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Director of Advanced Manufacturing

Tract Capital Management, LP · Mercer Island, WA

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Level
Director+
Team
Manufacturing
Base pay
$200k–$300k
Degree
Required
Experience asked
10+ years
Industry
Industrial
Posted
Recently

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level manufacturing role at Tract Capital Management, LP (industrial) in Mercer Island, WA. Workforce & Partner Leadership.

They ask for
10+ years · degree required
Tools it names
Root cause, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Robotics, Automation, Capacity planning, Tooling
Base pay
$200k–$300k
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Manufacturing Engineer roles in Washington: typical posted base $103k–$145k. This one lists $200k–$300k.

Median of the low and high ends of 23 live postings that list pay, out of 39 manufacturing engineer openings in Washington, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

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

How this role compares

Against 38 other live manufacturing postings in Washington.

Base pay
About 113% above similar roles

Typical $100k–$135k, from 20 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
More than usual (10+ vs 3+)

Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Tooling 62%
  • ✓ Root cause 49%
  • ✓ Automation 38%
  • Lean 31%
  • ✓ New product launch 31%
  • ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 23%

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

Stands out: this posting asks for Capacity planning, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 10+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverageTraining program

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Tract Capital Management, LP

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
    • How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
    • How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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 Tract Capital Management, LPAs posted on their careers site.Show

Qualifications

  • ✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related field.
  • ✓10+ years of manufacturing, operations, industrialization, or advanced manufacturing experience.
  • ✓5+ years leading manufacturing strategy, process development, or production scale-up for complex hardware products.
  • ✓Proven experience with manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategies, contract manufacturing, OEM partnerships, and production system design.
  • ✓Track record of improving quality, throughput, capacity, and on-time delivery.
  • ✓Experience launching products from prototype or pilot production into volume manufacturing.
Show full description ↓

Tract Capital adopts a unique approach to digital infrastructure investment. Leveraging experience and strategic insights honed over three decades of creating successful companies in the space, we excel in nurturing and advancing leading-edge digital infrastructure enterprises. Our team of specialized experts are united by a singular purpose: to support the growth of digital infrastructure. Tract Capital goes beyond simple investment by acting as a strategic partner and catalyst for innovation within the sector. We ensure our engagements not only generate strong financial results but also develop essential digital infrastructure to meet growing demands.

Position Overview

The Director of Advanced Manufacturing will lead the manufacturing strategy for complex data center infrastructure products, overseeing the transition from prototype to full-scale production. This role is responsible for manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategy, production scalability, quality, and partner selection while ensuring products are delivered efficiently, cost-effectively, and at the highest quality standards. The position works closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, and external manufacturing partners to support rapid growth and operational excellence.

Manufacturing Strategy & Scale

  • •Define end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including make-vs-buy decisions, manufacturing footprint, partner selection, capacity planning, and regional deployment strategy.
  • •Evaluate tradeoffs across cost, quality, lead time, logistics, supply chain risk, automation opportunities, and customer requirements.
  • •Develop manufacturing roadmaps supporting new product introduction, production ramp-up, and long-term scaling.

Process, Automation & Industrialization

  • •Establish manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, test systems, production flows, and equipment strategies.
  • •Lead adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, automation, machine vision, digital work instructions, and data-driven process controls.
  • •Partner with engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, testability, serviceability, and production scale.

Operations & Performance

  • •Build production systems that achieve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and capacity targets.
  • •Lead pilot builds, process validation, production readiness, staffing plans, and volume production transitions.
  • •Implement KPIs and dashboards to monitor yields, schedule attainment, bottlenecks, and overall manufacturing performance.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

  • •Define manufacturing quality strategies, in-process controls, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria.
  • •Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues.
  • •Drive improvements in first-pass yield, defect reduction, process capability, and operational discipline.

Workforce & Partner Leadership

  • •Develop scalable training programs, work instructions, certification requirements, and operating procedures.
  • •Lead relationships with contract manufacturers, OEMs, integrators, equipment suppliers, and automation partners.
  • •Drive partner performance across quality, cost, capacity, responsiveness, and delivery metrics.

Cross-Functional Leadership

  • •Serve as the manufacturing leader across Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Operations, and Customer Delivery.
  • •Provide executive-level recommendations on manufacturing investments, risks, sourcing strategies, and scaling opportunities.

Preferred

  • +Master's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business.
  • +Experience with data center infrastructure, thermal systems, liquid cooling, HVAC, power distribution, or mission-critical equipment.
  • +Experience implementing robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
  • +Knowledge of global manufacturing strategies, supply chain risk management, and multi-site production scaling.
  • +Experience in highly regulated, safety-critical, or uptime-sensitive environments.

Travel

Required travel to manufacturing facilities, supplier sites, test labs, and deployment locations. This role requires strong strategic judgment, operational rigor, and the ability to shape the long-term manufacturing model of a rapidly growing digital infrastructure business.

$200,000 - $300,000 base salary plus discretionary bonus.

Tract Capital Employment

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the organization's ongoing needs.

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