Senior Director of Operations

Job Title: Senior Director of Operations

Location: Boston, MA (On-site)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Salary: $180,000–$200,000 base + 25% incentive + equity

Company Introduction

This role is with a well-established and rapidly scaling life science instrumentation company that designs and manufactures high-value laboratory and analytical instruments used by pharmaceutical, biotech, and research organizations worldwide. Backed by private equity and entering a significant growth phase, the company is preparing for increased commercial demand, new product launches, and operational scale.

The organization develops sophisticated engineered systems that integrate mechanical, electrical, optical, fluidic, and software components, creating a complex operational environment that requires hands-on, technically fluent leadership.

This position is ideal for a VP-caliber operations leader who is ready to take ownership of end-to-end operations and grow into a future COO role.

Role Overview

The Senior Director of Operations is responsible for end-to-end operational execution, including manufacturing, production planning, procurement, materials management, quality, service operations, inventory, and refurbishment workflows.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this is a hands-on leadership role, not a strategy-only position. Success in this role requires having personally owned production planning, materials, and ERP-driven execution, with deep involvement on the factory floor. This role is intentionally designed as a future COO track position for a proven executive operator.

Core Responsibilities

1. Lead daily manufacturing, assembly, testing, and service operations.
2. Own production planning, scheduling, procurement, and materials management.
3. Drive throughput, yield, quality, and on-time delivery.
4. Build scalable manufacturing capacity to support increasing commercial demand.
5. Own and optimize ERP systems for planning, scheduling, inventory, and materials.
6. Ensure accuracy of BOMs, routings, inventory, and demand signals.
7. Establish KPIs, dashboards, and operating rhythms tied to execution.
8. Partner closely with engineering on complex, multi-domain instrument systems.
9. Lead DFM/DFX initiatives, ECO workflows, validation, and production readiness.
10. Prepare operations for new product introductions (NPI).
11. Strengthen quality systems, testing protocols, and reliability performance.
12. Lead continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and lean initiatives.
13. Oversee repair and refurbishment operations, improving turnaround times and SLAs.
14. Develop and mentor supervisors, technicians, and operational leaders.
15. Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and operational rigor.

Required Background

1. 10–20 years of experience in manufacturing operations or complex engineered product environments.
2. Experience leading teams in a highly cross-functional, multi-disciplinary engineering environment is essential.
3. Leadership experience in scientific instruments, medical devices, analytical equipment, robotics, or electro-mechanical systems.
4. Hands-on operator comfortable working on the factory floor.
5. Proven ownership of production planning, procurement, and materials management.
6. Strong experience implementing and optimizing ERP systems.
7. Experience scaling operations in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
8. Must have experience with products integrating at least 2–3 of the following:
9. Mechanical systems
10. Electrical systems
11. Optical components
12. Fluidics / liquid-handling systems
13. Embedded software or control systems
14. Ability to work onsite full-time.

Compensation & Perks

1. Base Salary: $180,000 – $200,000 based on experience
2. Annual Incentive: Target 25% of base (performance-based)
3. Equity: ~500 units (approximately $50K current value)
4. Meaningful upside with company growth
5. Strong performers could see equity value approach base salary over ~3 years
6. Full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and retirement plan.
7. High visibility with direct CEO access and executive-level influence.
8. Clear path to expanded responsibility and future COO role.