Director, Strategy Manufacturing

Excelitas Technologies Corp.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Excelitas Technologies seeks a Director, Strategy Manufacturing to lead manufacturing transformation programs across multiple sites, based in Pittsburgh. The role travels about 60% to drive execution, governance, and measurable results with cross-functional teams.

You will partner with plant leadership, operations, engineering, supply chain, and finance to turn approved programs into structured plans with milestones, budgets, and benefits realization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or related field; MBA or advanced degree a plus.
• 7+ years in manufacturing operations, project/program management, or operational excellence.
• Experience with site consolidations; greenfield/brownfield start-ups preferred.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable CI methodologies; PMP or equivalent certification preferred.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience managing program budgets and building/tracking business cases.
• Experience in regulated or precision manufacturing environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of manufacturing transformation programs and projects aligned to the transformation roadmap.
• Partner with plant leaders to plan/sequences transformation initiatives (lean/automation/facility consolidation/ERP rollouts).
• Track and report program KPIs (cost savings, throughput, quality, on-time delivery, safety).
• Own scope, budget, timeline, and risk for cross-functional project portfolios.
• Support change management to drive adoption of new processes and systems at sites.
• Manage program budgets and business cases with Finance; track realized benefits.
• Identify risks and interdependencies; elevate and resolve roadblocks.
• Coach/d develop project managers; advance PM maturity across the function.
• Act as trusted partner to plant/functional leadership on status, sequencing, and resourcing.

Skills

PMO

Project management

Lean

Six Sigma

Change management

Budget management

Cross-functional leadership

Influence stakeholders

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/operations/business

MBA or advanced degree

Job description

ENABLE your future through light.

Excelitas is a global technology leader with more than 7,500 employees, focused on delivering market-driven solutions to fulfill the illumination, optical, detection and imaging needs of OEMs and end-users across the biomedical, semiconductor, industrial, consumer products, scientific, security, defense and aerospace sectors.

ENGAGE with us today and make your contribution to the future! Join the team that leading technology companies turn to for cutting-edge photonic innovation. At Excelitas Technologies you are how we EXCEL.

The Opportunity

The Director, Strategy Manufacturing leads execution of key programs within Excelitas' multi-site manufacturing transformation portfolio. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Strategy Manufacturing this role manages a team of project/program managers, drives program-level governance and reporting, and ensures transformation initiatives are delivered on scope, budget, and timeline. Based in Pittsburgh, the Director partners closely with plant leadership, operations, engineering, supply chain, and finance to turn approved programs into structured project plans with clear milestones and measurable results. This role will travel 60% of the time across Excelitas manufacturing sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead execution of assigned manufacturing transformation programs and projects, ensuring alignment with the broader transformation roadmap.
• Partner with plant and operations leaders to plan and sequence transformation initiatives (e.g., lean/continuous improvement, automation, facility consolidation, systems/ERP rollouts, capacity expansion).
• Track and report program-level KPIs (cost savings, throughput, quality, on-time delivery, safety) to the Sr. Director and site leadership.
• Own scope, budget, timeline, and risk management for a portfolio of cross-functional projects.
• Support change management efforts to drive adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working at the site level.
• Manage program budgets and business cases in partnership with Finance, tracking realized benefits against forecast.
• Identify risks and interdependencies within and across assigned sites; elevate and help resolve roadblocks.
• Coach and develop project managers on the team; contribute to building project management maturity across the function.
• Act as a trusted partner to plant and functional leadership on program status, sequencing, and resourcing.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, business, or related field; MBA or advanced degree a plus.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, project/program management, or operational excellence
• Experience with site consolidations required
• Experience with greenfield and/or brownfield start-ups preferred
• Track record delivering manufacturing transformation, operational excellence, or PMO initiatives in a multi-site environment.
• Working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable continuous improvement methodologies; PMP or equivalent certification preferred.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience managing program budgets and building/tracking business cases.
• Strong analytical, communication, and change-management skills.
• Experience in a regulated or precision manufacturing environment (e.g., optics, photonics, aerospace/defense, medical device) is a plus.

Please note:

• This position requires the use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
• Visa sponsorship is not available

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