Excelitas Technologies

Sr Director, Project Management - Manufacturing Transformation

Excelitas Technologies$150K — $180K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, business, or related field; MBA preferred.
  • 10+ years in manufacturing operations or project/program management, including 5+ in a leadership role.
  • Experience with site consolidations and greenfield/brownfield start-ups required.
  • Track record in large-scale manufacturing transformation initiatives in multi-site settings.
  • Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable methodologies; PMP certification preferred.
  • Ability to influence stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.

Responsibilities

  • Own the manufacturing transformation roadmap, translating strategy into structured programs across sites.
  • Build and lead the project management office (PMO) for manufacturing operations with established governance.
  • Partner with leaders to prioritize and sequence transformation initiatives like lean, automation, and ERP rollouts.
  • Establish and track KPIs for transformation programs, reporting progress to executive leadership.
  • Lead cross-functional teams, managing scope, budget, timeline, and risk for initiatives.
  • Drive change management to ensure sustained adoption of new processes at the site level.
  • Manage program budgets, validate ROI, and track realized benefits.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead significant manufacturing transformation initiatives.
  • High travel experience across diverse manufacturing sites, enhancing cross-functional exposure.
  • Work in a dynamic role that directly influences operational excellence and performance.
  • Potential to develop managerial skills by mentoring project management talent.
  • Engagement with senior leadership on strategic operations and resource allocation.
Full Job Description
Location:
Pittsburgh, PA, US, 15222

Job Function: Operations

Job Country: United States

Job City: Pittsburgh

Job Type: Regular Full Time

The Opportunity

The Sr. Director, Project Management - Manufacturing Transformation leads the strategy, governance, and execution of Excelitas' multi-site manufacturing transformation portfolio. This role builds and leads a project/program management function that drives standardization, operational excellence, and measurable performance improvement across manufacturing operations. Based in Pittsburgh, the Sr. Director partners with plant leadership, operations, engineering, supply chain, and finance to translate strategic transformation goals into structured programs, with clear governance, milestones, and ROI tracking. This role will travel 60% of the time across Excelitas manufacturing sites.

Key Responsibilites
  • Own the manufacturing transformation roadmap, translating enterprise strategy into a structured portfolio of programs and projects across multiple sites.
  • Build and lead a project management function/PMO for manufacturing operations, including standard methodology, governance cadence, and reporting.
  • Partner with plant and operations leaders to identify, prioritize, and sequence transformation initiatives (e.g., lean/continuous improvement, automation, facility consolidation, systems/ERP rollouts, capacity expansion).
  • Establish and track KPIs for transformation programs (cost savings, throughput, quality, on-time delivery, safety) and report progress to executive leadership.
  • Lead cross-functional project teams, ensuring clear scope, budget, timeline, and risk management for each initiative.
  • Drive change management efforts to ensure sustained adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working at the site level.
  • Manage program budgets and business cases, working closely with Finance to validate ROI and track realized benefits.
  • Identify and mitigate cross-site risks and interdependencies; escalate and resolve roadblocks.
  • Develop, mentor, and grow project/program management talent; build organizational project management maturity.
  • Serve as a key advisor to senior operations leadership on transformation strategy, sequencing, and resourcing.


Qualifications & Experience
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, business, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, project/program management, or operational excellence, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
  • Experience with site consolidations required.
  • Experience with greenfield and/or brownfield start-ups required.
  • Demonstrated success leading large-scale manufacturing transformation, operational excellence, or PMO-building initiatives in a multi-site environment.
  • Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable continuous improvement methodologies; PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred.
  • Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
  • Experience managing multi-million dollar program budgets and building/tracking business cases.
  • Strong analytical, communication, and change-management skills.
  • Experience in a regulated or precision manufacturing environment (e.g., optics, photonics, aerospace/defense, medical device) is a plus.

Please note:
  • This position requires the use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
  • Visa sponsorship is not available


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What We Offer

Nearest Major Market: Pittsburgh

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About Excelitas Technologies

Excelitas Technologies is a global technology leader focused on delivering innovative, customized solutions to meet the lighting, detection and other high-performance technology needs of OEM customers. From medical lighting to analytical instrumentation, clinical diagnostics, industrial, safety and security, and aerospace and defense applications, Excelitas Technologies is committed to enabling our customers' success in their end-markets. Our photonics portfolio includes high-performance, high-reliability products ranging from sensors and detectors, to light sources, to optics and optomechanical sub-assemblies. We serve customers across the world in diverse markets including life sciences, environmental monitoring, industrial, defense and aerospace. Excelitas Technologies is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA with operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
Learn more about Excelitas Technologies
Size
7,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2010

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