- 03Member of Valtus AllianceInternational delivery reach through the world’s largest alliance of executive interim management firms.
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