Director - Manufacturing

About Fireclay Partners
Fireclay Partners is a veteran owned middle market M&A and buy side advisory firm based in Kansas City. We serve private equity sponsors and family owned businesses on platform sourcing, bolt on acquisitions, and select sell side mandates. Our model pairs investment banking execution with senior operating expertise, and we bring in industry advisors with deep domain experience to support deal sourcing, due diligence, and sponsor engagement.

The Role
We are building out a bench of senior operators with deep plant and platform level experience in industrial manufacturing. This is a per engagement consulting role, not full time employment. You will partner with the Fireclay team on specific deals where your domain expertise creates value, with engagements typically running three to twelve months on a deal specific basis.

We are actively building bench depth across the following subsectors within this role:

Specialty chemicals

Plastics and packaging

Metals and metals processing

Aerospace components and tier one suppliers

Food and beverage processing

Machinery and industrial equipment

What You Will Do

Provide market intelligence on bolt on targets, competitive landscape, and valuation context within your subsector

Make introductions to founders, family owners, and senior executives in your existing network

Review confidential information memoranda and management presentations for sector specific operating fit and risk

Participate in PE sponsor pitches when your subsector and operating background are relevant

Provide operational due diligence input on target companies

Advise the Fireclay team on positioning and messaging for sponsor outreach and sourcing campaigns

What We Are Looking For

Plant Manager, VP Operations, Division President, COO, or CEO at a manufacturing platform, ideally with PE backed experience

Twenty years or more in industrial manufacturing operations across multiple sites or product lines

Direct experience with continuous improvement, capacity expansion, capex deployment, and the operational dynamics that drive multiple expansion in PE platforms

Existing network of relationships with founders, family owners, senior executives, and PE professionals across your subsector

Comfort representing Fireclay professionally to PE sponsors and target company management

Discretion when handling non public information and competitive intelligence

Willingness to work on a flexible per engagement basis without fixed hours or commitments

Compensation

1099 independent contractor structure

Per deal success fees on closed engagements where you contribute meaningfully

Optional retainer for active sourcing assignments

Equity participation available on select strategic engagements

No fixed hours or minimum time commitment

Location
Remote. US or Canada based. Travel is minimal and deal specific.

How to Apply

Resume or LinkedIn URL

Brief statement (one or two paragraphs) describing your subsector focus and the two or three operating engagements or transactions you would highlight as most relevant

Two or three reference contacts (PE sponsors, founders, or senior executives we can call)

Fireclay Partners is a veteran owned and operated firm and is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

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