Aviation Case Study
Building a VP of Operations Search for an Aerospace Manufacturer in Five Weeks
Aviation Case Study
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A precision aerospace manufacturer was at an inflection point. Order books were full, the founder-led leadership team was stretched thin across the floor, and the business needed an operations leader who could professionalize production without breaking the quality discipline that won them their contracts in the first place. The role was a VP of Operations, and the bar was high.
The challenge was not just speed. It was specificity.
The brief was demanding in three ways:
Most retained search firms quote 10 to 14 weeks for a VP-level operations role. We defined the profile and delivered an offer in five weeks.
When the role is senior and the requirements are exacting, the intake matters more than ever. Here is how we ran it.
We sat down with the founder and the head of quality to pressure-test what the VP of Operations actually needed to own in their first 90 days, first six months, and first year. We worked through the production processes, the quality system, the customer commitments, and the personality fit with a hands-on founder.
Out of that conversation came a sharp, realistic profile: a proven aerospace operations leader with deep AS9100 command, a record of scaling output while holding quality, and the temperament to lead an experienced shop floor through growth.
Because the requirements were exacting and qualified people rarely apply to postings, we went straight to headhunting. We built a focused list of operations and plant leaders already working inside aerospace manufacturing, defense suppliers, and precision machining environments governed by AS9100.
Our outreach leaned into the story: a chance to professionalize operations at a growing, quality-obsessed manufacturer with a full order book. Response rates were strong because the role was a genuine step up for the right operator.
Every serious candidate completed our signature 2 to 4 page self-evaluation, walking through their career progression, the operations they have scaled, and the quality and delivery decisions they are most proud of. For a role where judgment under pressure matters as much as resume, these self-evaluations gave the hiring team real insight into how each person thinks before the first interview.
We screened a strong field by phone and video and surfaced the leaders who combined real AS9100 depth with the operational range to run the floor.
We presented a curated slate through our real-time client portal, each candidate with a full self-evaluation, our notes, and a clear point of view on fit. The manufacturer moved quickly, ran their interviews, and extended an offer inside the five-week window from search launch.
A VP of Operations search defined and an offer extended in five weeks from kickoff. The manufacturer added a quality-minded operations leader without slowing the floor, and gained a partner who could scale production while protecting their AS9100 standing.
Three things made the timeline possible:
A focused intake that turned a demanding brief into a clear profile. When the bar is high, the first conversation is the most important one.
Headhunting instead of posting. The best aerospace operators are working, not applying. We go straight to them inside the category.
Years of aviation expertise. Simon, our Co-Founder for Aviation, knows aerospace manufacturing and the operators who run it.
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If you are scaling an aerospace or aviation operation and need a search partner who can help define the role and find the right person to fill it, let's talk. Or explore our aviation segments and how the search model works.
