Senior Director, Advanced Manufacturing Cluster

EnterpriseKC•EnterpriseKC Leawood, KS

About The Position

The Senior Director, Advanced Manufacturing Cluster (Cluster Leader) is responsible for maximizing the regional economic performance, global competitiveness, resilience, and growth of the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster. As the cluster’s public face, strategic architect, enterprise advocate, and execution champion, the role operates within EnterpriseKC’s business-led Operating System for Economic Development and uses the Cylinder Model and Vision-to-Value discipline to align enterprise demand and regional assets with measurable growth, innovation, commercialization, and high-value employment. The Cluster Leader connects manufacturers’ needs with workforce, research, investment, infrastructure, technology, and economic development resources. The role works directly with manufacturers, suppliers, the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster Brain Trust (CBT), EKC Pillar Leaders, universities, the Critical Materials Crossroads team, and other economic development partners. The CBT provides enterprise-led strategic direction and prioritization; the Cluster Leader organizes evidence, supports decisions, coordinates implementation through the relevant Pillar teams, and owns follow-through and performance visibility. A core priority is converting plant-level and shared industry challenges into both practical near-term improvements and longer-term research, technology development, and commercialization opportunities. The role is accountable for demonstrable regional economic value, including enterprise growth, workforce outcomes, innovation, investment, and regional competitiveness. It leads and coordinates Cluster Operatives and project contributors, maintains confidential and decision-ready cluster information, and produces executive briefings, semiannual Cluster Profiles, cluster-specific thought leadership, and weekly Progress, Problems, Plans (P3) reports. Regional travel and occasional work outside standard business hours may be required to meet enterprise and stakeholder commitments.

Requirements

Strong executive-level knowledge of advanced manufacturing operations, competitiveness, technology adoption, supplier ecosystems, and industry economics.
Credible relationships with manufacturing leaders.
Demonstrated strategic planning, enterprise development, consultative discovery, portfolio execution, and cross-organizational leadership skills.
Ability to turn complex enterprise requirements into prioritized business cases, accountable workstreams, measurable outcomes, and clear executive communications.
Working understanding of manufacturing workforce roles, KSAAT frameworks, demand forecasting, experiential learning, research commercialization, and capital and infrastructure requirements.
Strong analytical and data literacy, including KPI definition, economic-impact interpretation, scenario analysis, and disciplined use of DataSphere or comparable tools.
Ability to influence without direct authority, convene senior executives, facilitate a CBT, negotiate alignment, and coach collaborative teams.
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, listening, facilitation, organizational, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage concurrent priorities.
Comfort with digital platforms, AI-enabled workflows, spreadsheets, presentations, collaboration tools, and project-management tools.
Availability for regional travel and occasional work outside standard business hours as enterprise and stakeholder commitments require.
Professional integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality, information security, and compliance with organizational policies and commitments.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and execute the cluster vision, enterprise-led strategy, prioritized portfolio, engagement plan, and measurable implementation roadmap.
Build trusted relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, Gazelles, startups, and industry stakeholders, and represent enterprise needs accurately.
Maintain an accurate, confidential, decision-ready picture of cluster enterprises, assets, growth inhibitors, opportunities, workforce requirements, and competitive dynamics in DataSphere and approved EKC systems.
Organize and support the CBT, including member recruitment, executive engagement, strategic agendas, documented decisions, accountable action items, and follow-through.
Coordinate work across the eight Cylinder Pillars while preserving functional Pillar ownership and clarifying leaders, partners, deliverables, milestones, and proof of value.
Produce the semiannual Cluster Profile, cluster-specific thought leadership, strategic project portfolio, and weekly P3 reports.
Ensure material initiatives have business cases, expected regional value, success measures, resource requirements, accountable owners, and periodic performance reviews.
Assess cluster size, enterprise concentration, revenue, employment, productivity, segments, suppliers, competitive position, assets, gaps, and emerging opportunities.
Work with the CBT to set a differentiated cluster vision, strategic objectives, priority initiatives, and a rolling roadmap with decision and proof gates.
Monitor advanced manufacturing trends and translate their regional implications into action.
Partner with Pillar 1 to communicate the manufacturing value proposition to enterprises, talent, investors, and national audiences.
Conduct executive and plant-level interviews to identify cluster-wide and enterprise-specific challenges involving productivity, quality, costs, talent, capital, technology, suppliers, and capacity.
Prioritize retention, expansion, supplier development, startup/Gazelle acceleration, and recruitment opportunities according to economic impact and feasibility.
Convert recurring challenges into coordinated, time-bound solutions and referrals, distinguishing immediate operational improvements from systemic regional interventions.
Coordinate with Pillar 5 and economic development partners on retention, expansion, targeted recruitment, and regional supplier network growth.
With Pillar 2 and manufacturers, validate workforce taxonomies, work roles, KSAAT requirements, vacancies, and three- and five-year talent demand forecasts.
Translate employer specifications into requirements for Pillar 3, education providers, and workforce providers, including apprenticeships, incumbent-worker upskilling, credentials, and employer-validated assessments.
Work with Pillar 7 on manufacturing-related xRange simulations, labs, work-based projects, experiential learning, and TalentSphere connections.
Support pathways for high school and postsecondary students, transitioning military, rural workers, career changers, and underserved or underemployed talent while maintaining employer-defined standards.
Translate manufacturers’ technical problem sets into research and commercialization opportunities with Pillar 4, universities, laboratories, entrepreneurs, and industry partners.
Advance prototype, pilot, technology-validation, IP licensing, and commercialization pathways, using IdeaSphere and relevant xRange capabilities where appropriate.
Coordinate manufacturing opportunities with Critical Materials Crossroads and adjacent clusters, including critical-materials processing, component manufacturing, supply-chain security, and advanced production.
Support collaborative federal and private research proposals and track the conversion of research into pilots, licenses, products, startups, investment, and regional employment.
With Pillar 6, align chambers, EDOs, state and local partners, trade groups, industry associations, and public agencies around shared responsibilities and deliverables.
Identify manufacturing infrastructure and capital gaps, including facilities, testing environments, equipment, utilities, logistics, and digital enablement, and communicate solution requirements to Pillar 7.
Develop investment-ready prospectuses and business cases specifying costs, benefits, funding sources, economic returns, and implementation accountability.
Facilitate partnerships among manufacturers, suppliers, academia, investors, government, and other EKC clusters while respecting each partner’s authority and mission.
With Pillar 8, maintain reliable data, dashboards, baselines, and performance trends in DataSphere and protect confidential and competitively sensitive information.
Lead recurring CBT strategy and performance reviews; maintain decision logs, action owners, milestones, risks, and escalations; report progress through weekly P3 updates.
Distinguish leading indicators of engagement and execution from lagging measures of enterprise growth and regional prosperity, and improve initiatives using results and stakeholder feedback.
Represent EKC at manufacturing industry, academic, investor, and regional events, focusing on meaningful partnerships and measurable outcomes.
Maintain professional integrity, confidentiality, information security, and compliance with EKC policies and commitments.
Respond promptly to enterprise and internal stakeholders, document decisions accurately, and reliably close commitments.
Lead, coach, and coordinate Cluster Operatives and project contributors, clarifying ownership and fostering a collaborative, accountable working culture.
Continuously update industry knowledge, regional intelligence, competitive benchmarks, and knowledge of EKC methods and platforms.
Prepare and deliver concise executive briefings, Cluster Profiles twice annually, cluster-specific Thought Docs as needed, and weekly P3 reports.
Track and advance outcomes including adoption of TalentSphere and xRange, manufacturer competitiveness and resilience, workforce readiness and hiring, research commercialization, investment, enterprise growth, quality employment, and progress toward recognition as an Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence.