Director of Manufacturing Operations - Hillsboro

About nLIGHT

At nLIGHT, we are constantly on the cutting‑edge of laser technology in a massively growing market. We are a leading provider of high‑power semiconductors and fiber lasers for industrial, microfabrication, and aerospace & defense applications, to name a few. Our lasers are changing not only the way things are made, but also changing the things that can be made.

Headquartered in Camas, Washington, nLIGHT is a publicly listed company (NASDAQ: LASR).

The Director of Manufacturing Operations is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing all aspects of semiconductor laser assembly production. This role ensures operational excellence by managing strategic planning, production execution, and cross‑functional collaboration to achieve world‑class standards in quality, delivery, efficiency, and safety. The director drives continuous improvement and innovation, supporting the company’s growth and competitiveness in both military and commercial markets.

• Manages strategic and tactical aspects of semiconductor laser assembly production for medium‑to‑high‑volume production of ruggedized military & commercial products
• Establishes production schedules with planning and business groups and executes against schedule to meet goals for revenue, on‑time delivery and lead time
• Provides supervision and leadership to direct reports including employee performance management, motivating and facilitating continuous learning and development, conducting annual performance appraisals, and providing timely feedback and recognition.
• Meets aggressive, world‑class goals on quality, cycle time, yield and cost
• Leads global multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver new products, sustaining engineering, and NPI of laser‑based product lines as part of key strategy in vertically integrated organization.
• Analyzes bottlenecks and establishes sufficient capacity to cost‑effectively meet production demands
• Drives continuous improvement opportunities and yield metrics utilizing a wide variety of analytical techniques (such as FMEA, SPC, DOE, Gage R&R, 8D), lean manufacturing, and six sigma concepts.
• Coordinates with facilities, including maintenance and build‑outs, for optimal uptime and cost
• Interfaces with senior leadership and various support functions such as Supply Chain, Development Engineering, Quality, Finance, HR, and IT as required to establish plans and execute against them
• Collaborates with R&D to analyze competition, market trends, emerging technology and drives strategic engineering projects into production as capable products & processes.
• Ensures strong safety program in place
• Manages and motivates direct staff
• Builds upon ISO
  9001:2000 certified quality management system in place

• Requires a BS in Engineering (Optical, Physics, Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical) and 10+ years high‑tech manufacturing experience with at least five years in a managerial role, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• MS in Engineering or Business is preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in product & process development, NPI or process control of laser systems/photonic components
• 8+ years of experience working for a company providing products for US Defense and/or Government Contracting.
• Working knowledge of FAR/DFAR requirements, and ITAR‑compliant operations
• Skilled in implementing and utilizing lean manufacturing, SPC, ERP, and MRP systems
• Strong business and people skills, including strategic thinking, executive communication, and basic business financial acumen
• Strong record of developing and transferring products and processes related to laser systems and photonic components
• Strong record of effective judgement and decisiveness, clear thinking, problem solving through structured methodologies
• Strong situational leadership skills, record of developing great teams and strong hires
• Sets very strong culture of accountability, disciplined thinking, integrity and expectations, leads by example
• APICS CPIM experience is preferred, but not required
• Six Sigma Black Belt is preferred, but not required
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent team player
• Demonstrated ability to…