Head of Manufacturing Engineering

ZEISS Group; Chesterfield (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

401k Matching

Employee Assistance Programs

Vacation and sick pay

Job summary

ZEISS is seeking a Head of Engineering – Manufacturing & Sustaining for its Chesterfield, MO site. The role leads all engineering functions to support high‑volume, sustainable manufacturing, drives Lean initiatives, and partners with Ops, R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to enable rapid growth.

Requirements include a university engineering or natural sciences degree, an MBA is strongly preferred, and 5+ years in senior leadership with global experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering or Natural Sciences. MBA strongly preferred.
• Proven track record scaling manufacturing operations and managing multi‑million dollar budgets.
• Strong background in mechatronic systems, medical technology, and complex system architecture.
• Demonstrated success in Lean manufacturing, design‑to‑cost, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead scale‑up of manufacturing operations to support a business exceeding $100M in annual production.
• Own and govern the site operating budget of over $50M.
• Develop and execute the manufacturing and sustaining engineering strategy for throughput, yield, and productivity.

Skills

Senior leadership

Lean manufacturing

Budget management

Mechatronics

Cross-functional leadership

Product lifecycle

Strategic planning

Engineering strategy

Education

Engineering or Natural Sciences degree

MBA or equivalent

Job description

About Us: How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 177 years?! Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast‑paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team! What’s the role? The Head of Engineering – Manufacturing & Sustaining is a senior leadership role responsible for driving the growth and operational excellence of our Chesterfield, MO site. This role will scale production to exceed $100M while managing a site operating budget of over $50M. You will define and execute the engineering strategy for manufacturing and sustaining operations, ensuring efficiency, quality, productivity, and on‑time delivery. The position leads all engineering functions to support new product launches, technology expansion, and long‑term competitiveness. This role requires close collaboration with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to ensure the site is fully equipped—organizationally, technically, and financially for high‑volume, sustainable manufacturing.

Location/Region: This is a SR Manager-level role and requires onsite presence in Chesterfield, MO.

Sound Interesting?

What you’ll do

• Lead the scale‑up of manufacturing operations to support a business exceeding $100M in annual production, ensuring capacity, capability, and operational readiness align with growth objectives.
• Own and govern the effective deployment of a site operating budget in excess of $50M, ensuring resources are utilized efficiently, investments are value‑driven, and cost performance meets or exceeds business targets.
• Develop and execute the manufacturing and sustaining engineering strategy to improve throughput, yield, and productivity while reducing COGS through Lean principles and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to manufacturing and sustaining engineering teams, ensuring robust technical support across all production activities.
• Drive disciplined capital and operational expenditure planning, ensuring alignment with long‑term growth, production ramp‑up, and return‑on‑investment objectives.
• Lead cross‑functional teams to deliver new product introductions from prototype through volume manufacturing, ensuring cost, quality, and schedule commitments are met or exceeded.
• Own engineering responsibility within the Product Life Cycle (PLC) process for all products manufactured at the site.
• Ensure health, safety, and environmental excellence by embedding compliance and risk management into all engineering and manufacturing activities.
• Review and act on production, quality, financial, and delivery metrics to ensure operational targets are consistently achieved.

FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL IMPACT

Direct accountability for manufacturing performance supporting $100M+ in annual production output.

Responsible for the efficient and cost‑effective management of a site operating budget exceeding $50M, including staffing, capital planning, and operational expenses.

Significant impact on site profitability, investment effectiveness, and long‑term operational sustainability.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports directly to the Head of Site Operations and works in close partnership with: Research & Development Engineering Supply Chain Quality Assurance Product Management.

Do you qualify?

• University degree in Engineering or Natural Sciences.
• MBA or equivalent business qualification strongly preferred.

Experience & Skills

• Minimum 5 years in senior disciplinary leadership roles; global experience preferred 10+ years in product or manufacturing engineering environments.
• Proven experience scaling manufacturing operations and managing large operational budgets.
• Strong background in mechatronic systems, medical technology, and complex system architecture.
• Demonstrated success in Lean manufacturing, design‑to‑cost, and operational excellence.
• Strong financial acumen, strategic thinking, and cross‑cultural leadership capability.

Work Authorization Requirement

This position requires unrestricted authorization to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for current or future employment visa sponsorship or visa transfers.

Benefits

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• 401k Matching
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Vacation and sick pay
• The list goes on!

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Zeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).

Step out of your comfort zone, excel and redefine the limits of what is possible.

That’s just what our employees are doing every single day – in order to set the pace through our innovations and enable outstanding achievements.

After all, behind every successful company are many great fascinating people.

In a spacious modern setting full of opportunities for further development, ZEISS employees work in a place where expert knowledge and team spirit reign supreme.

All of this is supported by a special ownership structure and the long‑term goal of the Carl Zeiss Foundation: to bring science and society into the future together.

Diversity is a part of ZEISS. We look forward to receiving your application regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, philosophy of life, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.