Head of US Operations

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Growth

Multi-site operational oversight Leads day-to-day and long-range operations across Saxonburg, Santa Rosa, and Eugene, ensuring consistent performance, shared standards, and coordinated execution.

Operational growth & scalability Develops and executes multi-year plans to expand both production capacity and technical capability across all U.S. sites. Ensures scalable manufacturing to support revenue growth, new product introductions, and evolving customer demand while maintaining quality, cost discipline, and technical readiness for advanced manufacturing processes.

Technology readiness Ensures U.S. operations maintain the equipment, processes, and technical capability required for future product roadmaps and advanced materials technologies.

Workforce development Builds leadership and technical talent pipelines across all U.S. sites. Ensures teams are trained, developed, and prepared for expanded capabilities and increased production volumes.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

Enterprise KPI ownership Owns delivery, cost, quality, yield, and productivity metrics across all U.S. operations, ensuring performance supports business growth targets.

Operational excellence Leads Lean, automation, and digital transformation initiatives to improve throughput, reduce variation, and strengthen competitiveness.

Cycle-time and yield optimization Directs analysis of cycle times, bottlenecks, and first-pass yields to maximize efficiency and support scalable growth.

Production, Planning & Supply Chain Alignment

Integrated production planning Oversees planning, scheduling, inventory control, and capacity balancing across all U.S. sites to support growth and ensure predictable delivery.

Site allocation strategy Determines optimal product placement across U.S. and global sites to meet delivery, cost, and technology objectives.

Global Coordination

Asia operations partnership Maintains alignment with Asia operations leadership to support global product transfers, shared learning, and coordinated scaling.

Logistics & compliance Ensures shipments meet export guidelines, customer requirements, and global logistics standards.

Leadership & Organizational Development

Culture & accountability Drives a culture of operational discipline, collaboration, and high performance aligned with Coherent's ICARE values.

Change leadership - Leads organizational change initiatives, including digital transformation and cross-site standardization to support scalable growth.

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Business Management required; MBA preferred.

15+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, including multi-site responsibility.

Experience with global operations, including Asia, strongly preferred.

Skills

Proven leadership of large, diverse, multi-site teams

Strong understanding of precision machining and optical fabrication

Excellent communication and executive-level presentation skills

Demonstrated success driving continuous improvement and operational transformation

Knowledge of ISO 9001:2015 and Lean methodologies

ERP/MES proficiency; SAP and Power BI preferred

Must meet ITAR requirements (U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Individual)

Working Conditions

Fast-paced, multi-site manufacturing environment

Office and shop-floor presence required

~20% travel across U.S. sites; occasional international travel

Safety Requirements

All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.

Quality and Environmental Responsibilities

Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.

Culture Commitment

Ensure adherence to company's values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:

Integrity Create an Environment of Trust

Collaboration Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas

Accountability Own the Process and the Outcome

Respect Recognize the Value in Everyone

Enthusiasm Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

Coherent Corp. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io.

About Us

Coherent is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials and networking components. We are a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Coherent provides a comprehensive career development platform within an environment that challenges employees to perform at their best, while rewarding excellence and hard-work through a competitive compensation program. It's an exciting opportunity to work for a company that offers stability, longevity and growth. Come Join Us! Note to recruiters and employment agencies: We will not pay for unsolicited resumes from recruiters and employment agencies unless we have a signed agreement and have required assistance, in writing, for a specific opening.

Job Info

Job Identification 2014626

Posting Date 09/10/2026, 03:35 PM

Degree Level Bachelor's Degree

Job Schedule Full time

Locations 375 Saxonburg Blvd, Saxonburg, PA, 16056, US 3640 Westwind Boulevard, Santa Rosa, CA, 95403, US (On-site)

Pay Scale 179,975-265,420