Director, Operations

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Adherence to all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Safety Standards, Office, Some degree of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required (safety glasses, gowning, gloves, lab coat, ear plugs etc.), Will work with hazardous/toxic materials

Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

Position Summary
The Director, Operations is responsible for leading site operations at the Oakwood Village, Ohio site and evolving the organization to support increasing scale, complexity, and strategic importance within the division.
This role oversees end-to-end manufacturing operations and is accountable for building the organizational, technical, and operational capabilities required to support a growing and increasingly complex portfolio.
The ideal candidate will bring proven experience leading complex technical manufacturing operations, scaling capacity, transferring or launching new manufacturing processes, and embedding a strong continuous improvement culture. This leader will play a key role in shaping Oakwood Village into a scalable, high-performing, and globally relevant manufacturing and technology hub.

Key Responsibilities
•    Lead overall operations strategy and execution for the Oakwood Village site, with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, people, and financial performance.
•    Own end-to-end manufacturing operations, including production execution, manufacturing support, operational readiness, process controls, and performance management.
•    Scale manufacturing capacity to support business growth, including new process introduction, product/process transfer, line or equipment ramp-up, and capability expansion.
•    Build and sustain a continuous improvement operating system using Lean, standard work, daily management, tiered accountability, KPI governance, root cause problem solving, and visual performance management.
•    Drive operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, productivity, and customer service.
•    Strengthen product lifecycle and operational readiness capabilities to support new product introduction, product transfer, process validation, and commercial readiness.
•    Enhance advanced manufacturing, automation, digital, and data-driven performance management capabilities across the site.
•    Partner cross-functionally with engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, commercial, HR, and global/divisional stakeholders to deliver site objectives.
•    Partner with supply chain and sourcing teams to improve supplier performance, material availability, inventory management, and working capital.
•    Develop and execute site investment plans, including CapEx projects that improve capacity, productivity, quality, cost, and process control.
•    Build, coach, and develop a future-ready leadership team capable of operating in a high-growth, complex, and matrixed environment.
•    Foster a culture of employee engagement, accountability, inclusion, recognition, and continuous improvement.
•    Ensure compliance with applicable quality, regulatory, safety, and environmental standards, including ISO 9001 or comparable quality management systems.

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications
•    Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or a related technical field.
•    10+ years of progressive manufacturing operations leadership experience.
•    Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing operations in a complex technical manufacturing environment.
•    Proven experience scaling manufacturing operations, including at least one of the following: site expansion, new line launch, equipment/process transfer, capacity ramp, operational readiness, or new capability introduction.
•    Demonstrated ability to implement and sustain Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement systems that deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, or throughput.
•    Experience leading cross-functional teams across manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, and HR.
•    Strong financial and business acumen, including experience with budget ownership, cost productivity, CapEx planning, and operational performance management.
•    Experience using KPIs, tiered daily management, standard work, root cause problem solving, and data-driven decision making to improve site performance.
•    Strong people leadership experience, including coaching leaders, building organizational capability, improving engagement, and developing talent.

Preferred Qualifications
•    Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
•    Experience in electronics, electromechanical, instrumentation, automation, precision manufacturing,  scientific equipment, or other highly technical manufacturing environments.
•    Experience in regulated manufacturing environments with ISO 9001 or similar quality management systems.
•    Experience supporting new product introduction, product transfer, process validation, or manufacturing technology transfer.
•    Experience leading manufacturing operations in a global, matrixed, or multi-site organization.
•    Experience with advanced manufacturing, automation, digital manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, test/calibration, or high-complexity assembly operations.
•    Demonstrated success improving operational performance through Lean, Six Sigma, Toyota Production System, daily management, or similar operating systems.
•    Experience managing supplier performance, material flow, inventory, S&OP, or working capital in partnership with supply chain.

Leadership Competencies
•    Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.
•    Ability to translate business strategy into site-level operating plans.
•    Change leadership in growing, scaling, or transforming manufacturing environments.
•    Operational rigor, accountability, and strong bias for action.
•    Strong cross-functional and matrix leadership.
•    Ability to build trust, communicate clearly, and influence at all levels of the organization.
•    Talent development, coaching, and succession planning.
•    Data-driven decision making and structured problem solving.
•    Demonstrated commitment to Thermo Fisher Scientific’s values of Integrity, Intensity, Innovation, and Involvement.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements
•    Ability to work in a manufacturing environment.
•    Ability to be onsite at the Oakwood Village, Ohio facility.
•    Periodic travel may be required, estimated at approximately 10%.