Director, Technical Operations

Job Summary

The Director of Technical Operations is accountable for establishing the development engineering foundation, production technologies, and operational scalability required to support Outform’s global manufacturing network. This role owns the definition and continuous improvement of technical operations in connection with manufacturing processes, automation strategies, plant layouts, and new product industrial standards.
The Director orchestrates cross-functional alignment between Design, Product Development, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure manufacturability, cost competitiveness, repeatability, and throughput excellence. This position is the architect of manufacturing systems that enable projects to transition from development into production at scale & in quality, reduce operational risk, and support long-term business growth.

Responsibilities

Manufacturing Engineering Strategy & Governance

·         Develop and maintain the long-term technical operations roadmap in connection to new project/product development, aligning with company strategy, volume forecasts, and technology evolution.

·         Establish engineering governance standards for new product development (PFMEA, Control Plans, SOPs, validation protocols) into all factories and with all suppliers.

·         Define and maintain global standards for manufacturing processes, materials, tools, fixtures, test procedures, and equipment selection.

New Product Introduction (NPI) & Industrialization

·         With Engineering, lead DFM/DFX processes from concept through launch, ensuring manufacturability, cost structure optimization, and scalability.

·         Oversee development teams on prototype builds, pre-production pilots, and transition to mass production, ensuring smooth ramp-up and yield maturity.

·         Develop vendor capacity & competency models for NPI, process flow diagrams, cycle time analysis, and tooling strategies for new products.

Automation, Technology, and Equipment Strategy

·         Drive the selection, integration, and optimization of manufacturing technologies, including robotics, semi-automation, smart fixturing, and digital manufacturing systems.

·         Lead capital investment planning for tooling & oversight of vendor capacity with respect to machinery, assembly lines, test equipment, and plant expansions.

·         Ensure robust equipment life-cycle management including uptime, preventative maintenance standards, and performance monitoring.

Process Engineering, Governance & Quality Optimization

·         With Manufacturing Operations, engage in root-cause analysis of yield loss, scrap, rework, and process deviations; implement sustainable corrective actions.

·         Improve process capability through Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical control methods, and technical operations best practices.

·         Ensure processes meet compliance, regulatory, and customer-specific standards.

Operational Efficiency & Continuous Improvement

·         With manufacturing Operations leadership, lead Lean transformation initiatives across manufacturing sites (Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) improvement, waste reduction, process redesign).

·         Implement system-wide metrics for engineering performance, including yield, Cpk/Ppk, cycle time, TAKT alignment, and equipment OEE.

·         Support optimization of labor models and integrate ergonomics into production workstations, working with Manufacturing operations to report on productivity improvements.

Leadership & Collaboration

·         Build, mentor, and lead a multidisciplinary development engineering teams across regions.

·         Partner with Manufacturing Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain & vendors on strategic and tactical initiatives.

·         Influence senior leadership by presenting development engineering roadmaps, improvement plans, and capital proposals.

Core Capabilities & Leadership Competencies

·         System-Level Thinker: Designs technical operations ecosystems rather than isolated processes.

·         Technical Mastery: Deep knowledge of process & product development engineering, automation, materials, and industrial technologies.

·         Cross-Functional Leadership: Skilled at driving alignment across engineering, operations, product teams, and global sites.

·         Innovation & Technology Foresight: Evaluates and integrates future-ready technologies and process advancements from vendors into the business.

·         Data-Driven Decision-Making: Uses advanced analytical tools to diagnose problems and drive improvements.

·         Organizational Development: Builds high-performance development engineering teams and supports long-term talent development.

·         Change Leadership: Drives major process and system transformations while managing stakeholder expectations.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering; master’s preferred.
• 12–18 years of manufacturing engineering experience in multi-site or global environments, partnering with global vendors with a strong presence in SE Asia.
• 5 years leading engineering or industrialized teams.
• Demonstrated success in automation deployment, factory layout design for NPI, and high-volume scaling across global vendor partners.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of PFMEA, PPAP, validation protocols, GD&T, DOE, and SPC.
• Expertise with MES, PLM, CAD, simulation tools, and industrial automation systems.
• Strong understanding of materials manufacturing (metals, plastics, electronics, woodworking, composites—customizable to Outform).
• Experience with capital equipment design, selection, and lifecycle management.
• Lean Six Sigma certification preferred.