Director of Manufacturing & Industrialization

Role Purpose

The Director of Manufacturing & Industrialization will lead the creation, industrialization, and scaling of Power Probe’s new U.S. manufacturing operation in Charlotte, NC. This role is responsible for building the factory, introducing new production technologies, industrializing products, and establishing world-class manufacturing processes, teams, and performance systems.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong technical depth, operational discipline, and the ability to execute in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment.

Key Responsibilities

Factory Build & Industrialization

• Lead the design, setup, and expansion of Power Probe’s new manufacturing operation in Charlotte.
• Define factory layout, equipment selection, production lines, test strategies, and workflows.
• Lead product industrialization from NPI through mass production, ensuring manufacturability, quality, and cost targets.
• Establish production technology roadmap, including SMT/PCBA, assembly, testing, automation, and molding (as applicable).

Manufacturing Operations

• Own end-to-end production planning, scheduling, and execution.
• Manage work-in-progress (WIP), capacity planning, and on-time delivery performance.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives to improve efficiency, throughput, and cost structure.
• Establish and monitor manufacturing KPIs (overall equipment effectiveness, yield, scrap, labor efficiency, on-time delivery).

Quality & Compliance

• Implement robust quality systems for in-process and finished goods.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality issues.
• Ensure compliance with company quality standards, EHS, and OSHA regulations.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build, lead, and develop production supervisors, manufacturing engineers, and operators.
• Establish a high-performance, accountable manufacturing culture focused on execution and continuous improvement.
• Create training, standard work, and operational discipline across the plant.

Supply Chain & Systems Integration

• Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement to manage materials, inventory, and vendor coordination.
• Work with overseas suppliers and subcontractors to support hybrid manufacturing strategies.
• Utilize SAP ERP for production control, inventory management, and reporting.

Reporting & Strategic Contribution

• Provide clear operational reporting to senior leadership.
• Support make/buy decisions, capex planning, and long-term manufacturing strategy.
• Act as a key contributor to Power Probe’s U.S. manufacturing expansion strategy.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, ideally within electronics, diagnostics, measurement devices, or similar products.
• Demonstrated experience building or scaling manufacturing operations.
• Strong knowledge of ERP systems (SAP preferred) and operational KPI management.
• Experience working with international suppliers and global supply chains.
• Proven ability to lead teams, manage complexity, and execute under tight timelines.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SMT / PCBA manufacturing and/or plastic molding (including overmolding).
• Background in manufacturing engineering or industrialization.
• Exposure to automation, test systems, or production technology implementation.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.