Head of Operational Excellence & Systems

Formlabs•Somerville, MA

8d•$120,000 - $180,000

About The Position

At Formlabs, we’re building the tools that make it possible for anyone to bring their ideas to life, from cutting-edge products to life-saving medical devices. Our 3D printing technology powers innovation at more than 50,000 industry leaders worldwide, including Apple, Google, Tesla, New Balance, and NASA. Together, we’re helping everyone design, prototype, and manufacture faster than ever before. We’re a team of hands-on builders, engineers, and innovators reinventing how the world makes physical things. If you’re ready to shape the future of fabrication, come build it with us. Formlabs is becoming a high-volume manufacturing powerhouse. We are rapidly growing our revenue and working on constantly overhauling our global supply chain. To do this with an exceptional team, we cannot just work harder—we must fundamentally change how we work. We are seeking a Head of Operational Excellence & Systems to serve as the "Automation and Efficiency Czar" for Global Operations. Reporting directly to the COO, you will own the mandate to eliminate non-value-add work across our seven operational disciplines (from our Ohio chemical plant to our APAC manufacturing sites). You will act as the central hub for process mapping, systems architecture, and AI implementation. You will not just buy software; you will map broken processes, fix them, and then deploy the automation and AI tools necessary to give our operational leaders their time back.

Requirements

Deep Systems Thinking: You have 5+ years of experience in Operational Excellence, Systems Engineering, or Technical Product Management within a hardware, manufacturing, or complex physical supply chain environment.
Technical Chops: You are highly fluent in modern ERPs, MES, and PLM systems, and you have a strong, practical grasp of how to deploy modern AI tools, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), and workflow automation.
High EQ & Lateral Influence: You know how to drive change in a flat organization. You can comfortably partner with a Plant Manager in Ohio in the morning and a Lead Hardware Engineer in China in the evening, speaking their respective languages.
Bias for Action: You are a builder, not just a consultant. You are not afraid to get into the weeds of a messy Google Sheet process to figure out how to automate it.
Hands-On Automation Development: You have practical experience building internal tools and automations using languages such as Python and SQL, integrating systems via APIs, and leveraging modern workflow/RPA platforms. You are comfortable standing up dashboards and data visualizations (e.g., Looker Studio or similar BI tools) to operationalize solutions and drive decision-making.

Responsibilities

Process Triage & Re-engineering: Audit workflows across Manufacturing, Fulfillment, Global Sourcing, and Compliance. Identify where manual handoffs are causing bottlenecks and fix the root process before applying technology.
AI & Automation Strategy: Own the evaluation, procurement, and deployment of AI tools and automation software across Operations. Prevent "tool fatigue" by ensuring cohesive, integrated systems rather than disjointed, siloed applications.
Cross-Functional Systems Architecture: Bridge the gaps between our departments. Connect the dots between demand planning data, sourcing, and our MES (Manufacturing Execution System) to create seamless, automated information flows.
Change Management: Act as an internal consultant and coach. Work directly with functional leaders to identify "quick wins" (High Impact, Low Effort) that immediately relieve team work burden, building trust to tackle larger system overhauls quickly after.