Director of Manufacturing Operations, 3DP

Protolabs • Raleigh, NC

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing Operations is a key strategic leader responsible for driving world‑class performance across Protolabs’ high‑mix, high‑growth additive manufacturing operations. This role leads end‑to‑end production for our North Carolina facility, shaping the future of digital manufacturing through operational excellence, innovation, and team development.

As the senior operations leader on site, you will champion a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement while ensuring scalable, reliable, and efficient production. You’ll partner closely with engineering, quality, and technology teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible in 3D printing—delivering exceptional outcomes for our customers and inspiring the next generation of advanced manufacturing talent.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in manufacturing or operations leadership roles.
• Deep production and manufacturing operations expertise.
• Proven experience in precision, technology‑driven, or high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success in strengthening production systems through strong execution and continuous improvement.
• Strong cross‑cultural leadership and stakeholder‑management capabilities.
• Experience in regulated environments (e.g., ISO 13485, ITAR, CGMP, CMMC) is a plus.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations, including onboarding new technologies, equipment, and product families.

Nice To Haves

• Background in additive manufacturing.
• Proven experience leading or managing an entire manufacturing site (Site Director, Plant Manager, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Lead Plant Operations by owning end‑to‑end site operations including production, maintenance, safety, production quality, delivery, and financial performance. Championing a Safety-First culture and drive daily results across quality, OTD, throughput, cost, rework, and labor efficiency.
• Drive Operational Excellence through optimizing staffing, scheduling, capacity, and workflow to support production goals. Collaborating with engineering, quality, and technical leaders to implement scalable processes and improve production flow. Applying Lean, Kaizen, 5S, and visual management to eliminate bottlenecks and raise operational efficiency.
• Strategic Leadership by partnering with 3DP Product Director to develop and drive the Manufacturing Operations roadmap ensuring we are continuously evolving to meet the needs of our customers. Translating Manufacturing Operations roadmap into measurable KPIs and manage actions to achieve overall budget and margin targets. Ensuring plant readiness for new equipment, technologies, capabilities, and product introductions through strong cross‑functional alignment and disciplined change management.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership in working closely with engineering, CPS, supply chain, quality, and product teams to ensure flawless execution. Driving rapid resolution of customer issues, production escalations, and site-level challenges.
• Leadership & Culture by leading, coaching, and developing the site leadership team. Building a culture of accountability, urgency, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Representing the facility to employees, customers, partners, and executives.

Benefits

• Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)
• Dental and Vision
• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid caregiver leave
• You will receive Self-Managed PTO + Holiday Pay + Wellness Hours + Volunteer Hours
• 401k with company match and immediate vest
• Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate
• Matching grants through Protolabs foundation
• salary + annual bonus opportunity

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director