Director of Manufacturing

RESTEK CORPORATION•Bellefonte, PA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing owns the strategy, performance, and financial results of Restek's manufacturing organization – leading through managers and supervisors, in alignment with Restek's Core Values. As the senior manufacturing leader, this role drives capital investment and operational excellence, operates with significant autonomy, and builds the organizational capability required to support Restek's growth. This role is also responsible for cultivating an employee-centric environment where high-performing teams can thrive – reflecting what sets Restek's manufacturing culture apart from a typical manufacturing floor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Chemistry, or other related science, or equivalent work experience and training; an advanced degree (MBA, MS, or engineering master’s) is strongly preferred.
Minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressive manufacturing experience, including substantial leadership of multiple work groups, departments, or sites at the Director, Senior Manager, or equivalent senior leadership level, with demonstrated success leading through subordinate managers.
Track record of budget and cost-center ownership for a manufacturing organization, including operating and capital budgets.
Experience developing and executing multi-year operational strategies and adapting them as business conditions change.
Experience leading significant change, capacity expansion, new-product scale-up, automation, or operational transformation.
Strong knowledge of quality systems, manufacturing processes, data analysis, and continuous-improvement and operational-excellence methodologies (Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, formal problem-solving), with a record of embedding them as enterprise capabilities.
Experience with manufacturing and enterprise systems (e.g., IFS or similar ERP platforms).
Proven leadership, coaching, and employee development skills, with a demonstrated record of managing people and regulated materials and building high-performing teams and future leaders.
Strong business and financial acumen, including budget and cost center management, labor planning, and CAPEX management, with the ability to build business cases and interpret and act on financial statements.
Proven leadership presence and the ability to influence, align, and communicate across all levels of the organization, including the executive team.
Strategic systems thinker who moves fluidly between vision and execution, with the judgment to operate autonomously, make sound decisions amid ambiguity, and ground calls in data.
Employment with Restek will require successful completion of background check(s) and pre-employment drug screen in accordance with Restek policies.
This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid driver’s license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required in addition to standard background checks.

Nice To Haves

an advanced degree (MBA, MS, or engineering master’s) is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for overall production performance across the Headquarters manufacturing organization.
Drives productivity, throughput, cost reduction, and operational excellence.
Directs the allocation and optimization of resources – people, equipment, materials, and capital – to balance delivery, quality, cost, and inventory objectives.
Owns manufacturing systems and data integrity strategy.
Owns compliance processes, controls, and governance mechanisms; ensures quality and compliance systems scale with current and future business needs.
Provides leadership and final decision-making authority for significant operational disruptions and systemic manufacturing issues.
Partners at a strategic level with Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, R&D, and Commercial leadership to align manufacturing with business priorities.
Develops and owns the multi-year manufacturing strategy – including capacity, footprint, automation, technology, and make-vs-buy decisions – aligned to the company’s strategy.
Partners with R&D, PDG, and Product Management on manufacturing feasibility, design-for-manufacturability, and successful scale-up of new products, ensuring quality and delivery are engineered from the outset.
Stays current on industry, regulatory, and technology developments affecting manufacturing capability and investment planning; maintains external engagement, including periodic visits to Restek customers
Establishes the performance metrics, and governance cadence used to monitor manufacturing performance, identify systemic constraints, and prioritize improvement investments.
Champions continuous-improvement and operational-excellence programs (Lean, Six Sigma, formal problem-solving) as an enterprise capability.
Owns full accountability for the manufacturing organization’s operating and capital budgets and cost centers.
Accountable for development and achievement of financial performance, productivity, and cost-improvement targets across the manufacturing organization.
Drives labor planning, headcount forecasting and cost control strategy for manufacturing headquarters.
Partners with EMF, EHS, and Leadership to lead capital planning and major capital projects, building business cases and securing executive approval for investments in equipment, facilities, and systems.
Builds, leads, and develops the manufacturing management team; recruits, coaches, and retains managers, and establishes succession plans that secure the future leadership pipeline.
Owns performance expectations and talent development strategies across manufacturing, partnering with Human Resources and functional leaders to support employee development and change management.
Owns organizational design, workforce planning, staffing strategy, and resource allocation decisions, including talent, structure, and investment choices, to meet current commitments and scale the organization with the business.
Builds and models a culture of accountability, safety, and engagement across the organization, exemplifying Restek’s expectations of senior leaders.