Director Operations Germany (m/f/d)

For over 170 years, Leica Microsystems has helped shape the future by developing groundbreaking optical and digital solutions. As a global leader, we’re driven by continuous improvement to excite our customers and to create the best work environment for our people. Customer focus, innovation, and teamwork are at the core of our culture and the foundation of our success. Leica Microsystems is one of the market leaders in the fields of microscopy, imaging, and analysis. We reveal the invisible and empower our customers to create a better and healthier world. Together with our customers, we transform scientific discovery. We empower surgeons to take well-informed decisions in life-changing procedures. We enable users to gain insights which help answer key questions concerning development and engineering. All of this is achieved with the combination of cutting-edge microscopes and AI-based image analysis. Want to be part of a company whose products are part of cutting-edge research around the world? Join Leica Microsystems in our commitment for brilliant solutions and insight. Leica Microsystems is one of 10 Life Sciences companies of Danaher. Together, we accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of solutions that safeguard and improve human health. We currently offer the following position in our office in Wetzlar which will be on-site. Director Operations Germany (m/f/d) Come join a fantastic team! The Director of Germany Operations oversees all optics manufacturing and assembly activities at the Wetzlar and Mannheim facilities. Reporting directly to the VP of Global Operations, this role is pivotal in driving productivity improvements, advancing automation, and enhancing inventory performance through collaboration with global teams. Join us in transforming our operations and driving excellence in manufacturing processes and productivity. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operations Leadership & Strategy: Manage budgets, plans, and performance metrics related to safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets. Drive total cost improvements and key metrics such as On-Time Delivery (OTD), Working Capital Turns (WCT), and productivity.
• Leading Germany Optics Manufacturing and Assembly : Oversee all optics manufacturing and assembly activities at the Wetzlar and Mannheim facilities. Responsibility to bridge fragmented processes between the two sites to enhance collaboration and drive consistent customer delivery.
• Transforming Wetzlar Factory: Prepare the Wetzlar Factory for future production technologies, ensuring best-quality sub-assemblies and products at competitive costs. Collaborate with the global technology team to introduce innovative technologies.
• People Development & Management: Recruit, lead, and develop a high-performing team. Provide coaching and build a talent pipeline with a strong emphasis on Lean principles.
• Danaher Business Systems (DBS): Utilize and drive Lean principles and DBS tools to achieve business objectives. Implement kaizen plans and root-cause countermeasures to improve build/ship linearity, Lean Conversion, Daily Management, and KPI objectives.

YOUR PROFILE

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, preferably in a technical discipline e.g. Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Optics Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in operations leadership within a manufacturing environment.
• Exceptional skills in transformation and change management.
• A proven history of delivering outstanding operations results, with a focus on inventory turns and on-time delivery.
• Experience in leading, developing, and deploying organizational structures that foster a high-performance culture and promote cross-functional collaboration.
• Proficiency in implementing and sustaining lean principles and a continuous improvement culture in production/assembly settings.
• A demonstrated ability to drive a culture of accountability, urgency, and agility to meet dynamic business needs.
• Strong quality improvement skills, creating effective processes and controls.
• Fluent in German and English.

GET MORE INSIGHT Learn more about what we do and who we are by watching our company video “We Are Leica”: Are you interested to discover new opportunities in an innovative, team-oriented environment? Do apply online - we are looking forward to your application! Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life. For more information, visit . At Danaher, we value diversity and the existence of similarities and differences, both visible and not, found in our workforce, workplace and throughout the markets we serve. Our associates, customers and shareholders contribute unique and different perspectives as a result of these diverse attributes.