Team Manager Process & Manufacturing Engineering

A new photonic product is technically ready, but how do you turn that concept into a stable and scalable production process? Which steps need to be improved, where are the technical risks, and what does the engineering team need to move forward?
As Team Manager Process & Manufacturing Engineering, you combine technical leadership with hands‑on involvement. You lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately seven Process and Manufacturing Engineers and help transform complex photonics concepts into robust production processes.
What will you do?
Your main focus is developing the team and improving the way new products are introduced and scaled up. You coach engineers, set priorities and remain closely involved in process development, troubleshooting and industrialisation.
Your responsibilities    Lead, coach and mentor a multidisciplinary team of approximately seven Process and Manufacturing Engineers
Build the team’s technical capabilities and support them in achieving operational excellence
Take ownership of the complete New Product Introduction process
Ensure products and processes successfully transition from concept to full-scale production
Continuously improve quality, yield, efficiency and manufacturability
Apply Lean Six Sigma methods to identify and implement process improvements
Provide technical guidance in areas such as die bonding, polishing, dicing and automated optical assembly
Support the team with process development, troubleshooting and industrialisation
Define the engineering roadmap and determine technical priorities
Allocate resources across projects and activities
Work closely with customers, R&D and production teams to develop scalable manufacturing solutions
Monitor progress and report clearly to relevant stakeholders
What do you bring?
You are a technical leader who enjoys developing people but also understands what is happening on the production floor. You can switch between coaching your team, discussing technical challenges and aligning priorities with internal and external stakeholders.
You also bring:
An MSc degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or another relevant technical discipline
At least three years of experience in New Product Introduction, manufacturing engineering or process engineering
Proven experience leading, coaching or mentoring engineering teams
A solid technical background in precision assembly, semiconductor packaging, photonics or a comparable high-tech manufacturing environment
Strong organisational, stakeholder-management and reporting skills
Fluency in English
Proficiency in Dutch, or the willingness to learn the language, is an advantage
A Lean Six Sigma belt is an advantage
Practical experience applying continuous-improvement methods to optimise production processes is preferred
What can you expect?
40 days of annual leave
A position in a fast-growing company within the photonics industry
The opportunity to directly influence the scale-up of production
An international and passionate team
An open and collaborative working culture
A competitive salary and benefits package
Plenty of room for personal initiative and professional development
About the organisation   This high-tech organisation operates in the rapidly growing photonics industry. Its multidisciplinary teams work on the industrialisation and production of advanced photonic integrated circuits. Close cooperation between engineering, R&D, production and customers is essential to translate new technologies into scalable manufacturing solutions.