Manufacturing Operations Tech Director (Hybrid)

Protolab; Maple Plain (MN); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401k with company match

Employee stock purchase program

Paid time off + holidays

Job summary

Protolabs is seeking a Director of Software Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, to lead technology strategy for manufacturing across all factories. The role oversees MES, ES integration, and machine operations, guiding multiple engineering teams and partnering with Operations leadership.

You will manage a broad technology roadmap, ensure scalable architectures, and drive process improvements in software quality, releases, and production support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus.
• Significant leadership experience overseeing multiple engineering teams.
• Experience with MES and ERP integrations across multi-site manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape multi-year technology strategies for manufacturing ops.
• Direct and mentor multiple engineering managers and their teams.
• Oversee design, development, and support of software for MES, machine ops, and logistics.
• Establish standards and integration patterns across MES and ES platforms.
• Set project priorities balancing new capabilities with platform modernization and support.
• Represent tech strategy in executive discussions with clear, actionable plans.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Executive communication

Agile development

Strategy & roadmaps

Mentoring managers

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Software Eng

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

MES integration

ERP systems

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Protolabs is seeking a Director of Software Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, to lead technology strategy for manufacturing across all factories. The role oversees MES, ES integration, and machine operations, guiding multiple engineering teams and partnering with Operations leadership.

You will manage a broad technology roadmap, ensure scalable architectures, and drive process improvements in software quality, releases, and production support.