Director, DBS - Supply Chain, Operations (Onsite: Deer Park, IL)

Danaher · Deer Park, IL

Level: Director+
Team: Production
Base pay: $191k–$211k
Travel: 25%
Degree: Required
Experience asked: 7+ years
Industry: Pharma & life sciences
Posted: Yesterday

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level production role at Danaher (pharma & life sciences) in Deer Park, IL. Lead cross-functional Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives to drive measurable gains in Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Customer Experience.

They ask for: 7+ years · degree required
Tools it names: Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value stream mapping, Root cause
Base pay: $191k–$211k
Day to day: about 25% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026

Production Engineer roles in Illinois: typical posted base $101k–$152k. This one lists $191k–$211k.

Median of the low and high ends of 18 live postings that list pay, out of 36 production engineer openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 35 other live production postings in Illinois.

Base pay: About 61% above similar roles
Experience asked: More than usual (7+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Lean 50%
✓ Six Sigma 31%
✓ Root cause 31%
5S 28%
Team leadership 28%
New product launch 25%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 7+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Overnight travel

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Danaher
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
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3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting says about 25% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

Full description from DanaherAs posted on their careers site.Show

Responsibilities

◆Lead cross-functional Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives to drive measurable gains in Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Customer Experience.
◆Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities, translate challenges into improvement roadmaps, and support achievement of strategic objectives.
◆Coach, mentor, and develop associates and leaders in DBS fundamentals, including TPI, Standard Work, Daily Management, PSP, and Value Stream Mapping.
◆Establish sustainable operating mechanisms through Daily Management, visual performance management, metrics, governance, and accountability processes.
◆Serve as a trusted advisor who influences across functions, builds a culture of continuous improvement, and scales best practices across Leica Biosystems and Danaher.

Required Skills/Experience

✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
✓7+ years of experience leading continuous improvement, Lean, operational excellence, consulting, or business transformation initiatives.
✓Proven hands-on experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, Toyota Production System, DBS, or similar continuous improvement methodologies in transactional or business process environments such as commercial operations, customer care, service, supply chain, or order-to-cash.
✓Demonstrated ability to partner strategically with business leaders, influence without authority, and deliver measurable, timebound improvements tied to business metrics.
✓Operate with a high degree of independence to assess complex business processes, identify root causes, align stakeholders, and lead execution of sustainable improvement plans.

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in

✓Experience in process improvements related to Supply Chain, Customer Support, Production Planning and/or Logistics Planning.

Travel (approximated by overnight stays per week)

✓Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time; predominantly domestic with some international travel as needed

Leica Biosystems, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job. Check out our benefits at Danaher Benefits Info .

This job is also eligible for bonus/incentive pay.

We offer comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

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

Show full description ↓

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?

At Leica Biosystems, one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

At Leica Biosystems, we’re not just shaping the future of cancer diagnostics — we’re transforming lives. Our mission of “Advancing Cancer Diagnostics, Improving Lives” is the driving force behind everything we do. As a global leader with the most comprehensive portfolio spanning from biopsy to diagnosis, we empower clinicians with innovative, reliable solutions so they can give patients timely, accurate answers when they need them most. When you join Leica Biosystems, you’re not just taking a job; you’re becoming part of a passionate team that knows every moment matters when it comes to cancer. You’ll help develop diagnostic solutions that turn anxiety into answers, and aid the acceleration of next-generation, life-changing therapies. Surrounded by a diverse and collaborative global community, you’ll be inspired each day to stretch, grow, and make an impact.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

The Director, DBS, will lead high-impact business process improvement initiatives across Leica Biosystems, partnering with functional leaders in Customer Care, Commercial Operations, Supply Chain, Operations, and other enabling functions. This role will apply Danaher Business System principles, Lean thinking, and structured problem-solving to simplify transactional processes, eliminate waste, improve flow, and deliver measurable improvements in quality, delivery, cost, customer experience, productivity, and cycle time.

This position serves as a hands-on change leader, coach, and trusted partner to the business. The successful candidate will operate with a high degree of independence to assess complex processes, align cross-functional stakeholders, facilitate Kaizen events and improvement workshops, and ensure solutions are sustained through effective governance, metrics, and daily management.

This position reports to the Vice President, DBS and is part of the global DBS leadership team; the associate will be located in Deer Park, IL and will be an on-site role.

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