Global Director of Manufacturing
ABEC Inc · Springfield, MO
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Travel
- 40%
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 15+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 14 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at ABEC Inc (industrial) in Springfield, MO. Develop, mentor, and coach manufacturing leaders across all sites.
- They ask for
- 15+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Root cause, CAPA, FDA / GMP, Casting
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · about 40% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Missouri: typical posted base $99k–$133k.
Median of the low and high ends of 12 live postings that list pay, out of 31 manufacturing engineer openings in Missouri, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Missouri plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 30 other live manufacturing postings in Missouri.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (15+ vs 5+)
Typical $89k–$121k, from 11 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 55%
- ✓ New product launch 45%
- ✓ Root cause 42%
- Tooling 35%
- ✓ Six Sigma 32%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for CAPA, Casting, Capacity planning, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
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 Manufacturing team at ABEC Inc
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
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 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?
- The posting says about 40% travel. Between which sites?
- 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 ABEC IncAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
and workforce development needs.
Education
- ✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field required.
- ✓Master's degree or MBA preferred.
Experience
- ✓15+ years of manufacturing experience.
- ✓10+ years of progressive leadership experience managing multi-site manufacturing operations.
- ✓Proven experience leading large manufacturing teams in a global environment.
- ✓Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence programs.
- ✓Experience in engineered-to-order, capital equipment, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or highly regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
Requirements
- ✓Ability to travel globally up to 30-40% as required.
- ✓***********************************************************************************************************
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Description
Global manufacturing leadership | Operational excellence | Capacity and workforce strategy
Reports to Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Position Summary: The Global Director of Manufacturing is responsible for leading and optimizing manufacturing operations across all ABEC production facilities worldwide. This role drives operational excellence, safety, quality, productivity, capacity planning, workforce development, and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure consistent execution of business objectives and customer commitments.
The position provides strategic leadership to site manufacturing leaders, standardizes processes across facilities, and partners with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, and Project Management to improve performance, reduce costs, and support the organization's long-term growth objectives.
Manufacturing Leadership
- •Provide strategic direction and leadership to Manufacturing Managers and Operations Leaders across all global sites.
- •Develop and deploy global manufacturing strategies aligned with company objectives.
- •Establish standardized manufacturing processes, procedures, and performance metrics.
- •Drive accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity targets.
Operational Excellence
- •Lead Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives across all facilities.
- •Implement best practices to improve efficiency, throughput, and cost performance.
- •Identify and eliminate waste, bottlenecks, and non-value-added activities.
- •Benchmark manufacturing performance across sites and share best practices globally.
Capacity and Resource Management
- •Support long-range capacity planning and manufacturing footprint strategy.
- •Ensure effective utilization of labor, equipment, and facilities.
- •Coordinate with Planning and Project Management to meet customer delivery commitments.
- •Evaluate staffing
Quality and Compliance
- •Ensure compliance with all applicable quality, regulatory, safety, and environmental requirements.
- •Partner with Quality leadership to drive a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
- •Support implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and root cause investigations.
- •Maintain focus on GMP, ASME, customer, and internal quality standards where applicable.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- •Collaborate with Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain, Quality, and Project Management to support project execution.
- •Drive manufacturing input into design reviews, process improvements, and new product introductions.
- •Support strategic sourcing and make-versus-buy decisions.
People Leadership
- •Develop, mentor, and coach manufacturing leaders across all sites.
- •Build succession plans and leadership development programs.
- •Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, teamwork, and employee development.
- •Promote servant leadership and continuous learning throughout the organization.
Financial Performance
- •Develop and manage manufacturing budgets and capital expenditure plans.
- •Monitor and improve manufacturing cost performance.
- •Support annual business planning and operational forecasting activities.
- •Drive initiatives that improve profitability and operational scalability.
Leadership and Business Skills
- •Strong strategic planning and execution skills.
- •Demonstrated ability to lead change in complex organizations.
- •Excellent financial and business acumen.
- •Strong communication and stakeholder management skills. Proven ability to build and develop high-performing teams.
- •Experience managing global operations and cross-cultural teams.
Travel
Company Background
For over 50 years, ABEC has been a leading supplier to the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. ABEC’s unique value is based on combining long experience with the ability to engineer, design, manufacture, commission, qualify, and service the entire bioprocess to reduce overall cost, shorten time to market, and maximize productivity. ABEC’s products include process and equipment engineering/consulting services, comprehensive site services, and stainless steel and single use bioprocess equipment, including bioreactors and fermenters, filtration and chromatography systems, prep and hold systems, and cleaning/sterilization systems.
Benefits include
- •Medical, dental and vision insurance (Day 1)
- •3 weeks Paid vacation
- •Industry leading 401K plan (40% match!)
- •10 Paid Holidays
- •Company paid life insurance
- •College tuition benefit program
- •Employee Referral Program