Head of Manufacturing Engineering

ZEISS Group • Chesterfield, MO

1d • Onsite

About The Position

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 accountable for scaling the Chesterfield MO site to a production output exceeding $100M, while ensuring the effective, disciplined, and efficient utilization of a site operating budget greater than $50M. This role defines and executes the manufacturing and sustaining engineering strategy to support aggressive growth targets, operational excellence, and long‑term competitiveness. The position leads all manufacturing and sustaining engineering functions, driving productivity, cost efficiency, quality, and delivery performance while supporting new product introductions and technology expansion. The Head of Engineering partners closely with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to ensure the site is fully prepared—organizationally, technically, and financially—to support rapid scale‑up and sustained high‑volume manufacturing. This is an onsite position.

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

• 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.

What This Job Offers

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