Senior Director, Reagent Operations
Danaher Corporation
Summary
The Senior Director of Reagent Operations for Beckman Coulter Diagnostics has overall site responsibility for the reagent manufacturing operations located in Chaska, MN. The site manufactures highly technical diagnostic reagents essential to Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and Life Science businesses. This position leads the entire reagent manufacturing team in Chaska, MN and reports to the VP of North American Manufacturing and will be an onsite role.
Job description
In this role, you will have the opportunity to:
- Provide strategic leadership for site operations, ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and financial performance while meeting customer and business objectives.
- Build, develop, and retain high-performing teams by fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous learning, and talent development.
- Drive operational excellence through Lean principles, continuous improvement initiatives, and data-driven decision-making to achieve sustainable business results.
- Lead annual operating and capital budgeting processes, managing labor, controllable expenses, manufacturing variances, and resource allocation to deliver financial commitments.
- Partner closely with cross-functional leaders across Operations, Materials, Procurement, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, and EHS to execute business priorities and drive organizational performance.
- Provide technical and leadership guidance for complex product, process, and manufacturing investigations, ensuring timely resolution and regulatory compliance.
- Shape and execute the long-term vision for device manufacturing by advancing operational capabilities, driving innovation, and supporting future growth and scalability of the business.
The essential requirements of the job include:
- Bachelor’s Degree in technical discipline such as Engineering, (e.g., Biomedical, Chemical, Industrial Engineering), and 15+ years of relevant experience.
- 10+ years of experience managing people in a GMP environment and expertise developing a culture of compliance in GMP environments.
- 10+ years of experience in immunoassay manufacturing.
- Experience representing manufacturing in the PSI(S&OP) process.
- 10+ years of experience driving a lean manufacturing environment and continuous process improvement, including problem-solving issues using lean tools such as 5-whys and determining root cause.
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent experience driving operational excellence through Lean principles, DMAIC methodologies, and data-driven decision making.
- Proven success developing a culture of continuous improvement through daily management systems, performance metrics, accountability processes, and root-cause problem solving.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex organizational change, build stakeholder alignment, drive adoption of new processes and behaviors, and sustain improvements that deliver measurable business results.
- Proven ability to leverage financial and operational data to drive decision-making, including analyzing financial statements and P&Ls, evaluating investment opportunities, and presenting business cases for process improvements, capacity expansion, and capital expenditures.
- Track record of successfully leading teams through dynamic business environments by adapting to shifting priorities, maintaining operational focus, and fostering a growth-oriented mindset.
- Strong influencing skills with the ability to gain stakeholder buy-in, build collaborative partnerships across functions, and drive organizational alignment around key initiatives.
- Extensive ability to drive break through thinking, develop high performing teams, and create learning and growth opportunities for the team while developing a culture of safety and compliance.
Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements:
Ability to travel 30-40% globally per business needs.
It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:
- Experience leveraging technology, data, digitization, and AI to drive business results.
- Experience leading large-scale manufacturing transformations, including new product introductions, technology transfers, site expansions, or capacity optimization initiatives within a global regulated healthcare, diagnostics, or life sciences environment.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in technical discipline such as Engineering, (e.g., Biomedical, Chemical, Industrial Engineering)
- 15+ years of relevant experience
- 10+ years of experience managing people in a GMP environment
- Expertise developing a culture of compliance in GMP environments
- 10+ years of experience in immunoassay manufacturing
- Experience representing manufacturing in the PSI(S&OP) process
- 10+ years of experience driving a lean manufacturing environment and continuous process improvement
- Problem-solving issues using lean tools such as 5-whys and determining root cause
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent experience driving operational excellence through Lean principles, DMAIC methodologies, and data-driven decision making
- Proven success developing a culture of continuous improvement through daily management systems, performance metrics, accountability processes, and root-cause problem solving
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex organizational change, build stakeholder alignment, drive adoption of new processes and behaviors, and sustain improvements that deliver measurable business results
- Proven ability to leverage financial and operational data to drive decision-making, including analyzing financial statements and P&Ls, evaluating investment opportunities, and presenting business cases for process improvements, capacity expansion, and capital expenditures
- Track record of successfully leading teams through dynamic business environments by adapting to shifting priorities, maintaining operational focus, and fostering a growth-oriented mindset
- Strong influencing skills with the ability to gain stakeholder buy-in, build collaborative partnerships across functions, and drive organizational alignment around key initiatives
- Extensive ability to drive break through thinking, develop high performing teams, and create learning and growth opportunities for the team while developing a culture of safety and compliance
- Ability to travel 30-40% globally per business needs
Benefits
- Paid Time Off
- Medical, Dental & 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.