Operations Manager
Danaher Corporation
Summary
The Operations Manager (M3) - Manufacturing Operations is accountable for the safe, compliant, and effective performance of assigned manufacturing operations. Serving as the central coordination point across Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Environment, Health and Safety, this leader synchronizes people, equipment, materials, methods, and priorities to achieve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity (SQDIP) targets and fulfill customer commitments. The role balances daily execution with capacity and resource decisions, cost management, continuous improvement, and development of a strong leadership pipeline. This position reports to the Plant Director and is part of the Manufacturing Operations organization located in Indianapolis, Indiana and will be an on-site role.
Job description
In this role, you will have the opportunity to:
- Lead daily manufacturing operations across assigned production areas, shifts, or value streams to achieve SQDIP, volume, service, and financial commitments.
- Serve as the central coordination point for production schedules, staffing, materials, equipment availability, maintenance downtime, engineering support, quality priorities, and EHS requirements.
- Execute and continuously improve daily management processes, including tiered accountability, visual management, performance reviews, leader standard work, escalation, and countermeasure follow-through.
- Use the Danaher Business System (DBS), Lean principles, Kaizen, data, and structured problem solving to resolve complex operational issues, establish sustainable standards, and improve productivity, quality, delivery, inventory, and cost.
- Translate demand and customer requirements into executable production, capacity, staffing, inventory, and resource plans while balancing daily priorities with departmental and multi-year operational plans.
- Lead, coach, and develop managers, supervisors, production leaders, and professional associates through clear expectations, performance management, talent assessment, succession planning, and development assignments.
- Partner with Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, EHS, Finance, Human Resources, suppliers, vendors, and customers to meet business objectives and ensure compliance with safety, quality, regulatory, environmental, and company requirements.
The essential requirements of the job include:
- Bachelor's degree with 14+ years of related experience, or Master's/Doctoral degree with 12+ years of related experience.
- At least 4 years of people-management experience, including responsibility for leading through managers and/or supervisors.
- Progressive manufacturing leadership experience with accountability for results across multiple related teams, shifts, production areas, or value streams.
- Demonstrated experience managing manufacturing performance across safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, capacity, and cost.
- Demonstrated experience developing departmental and multi-year operational plans and allocating labor, equipment, capacity, and financial resources.
- Demonstrated experience applying Lean, continuous improvement, Kaizen, or structured problem-solving methods to improve manufacturing performance and sustain results.
- Experience operating in a regulated manufacturing environment and ensuring compliance with applicable safety, quality, regulatory, and environmental requirements.
- Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements: This role will have infrequent travel and may require international travel.
It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:
- Applying DBS or a comparable business system in a manufacturing environment.
- Leading operations in life sciences, diagnostics, biotechnology, medical device, or another highly regulated industry.
- Managing production planning, capacity, OEE, schedule attainment, first-pass yield, scrap, labor efficiency, and conversion cost.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree with 14+ years of related experience, or Master's/Doctoral degree with 12+ years of related experience
- At least 4 years of people-management experience, including responsibility for leading through managers and/or supervisors
- Progressive manufacturing leadership experience with accountability for results across multiple related teams, shifts, production areas, or value streams
- Demonstrated experience managing manufacturing performance across safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, capacity, and cost
- Demonstrated experience developing departmental and multi-year operational plans and allocating labor, equipment, capacity, and financial resources
- Demonstrated experience applying Lean, continuous improvement, Kaizen, or structured problem-solving methods to improve manufacturing performance and sustain results
- Experience operating in a regulated manufacturing environment and ensuring compliance with applicable safety, quality, regulatory, and environmental requirements
- Infrequent travel and may require international travel
Benefits
- Health care program
- Paid time off
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401(k)
- Bonus/incentive pay
Company overview
Danaher Corporation is a leading global science and technology innovator headquartered in Washington, D.C., specializing in biotechnology, life sciences, and diagnostics. Founded in 1984 by brothers Steven and Mitchell Rales, the company has evolved from its origins as a manufacturing conglomerate into a premier healthcare technology organization with approximately 63,000 employees worldwide. Danaher operates through three core divisions: biotechnology (28% of revenues), which develops products for therapeutic development; life sciences (31% of revenues), focused on disease identification, new therapies, and drug testing/manufacturing; and diagnostics (41% of revenues), providing instruments, consumables, and software for disease diagnosis. The company's portfolio includes renowned brands such as Beckman Coulter, Cytiva, Pall Corporation, Cepheid, Leica Microsystems, and Abcam, serving pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, healthcare providers, and research institutions globally. Danaher is distinguished by its Danaher Business System (DBS), a continuous improvement methodology that drives innovation and operational excellence. With 2024 revenues of $23.9 billion, the company ranks 180th on the Fortune 500 and plays a critical role in advancing scientific research, improving diagnostic capabilities, and accelerating the development of life-saving therapies.