Managing Director, Louisiana Innovation Labs

LED FastStart•Baton Rouge, LA

About The Position

Louisiana Innovation Labs, Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO), and Louisiana Economic Development are hiring a Managing Director to build the state’s new Manufacturing Extension Partnership center in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The center’s mandate is to help small and medium-sized manufacturers put superintelligence (SI), general-purpose robotics, and modern automation into production, demonstrate results, and scale successful approaches across Louisiana. The Managing Director will build the center from the ground up, hire its team, set and execute statewide adoption strategy, and serve as the center’s single point of accountability to NIST. Services are free to manufacturers. The role leads three in-house technical practices: SI Implementation, General-Purpose Robotics, and Automation Engineering, as well as a statewide network of university and technical college partners delivering workforce training and regional reach. The center will prioritize fewer, deeper projects, measuring success by systems operating in production. The Managing Director will publish deployment results, develop repeatable adoption playbooks, build partnerships with OEMs and technology providers, and connect manufacturers with capital and supply-chain opportunities. The Managing Director owns NIST performance and compliance, including operating outcomes, reporting, cost-share match, and subrecipient oversight under 2 CFR Part 200, in partnership with LED’s Grants Compliance and Reporting Manager. The role also reports progress and strategy to the center’s board and represents Louisiana in the national MEP network and at regional and national convenings. The position is based anywhere in Louisiana and requires regular statewide travel plus occasional regional and national meetings. It is a full-time LED position dedicated 100% to the NIST award; the hire is subject to NIST approval as key personnel. In year one, the team is expected to be hired and operating; Years 1–3 operating outcomes should be on track; initial deep projects should be completed across all three practices; robotics pilots should be running in Louisiana manufacturers with results measured for performance, safety, and cost; manufacturers should be moving through a steady assessment-to-deployment pipeline; and statewide convenings should connect manufacturers with capital, workforce, and technology partners.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in manufacturing, industrial automation, or robotics.
Evidence of owning an outcome end to end, such as a deployment, line, program, or company, from initial idea through production.
Fluency in general-purpose robotics, including humanoids and mobile manipulation, and ability to assess current capabilities and fit for real facilities.
Operator judgment about when a technology will and will not provide a return on investment.
Ability to work credibly on a plant floor and with investors or federal partners.
Experience building something from zero, such as a team, program, product, or company.
Experience managing federal or other public funding, or the discipline to master it quickly.
Degree in engineering, manufacturing, business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Willingness to travel regularly across Louisiana and occasionally to regional and national meetings.

Nice To Haves

Strong relationships across robotics companies, integrators, and the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
Fluency in equipment financing and the capital stack for manufacturers.

Responsibilities

Build Louisiana Innovation Labs from the ground up, including hiring and leading the team.
Set and execute a statewide technology adoption strategy.
Lead the SI Implementation, General-Purpose Robotics, and Automation Engineering technical practices.
Direct a statewide network of university and technical college partners delivering workforce training and regional reach.
Run a depth-first project model, measuring results by systems running in production.
Publish results from robotics deployments and build an evidence base for general-purpose robotics in small manufacturers.
Develop repeatable playbooks to scale technology adoption statewide.
Build partnerships with OEMs and technology providers that connect Louisiana manufacturers to growing supply chains.
Connect manufacturers to capital, including banks, SBA, SSBCI, venture, private equity, and public programs.
Own NIST performance and compliance, including operating outcomes, reporting, cost-share match, and subrecipient oversight under 2 CFR Part 200, in partnership with LED’s Grants Compliance and Reporting Manager.
Report progress and strategy to the center’s board.
Represent Louisiana across the national MEP network and at regional and national convenings.
Establish a steady pipeline of manufacturers moving from assessment to deployment and organize statewide convenings connecting manufacturers with capital, workforce, and technology partners.