Director of Manufacturing Operations
Novanta
Director of Manufacturing Operations
Novanta
Provides core photonics for medical tech
Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.
Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.
Summary
The Director of Manufacturing Operations provides strategic and hands‑on leadership for all manufacturing operations at the Irvine site, with full accountability for safety, quality, delivery, and cost. This role oversees assembly, machine shop, clean room operations, manufacturing engineering, and production planning, ensuring disciplined execution, operational excellence, and reliable performance in support of customer and business commitments.
The Director drives continuous improvement through Lean principles, robust planning and capacity management, and data‑driven decision‑making, while fostering a high‑performance culture focused on safety, engagement, and results. This position partners closely with Operations leadership and cross‑functional teams—including Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, and Finance—to support business growth, new product introductions, and scalable manufacturing operations.
Business Overview
Positioning Solutions is Novanta’s precision motion and engineered subsystems business. It designs and manufactures high‑precision, custom-engineered motion subsystems and electromechanical assemblies that are built into customers’ advanced equipment—primarily in medical, life sciences, robotics, and automation markets.
At its core, Positioning Solutions partners directly with OEMs to solve complex motion and positioning challenges. Rather than selling off‑the‑shelf parts, the team acts as an engineering partner, designing application‑specific subsystems that enable extremely accurate, repeatable, and reliable motion inside customer machines
Primary Responsibilities
Lead end‑to‑end manufacturing operations for the Irvine site, including assembly, machine shop, clean room, manufacturing engineering, and production planning, with full accountability for safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement, embedding Lean principles, disciplined problem‑solving, and KPI‑driven execution to improve throughput, cycle time, yield, and cost performance.
Required Experience, Education, Skills, Training and Competencies
Progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, ideally within regulated, precision, medical device, life sciences, semiconductor, or clean‑room environments.
Proven success leading multifunction manufacturing organizations, including production, manufacturing engineering, and production planning, with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence, including Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, disciplined problem‑solving, and KPI‑driven execution with measurable results.
Strong operational and financial acumen, with the ability to translate business strategy into effective execution, capacity planning, and resource alignment.
Effective leader and change agent, capable of influencing across functions and levels, developing high‑performing teams, and fostering a culture of safety, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Physical Requirements
Ability to stand and walk in manufacturing and production areas.
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
Ability to wear required PPE and clean‑room gowning.
Frequent movement between production, assembly, and operational areas.
Travel Requirements
Compensation and Benefits
The base pay for this position is $178,420 to $240,000 per year depending on the geographic market.
This position provides an opportunity for competitive quarterly sales compensation based on an achievement to plan.
Novanta supports all aspects of your life's needs. This position provides a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits to make your quality of life better.
Novanta is proud to be an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, military and veteran status, disability, genetics, or any other category protected by federal law or Novanta policy.
Please call +1 781-266-5700 if you need a disability accommodation for any part of the employment process.
Novanta designs and supplies core technology platforms for precision photonics used in medical devices and advanced industrial equipment. Its products are components and subsystems—such as lasers, optics, sensors, and imaging hardware—that OEMs integrate into their own machines. Unlike companies that sell end-user devices, Novanta focuses on providing the underlying photonics technology that OEMs build into products, enabling reliable performance and scalable manufacturing. The company differentiates itself through deep specialization in photonics and by growing through acquisitions, aligning its portfolio toward medical technology and precision industrial markets. Its goal is steady, long‑term growth by delivering proven core technologies that help customers develop better medical devices and industrial solutions.
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