Director of Operations

Description

Gooch & Housego (G&H) is a global leader in precision optics, photonics, and optical systems, serving customers across industrial, medical, life sciences, aerospace, and defense markets. With a long history of technical innovation and manufacturing excellence, G&H combines deep engineering expertise with commitment to quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The Rochester site plays a critical role in G&H’s manufacturing footprint, delivering complex, high-precision products to customers worldwide.

The Director of Operations is responsible for leading manufacturing operations at the G&H Rochester site, with accountability for execution across assembly, optical glass subassembly, and production operations. This role focuses on operational excellence, people leadership, and delivery, operating within a shared leadership model alongside Quality, Finance, and Sales.

This is a hands‑on, on‑site leadership role that requires strong floor presence, sound judgment, and the ability to lead teams through complexity, change, and competing priorities with maturity and clarity.

• Lead day‑to‑day manufacturing operations across assembly, optical glass subassembly, and production, Polymer injection molding and CNC machining
• Own site‑level performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity
• Establish clear operational priorities and execution rhythms aligned to business and customer needs
• Ensure consistent application of standard work, visual management, and accountability
• Identify operational risks, constraints, and bottlenecks and drive corrective actions
• Partner with HR and Finance on workforce planning and labor utilization

• Lead and develop operations supervisors, and frontline leaders
• Build leadership capability through coaching, feedback, and development
• Foster a culture of accountability, respect, and engagement
• Address performance and behavioral issues promptly and constructively

• Operate effectively within a shared leadership model
• Partner with Quality on compliance, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement
• Collaborate with Sales and Program teams on customer commitments and capacity planning
• Partner with Engineering on process improvements and technology transitions
• Work with Finance on cost control and operational investments

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across operations
• Support New Product Introduction and production scale‑up
• Drive disciplined execution during periods of change or transition

• Make timely decisions within defined authority
• Escalate risks and trade‑offs appropriately
• Provide clear, fact‑based updates to senior leadership

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related field
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations leadership experience
• Demonstrated success leading teams in complex, technical manufacturing environments
• Strong people leadership capability with credibility on the manufacturing floor
• Experience operating in matrixed or shared leadership environments
• Ability to lead with maturity, judgment, and consistency under pressure

• Experience in optical, photonics, precision manufacturing, or similarly complex industries
• Exposure to optical glass subassembly or precision assembly processes
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction or scaling production
• Multi‑site manufacturing experience
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement training

• On‑site role based in Rochester, NY
• Reports into senior operations leadership (final reporting line to be confirmed)
• Operates within a shared leadership model
• Expected to maintain a visible and consistent presence on the manufacturing floor

Notes:
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder.…