VP Operations

Company: nLIGHT, Inc.
Location: Hillsboro
Posted on: March 10, 2023

Job Description:

nLIGHT's Vice President of Operations is responsible for providing entrepreneurial leadership for multi-site manufacturing operations in sustaining and ramping-up production capacity to fulfill demand while balancing cost, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives.About nLIGHTnLIGHTis a rapidly growing publicly listed company (NASDAQ: LASR).nLIGHTis a global leader in high-power semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, microfabrication, aerospace, and defense applications. Headquartered in Camas, WA,nLIGHTemploys over 1,000 people with operations in the U.S., China, and Europe.Key Responsibilities:The Vice President of Operations will plan, direct, coordinate and oversee nLIGHT's three domestic manufacturing operations in Washington and Oregon and one international operation in Finland, ensuring development and implementation of efficient production operations and cost-effective systems to meet growing customer demand for a broad and diverse mix of laser products in the medical, aerospace and defense and industrial sectors. Also, the Vice President of Operations will oversee nLIGHT's contract manufacturer's operations in Thailand, with the support of personnel in Shanghai. The successful candidate's charter will be to drive efficiencies and footprint optimization strategies for North America and European manufacturing, leveraging contract manufacturing partner(s) as appropriate.Reporting directly tonLIGHT COO, this person will serve as a critical member of nLIGHT's leadershipteam. Working for the Vice President of Operations will be Directors of the various Operations and the nLIGHT Facilities organization. Peers to the Vice President of Operations will be the leaders of Supply Chain and Planning, Quality, IT, Global Service and Process Engineering.This position is located primarily in Camas, WA (Portland, OR metropolitan area), with frequent presence at other local sites and some international travel.Other key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develops, implements, and continuously evolves nLIGHT's global manufacturing strategy.
• Communicates strategic manufacturing vision to inspire and coordinateglobal operations teams while supporting the company's growing NPI and standardproduction requirements.
• Optimizes what products are made, in what factories, to exceed customerexpectations for product quality and on-time delivery (including in-source versusout-source strategy).
• Makes manufacturing location decisions early in the design process to plan andexecute a smooth transition into volume production.
• Develops and applies a focused organizational approach that provides manufacturing expertise to both the product developmentand factory production business processes. This approach must also care forthe successful transition from product design to volume manufacturing incollaboration with Product Development, Process Engineering, Quality/Reliability and Supply Chainteam members.
• Establishes a culture of continuous improvement with particular emphasison manufacturing process technologies supporting more efficient andhigher quality production.
• Develops and spreads operational excellence across allmanufacturing operations.Manages strategic and tactical aspects of semiconductor laser assembly production.
• Collaborates with other departments to carry out the company's goals and objectives.
• Identifies, recommends, and implements new processes, technologies, andsystems to improve and streamline organizational processes and the use ofresources and materials.
• Develops and presents operational performance data, reports metrics toexecutive leaders.
• Works closely with HR to implement and refine company policies and procedures. Ensures compliance with Company policies and applicable laws and leads by example.
• Identifies training needs and ensures proper training is developed andprovided.
• Ensures safe work environment for all employees; reinforces safety culture.
• Provides leadership through effective communication, coaching, training, and development.
• Establishes production schedules with Planning group and executes against schedule to meet goals for revenue, cycle time and customer delivery.
• Meets aggressive, world-class goals on quality, yield and cost.Qualifications:All candidates must be perceived as transformational operations and manufacturing leaders witha passion for tackling complex issues, building and managing effective teams, and leveragingprogressive tools and systems. In addition, they should possess:
  • Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline e.g. Engineering, or another industry related field is required; MBA preferred.
  • 12+ years of industry-related experience, including five years in Directoror VP-level management required.
  • Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
  • Extensive knowledge of the principles, procedures, and best practices inmanufacturing industry.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • International manufacturing oversite and expertise is a plus (not requisite),especially in Asia.
  • Excellent influencing and negotiation skills and ability to work multi-dimensionally in a complex business environment.
  • Outstanding analytical skills and business acumen. Ability to gather information,develop models, weigh relevant factors and make decisions based on data,trends, and past experience.
  • Willingness to be "hands on", when required; demonstrated ability to coach andtrain teams to bring them to world class.
  • Able to collaborate effectively with different levels across the organization;possesses strong executive engagement and relationship building skills.
  • Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems.
  • Excellent communication skills - verbal, written and interpersonal.
  • Asks for andoffers help when needed; a committed team player.nLIGHTis proud to offer comprehensive COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salary level based on experience, education, andqualifications:
    • Salary Range: $180,000 to $215,000Other Compensation and Benefits
      • Target Cash Bonus of 15% of your wages
      • Eligible for Restricted Stock Unit grants
      • 3 weeks of Paid Time Off per year, increasing by 1 day each year up to 4 weeks
      • 9 paid Holidays
      • Eligible for health benefits on the 1st day of the month after your start date
      • Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits, including prescription and orthodontia with employee-paid premiums as low as $37.00 per pay period
      • Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts
      • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
      • 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting
      • Company paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, and Life & AD&D Insurance
      • Employee Assistance Program
      • Aflac Supplemental Insurance
      • Paid Bereavement Leave and Jury Duty
      • Tuition Assistance Program
      • Pet InsurancenLIGHT is subject to US Export Control regulations. To qualify for this position, you must be a US Person (that is, a US Citizen or legal Permanent Resident). nLIGHT is subject to US Export Control regulations. To qualify for this position, a Foreign Person (that is, not a US Citizen or legal Permanent Resident) must be eligible for a deemed export license under the US Department of Commerce and/or the US Department of State.Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or age. For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please see these government posters: "" and its accompanying . If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (360) 566-4460 or .

Keywords: nLIGHT, Inc., Hillsboro , VP Operations, Executive , Hillsboro, Oregon