Manufacturing Director

Bring more to life.

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

At Cytiva, 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.

Working at Cytiva means being at the forefront of providing new solutions to transform human health. Our incredible customers undertake life-saving activities ranging from fundamental biological research to developing innovative vaccines, new medicines, and cell and gene therapies.

At Cytiva you will be able to continuously improve yourself and us – working on challenges that truly matter with people that care for each other, our customers, and their patients. Take your next step to an altogether life-changing career.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

The Manufacturing Director is responsible for leading Direct Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, and Reliability Engineering across a large-scale Discovery & Medical manufacturing site. This role uses Danaher Business System (DBS) tools to standardize best-in-class manufacturing and engineering practices and deliver sustained improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Focused on meeting Discovery & Medical customer expectations for quality, cost and delivery, the role drives Associate engagement, labor and overhead productivity, and effective deployment of people and reliable equipment. It leads Manufacturing Engineering and Reliability Engineering teams to select and implement technologies and processes that maximize availability, uptime and efficient manufacturing across Cytiva’s high-volume, high-variety, regulated manufacturing.

As part of the Senior Site Leadership Team, the role leads, coaches and mentors Manufacturing and Engineering teams, addressing critical performance gaps and delivering sustained improvements across Manufacturing and Operations KPIs in line with Danaher Core Value Drivers.

This position reports to the Operations Director and is part of the Manufacturing Operations team located in Cardiff, UK. This is an on-site role with up to 20% travel, as required.

What you will do:

• Lead site Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, and Reliability Engineering teams across diverse regulated operations, including high-volume automated Medical Device lines, medium-volume semi-automated Laboratory Device manufacturing in regulated cleanroom environments, and complex process-driven Biology production.

• Drive Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost through the disciplined adoption and deployment of DBS tools, including Daily Management, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Total Productive Maintenance, and structured problem solving (PSP), using action plans and well-chosen Kaizen events to drive sustainable results.

• Deliver sustained improvements in OTD, Past Due, yield, OEE, equipment availability, Labor Productivity and Overhead Productivity by improving flow, uptime, schedule adherence, maintenance effectiveness and manufacturing execution.

• Partner with site-based EHS & Facilities, Supply Chain, Quality, and DBS leaders to identify critical performance gaps, lead Kaizen events, and execute breakthrough initiatives that improve customer value and operational performance.

• Lead Manufacturing Engineering and Reliability Engineering teams to optimize process capability, equipment performance, technology deployment, validation readiness and lifecycle asset reliability across all manufacturing platforms.

• Build strong cross-functional relationships with upstream suppliers, downstream supply chain partners and internal stakeholders to improve flow, reduce disruption, and increase responsiveness across the full value stream.

• Develop, coach and engage manufacturing and engineering talent, strengthening leadership capability, DBS competency, associate engagement and succession depth across the site.

Who you are:

• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in relevant Business, Manufacturing, Engineering or Science based discipline, or equivalent years of experience.

• Significant progressive experience in complex site manufacturing and engineering leadership within a high-volume, lean-driven manufacturing environment, ideally in Life Sciences or a similar regulated industry with high levels of automation.

• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve complex problems, communicate issues, and propose solutions to external customers and internal team members.

• Strong analytical, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate ideas clearly, build understanding, and strengthen problem solving and relationships across peers and leaders.

• Ability to operate effectively in a multi-tasking, dynamic environment, while maintaining a forward-thinking and customer-first attitude.

• Ability to energize, develop, build rapport, collaborate, and influence at all levels within an organization. Acts as an inspirational, approachable, and humble leader who builds trust and engagement.

Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time, including visits to manufacturing sites and business locations as required. 

• Ability to work in a variety of manufacturing, cleanroom, laboratory, biological production, and office environments. 

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

• Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Diagnostics, Medical Device, or Pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. 

• Leading large-scale operational transformations through Lean, Continuous Improvement, or Danaher Business System methodologies. 

• Developing manufacturing leadership talent and building robust succession pipelines within global organizations. 

Cytiva, 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.

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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, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.