Director, Physical Operations – Procurement and Capacity Planning - New York, 10
Universal Music Group, New York
Director, Physical Operations – Procurement and Capacity Planning - New York, 10001, United States of America
Virgin Music Group (VMG) is the world’s leading partner to independent labels and artists, delivering a modern, global services platform across distribution, marketing, analytics, and physical commerce. With teams in 30+ countries, VMG supports artists and entrepreneurs with flexible, data-driven solutions that scale globally.
How We LEAD
Our Global Physical Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics team manages the end-to-end lifecycle of physical music products — from forecasting and manufacturing through global distribution — ensuring products reach fans on time, at the right cost, and at the highest quality.
The Director, Physical Operations – Procurement & Capacity Planning is a senior operational leader responsible for owning and optimizing global manufacturing capacity across VMG’s third-party production network , with a primary focus on vinyl records.
This role serves as the central authority for capacity strategy, bridging release planning, production execution, procurement, and plant relations. You will ensure release schedules are met while navigating constrained manufacturing environments, shifting demand signals, and complex global supply chains.
We plan ahead and execute with urgency
We operate as one team across functions and regions
We address challenges early and decisively
We stay artist-first while building scalable systems
How You’ll CREATE
Capacity Planning & Strategy
Own short- and long-term capacity plans across third-party manufacturing partners
Secure and allocate capacity to meet release schedules, pre-orders, and forecasted demand
Translate forecasts and release plans into actionable plant-level commitments
Maintain forward visibility into plant load, tooling, and seasonal constraints
Execution & Performance Management
Monitor plant performance against committed capacity, lead times, service levels, and quality
Escalate and resolve capacity shortfalls, missed commitments, or quality-related issues
Actively manage constraints, bottlenecks, and priority changes, communicating updates clearly
Serve as an escalation point for high-impact or time-sensitive releases
Cross-Functional Leadership
Coordinate capacity planning across multiple Production Managers globally
Partner closely with Release Planning, Forecasting, Procurement, and Logistics teams
Ensure consistent prioritization and execution across regions, formats, and vendors
Risk Mitigation & Manufacturing Reliability
Identify and mitigate manufacturing and capacity risks across the supply base
Improve reliability through vendor performance management and diversification strategies
Support onboarding and qualification of new manufacturing partners
Drive adherence to SOPs and continuous improvement initiatives
Manufacturing Expertise & Systems
Apply deep knowledge of vinyl manufacturing process, including plating, pressing, and packaging
Inform planning decisions with a practical understanding of technical constraints
Partner on the evolution of capacity planning, forecasting, PO, and production tracking tools
Track KPIs including capacity utilization, lead times, on-time delivery, and vendor performance
Bring Your Vibe
At VMG, physical products are a core part of the artist experience. This role plays a critical part in ensuring creativity is matched with execution — delivering reliable, scalable physical releases to fans worldwide.
You are a hands-on operator who thrives in fast-moving environments. You’re comfortable managing complexity, making decisions under pressure, and leading through influence. You bring a strong point of view, operational discipline, and a passion for delivering great products to fans.
Proven experience in a senior capacity planning or manufacturing operations role
Direct experience with vinyl or physical media manufacturing strongly preferred
Strong understanding of third-party manufacturing networks and vendor management
Ability to balance speed, cost, quality, and risk in high-stakes environments
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills