Director of Manufacturing

Pair Eyewear; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance

Generous vacation policy

Retirement savings plan options

Free eyewear (plus discounts)

Job summary

Pair Eyewear in Irvine is seeking an experienced Director of Manufacturing to lead our optical lab and glasses production. You will own daily production operations end-to-end, install staffing plans, metrics discipline, and partner with our COO and R&D to scale the site.

This hands-on role focuses on throughput, quality, safety, and cost, with Lean/Six Sigma cadence, cross-functional collaboration with Procurement, Fulfillment, Logistics, and CX, and a drive to recruit and develop a strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, supply chain management, or related field is required.
• 10-15 years of hands-on manufacturing operations leadership, including large single-site facility ownership.
• Proven experience building, coaching, and retaining top talent with high engagement.
• Experience designing labor staffing/scheduling models and achieving throughput targets.

Responsibilities

• Own full P&L and operating performance for Irvine facility.
• Improve process efficiency and throughput speed without compromising quality or safety.
• Design and implement staffing, scheduling, and productivity measurement systems.
• Own cost-per-unit performance and drive initiatives to reduce costs while maintaining quality.
• Establish daily/weekly metrics reviews, SOPs, and a Lean/Six Sigma cadence.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Procurement, Fulfillment, Logistics, and CX.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives with COO, Head of R&D, and other leaders.
• Evaluate equipment, tooling, and tech upgrades to improve throughput or cost.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a strong production leadership team.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Project management

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, supply chain management, or related field

Tools

WMS

ERP

MES

Job description

Pair Eyewear is looking for an experienced Director of Manufacturing to lead our Irvine optical lab and glasses manufacturing facility. You will own day-to-day production operations end-to-end — from lens fabrication through final assembly — and be the site's single point of accountability for throughput, quality, cost, and people. This is a hands‑on operating role: you'll build the staffing, scheduling, and metrics discipline that lets us scale output without sacrificing quality, and you'll be a close strategic partner to our COO, VP of Design, R&D, and Sourcing, and other leaders as we plan the site's next phase of growth.

What You'll Do:

• Own full P&L and operating performance for the Irvine facility, serving as the site's single leader across lens lab and glasses manufacturing.
• Improve process efficiency and throughput speed — identifying and resolving bottlenecks in the production line — with no downside to quality or safety.
• Design and implement a robust labor staffing and scheduling model, including shift planning, cross‑training, and productivity measurement systems tied to clear per‑operator and per‑line targets.
• Own cost‑per‑unit performance, building visibility into cost drivers and running structured initiatives to reduce them without compromising quality.
• Instill rigorous site management practices: daily/weekly metrics reviews, standard operating procedures, and a continuous improvement (Lean / Six Sigma‑style) cadence across the facility.
• Lead effective cross‑functional collaboration with Procurement, Fulfillment, Logistics, and CX to meet or exceed standards related to fulfillment time, cost, quality, safety, and inventory control.
• Be a thoughtful, data‑driven contributor to strategic initiatives alongside the COO, Head of R&D, and other company leaders — including capacity planning, new product introduction, and infrastructure investment.
• Evaluate and implement equipment, tooling, and technology upgrades that meaningfully improve throughput, quality, or cost, partnering with internal stakeholders to build a best‑in‑class facility.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a strong production leadership team and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement on the floor.

Who You Are:

• A strong cross‑functional collaborator who communicates effectively with executives and production associates alike.
• Someone capable of leading high‑visibility projects from start to finish with measurable results.

Need to Have:

• A bachelor's degree in business, engineering, supply chain management, or a related field.
• 10-15 years of hands‑on manufacturing operations leadership, including significant experience running a large single‑site production facility (100+ associates) with full ownership of throughput, labor, and cost metrics.
• Demonstrated experience building or overhauling labor staffing/scheduling models.
• A proven track record of developing, coaching, training, and retaining top talent with high levels of engagement.

Nice to Have:

• Optical lab / RX lab manufacturing experience (surfacing, finishing, edging, or assembly).
• Advanced engineering degree
• Experience with WMS, ERP, or MES systems for labor and material planning.

Some Benefits and Perks of Working at Pair:

• Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance
• Generous vacation policy
• Retirement savings plan options
• Free eyewear (plus discounts for family and friends)

At Pair, we carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary. The pay range for this position is expected to be between $180,000 - 200,000 and will depend on your skills, qualifications, and experience. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short‑term and long‑term incentives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply.