Head of Manufacturing Engineering
ZEISS · Chesterfield, MO
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 77+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at ZEISS (industrial) in Chesterfield, MO. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities.
- They ask for
- 77+ years · degree preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, PLC
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 (77+ 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.
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 ZEISS
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 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.
This plant: ZEISS in Chesterfield
2 other open roles at this site.
- Assembly Technician I · Manufacturing · Technician
- Quality Engineer · Quality
Full description from ZEISSAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Experience & Skills
- ✓Minimum 5 years in senior disciplinary leadership roles; global experience preferred
- ✓10+ years in product or manufacturing engineering environments
- ✓Proven experience scaling manufacturing operations and managing large operational budgets
- ✓Strong background in mechatronic systems, medical technology, and complex system architecture
- ✓Demonstrated success in Lean manufacturing, design‑to‑cost, and operational excellence
- ✓Strong financial acumen, strategic thinking, and cross‑cultural leadership capability
requirements
for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Us
How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 177 years?!
Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!
What’s the role?
The Head of Engineering – Manufacturing & Sustaining is a senior leadership role responsible for driving the growth and operational excellence of our Chesterfield, MO site. This role will scale production to exceed $100M while managing a site operating budget of over $50M.
You will define and execute the engineering strategy for manufacturing and sustaining operations, ensuring efficiency, quality, productivity, and on-time delivery. The position leads all engineering functions to support new product launches, technology expansion, and long-term competitiveness.
This role requires close collaboration with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to ensure the site is fully equipped—organizationally, technically, and financially—for high-volume, sustainable manufacturing.
Location/Region: This is a SR Manager-level role and requires onsite presence in Chesterfield, MO
Sound Interesting?
Here’s what you’ll do
- •Lead the scale‑up of manufacturing operations to support a business exceeding $100M in annual production, ensuring capacity, capability, and operational readiness align with growth objectives.
- •Own and govern the effective deployment of a site operating budget in excess of $50M, ensuring resources are utilized efficiently, investments are value‑driven, and cost performance meets or exceeds business targets.
- •Develop and execute the manufacturing and sustaining engineering strategy to improve throughput, yield, and productivity while reducing COGS through Lean principles and continuous improvement initiatives.
- •Provide strategic and operational leadership to manufacturing and sustaining engineering teams, ensuring robust technical support across all production activities.
- •Drive disciplined capital and operational expenditure planning, ensuring alignment with long‑term growth, production ramp‑up, and return‑on‑investment objectives.
- •Lead cross‑functional teams to deliver new product introductions from prototype through volume manufacturing, ensuring cost, quality, and schedule commitments are met or exceeded.
- •Own engineering responsibility within the Product Life Cycle (PLC) process for all products manufactured at the site.
- •Ensure health, safety, and environmental excellence by embedding compliance and risk management into all engineering and manufacturing activities.
- •Review and act on production, quality, financial, and delivery metrics to ensure operational targets are consistently achieved.
Financial & operational impact
- •Direct accountability for manufacturing performance supporting $100M+ in annual production output.
- •Responsible for the efficient and cost‑effective management of a site operating budget exceeding $50M, including staffing, capital planning, and operational expenses.
- •Significant impact on site profitability, investment effectiveness, and long‑term operational sustainability.
Working relationships
Reports directly to the Head of Site Operations and works in close partnership with:
- •Research & Development Engineering
- •Supply Chain
- •Quality Assurance
- •Product Management
Do you qualify?
- •University degree in Engineering or Natural Sciences; MBA or equivalent business qualification strongly preferred
Work Authorization Requirement
This position requires unrestricted authorization to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for current or future employment visa sponsorship or visa transfers.
We have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!
- •Medical
- •Vision
- •Dental
- •401k Matching
- •Employee Assistance Programs
- •Vacation and sick pay
- •The list goes on!
The above is intended to describe the general content of and
Your ZEISS Recruiting Team
Maria Khalil