Sr. Director, Manufacturing Excellence

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Manufacturing Excellence is responsible for driving enterprise-wide manufacturing performance improvements across the Terumo Medical Corporation (TMC) network of manufacturing sites. This role will primarily report into the Vice President, Operations TMC with a dotted line to the CEO, TMC.

This role focuses on establishing and implementing best practices, sustainable cost reduction, throughput acceleration, and operational consistency. This role will also engage with our sister sites such as Ashitaka, Hangzou, Glasgow and Vietnam to understand best practices within Terumo to advance the organization globally. The leader will partner with cross-functional and cross-regional teams to optimize direct and indirect cost structures, reduce variability, and enhance overall equipment and process effectiveness while maintaining the highest quality and regulatory standards for Class II and Class III medical devices.

Job Details/Responsibilities

• Act as the Center of Excellence for manufacturing across the TMC site with initial focus on Elkton – establishing and leveraging best practices, standardizing manufacturing processes to improve efficiencies with:
  • Strong emphasis on manufacturing cost improvement, variance reduction, and throughput optimization.
  • Establishing and benchmarking best-in-class performance standards for direct vs. indirect labor models across multiple manufacturing sites.
  • Assisting in developing and implementing robust performance management systems, including KPIs, dashboards, and governance routines to sustain gains.
• Engage with sister sites and Terumo Corporation to (1) to understand best practices within Terumo and identify what improvements can be made at the TMC site; (2) understand the potential of manufacturing network optimization for the longer term.
• Work cross-functionally with the site leaders, production teams and quality teams and closely advise engineers (manufacturing engineers, LCM/ sustain etc.) to optimize processes, reduce scrap and prevent downtime.
• Partner with site leadership teams to identify and execute high-impact productivity initiatives across machining, extrusion, coatings, and complex assembly operations.
• Assist in driving measurable improvements in cost of goods sold (COGS), including direct labor, material yield, scrap reduction, and indirect overhead efficiency.
• Champion Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, including value stream mapping, Kaizen, DMAIC, and statistical process control, to eliminate waste and reduce process variability.
• Work closely and advise senior leadership  (TMC leadership, TAH strategy and TC) providing data-driven insights and recommendations and evaluate strategic options around:
  • Manufacturing footprint optimization, capacity balancing, site specialization, network rationalization.
  • Driving adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies, including automation, AI-enabled analytics, MES, and digital factory systems to improve visibility, decision-making, and execution.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and R&D to ensure alignment of operational initiatives with product lifecycle and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure all operational improvements maintain compliance with FDA, ISO, and other applicable regulatory standards for Class II and III medical devices.
• Build and lead a high-performing team, while also influencing without direct authority across business units and regions.
• Incumbent must follow all established Environmental Health & Safety and Quality System policies, programs, rules and practices, including but not limited to product and patient safety, the health and safety of all associates as well as the environment and community at large

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA)

• Knowledge of Lean/Six Sigma, manufacturing cost drivers, KPI-based performance management, and medical device regulatory requirements.
• Ability to improve throughput, reduce scrap and cost, standardize best practices, and use data to drive sustainable operational improvements.
• Demonstrated leadership in matrixed, multi-site manufacturing environments, with the ability to influence senior leaders, site leaders, and technical teams without direct authority.
• Working knowledge of ERP, MES, automation, and digital manufacturing tools used to improve visibility, planning, execution, and control.
• Executive-level communication, change leadership, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead transformation in regulated manufacturing settings.

Qualifications/ Background Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in manufacturing, operations, or operational excellence roles, preferably within the medical device or highly regulated industry, with a proven track record of delivering significant cost savings, productivity gains, and operational improvements across multiple manufacturing sites is required.
• Deep expertise in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies required; certification preferred.
• Experience leading enterprise or network-level operational excellence, manufacturing excellence, transformation, or productivity initiatives across multiple sites is required.
• Experience in high-volume, highly regulated manufacturing environments, including medical devices, life sciences, or similarly regulated industries, is required.
• Experience with machining, extrusion, coatings, complex assembly, or comparable manufacturing processes is preferred.
• Experience evaluating capacity, labor models, automation opportunities, and manufacturing network optimization to support strategic decision making is preferred.