The posting
About Us:
How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 179 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!
Location/Region: Dublin, CA
What’s the role?
The X-ray Source Production Line Manager has full ownership of the ZXR1 production line, including daily work planning and execution, staffing, employee performance, safety, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, systems, and continuous improvement. The manager sets priorities, sequences work, assigns resources, monitors results, removes barriers, and adjusts the plan to meet business commitments.
Reporting to the Director of X-ray Source Production and Development, the manager directly leads the technician organization and coordinates with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, Finance, and other partners to maintain a safe, capable, and predictable production operation.
Key Responsibilities
Production Planning, Execution, Capacity, and Delivery
- Own the daily, weekly, and longer-range production plan for the ZXR1 line, aligned with customer demand and business commitments.
- Set priorities, sequence work orders, assign technicians and equipment, confirm readiness, and adjust the plan throughout the day as conditions change.
- Lead daily floor execution, communicate expectations, monitor progress, and resolve constraints affecting safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
- Maintain capacity and staffing plans covering equipment, process constraints, labor, skills, materials, and forecast demand.
- Own schedule attainment, shipment commitments, recovery plans, utilization, throughput, and escalation of cross-functional risks.
Team Leadership and Development
- Directly manage and lead ZXR1 technicians, including hiring, onboarding, attendance, work expectations, performance management, employee relations, and development.
- Maintain a culture of accountability focused on safety, quality, ownership, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
- Ensure appropriate staffing, training, cross-training, and skill coverage for current and future production needs.
- Coach employees, provide timely feedback, conduct performance reviews, address performance or conduct issues, and support career development.
Production Systems, Master Data, and Inventory Controls
- Ensure timely, accurate SAP transactions for work orders, material movements, labor, inventory, and production completion.
- Own production routing and master-data governance, coordinating approved BOM, routing, and process changes with Engineering and Planning.
- Maintain inventory accuracy, traceability, and production-data integrity; investigate discrepancies and prevent recurrence.
Performance, Financial, and KPI Management
- Own line metrics and performance, including safety, first-pass yield, output, schedule attainment, efficiency, utilization, scrap, rework, and on-time shipment.
- Lead daily production reviews, compare actual performance with plan, assign corrective actions, and follow issues through closure.
- Prepare and present KPI trends, root causes, recovery actions, risks, and improvement priorities.
- Manage line financial performance, including labor, overtime, material variance, scrap, rework, inventory, forecasts, budgets, and cost reduction.
Quality and Continuous Improvement
- Own production quality performance and partner with Quality and Engineering to strengthen process controls and reduce defects, variation, scrap, and rework.
- Ensure NCRs are contained, investigated, dispositioned, and closed promptly; lead or support CAPAs and verify effectiveness.
- Maintain compliant SOPs, work instructions, checklists, build records, revision control, and training.
- Lead continuous improvement work based on safety, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, and employee input.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Coordinate with Engineering and Quality to implement approved product, process, documentation, and quality-system changes.
- Partner with NPI and Product Development to transfer products into stable, repeatable production.
- Work with Supply Chain, Planning, and Purchasing to resolve material constraints, inventory risks, and delivery priorities.
- Serve as the accountable owner and primary escalation point for ZXR1 production-line performance and cross-functional decisions.
Do you qualify?
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, or a related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
- 10+ years of manufacturing or operations leadership experience, preferably in high-tech or complex assembly.
- Demonstrated experience directly planning daily production, assigning work, leading frontline employees, and meeting safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets.
Technical Skills
- Ability to plan and control production using capacity, labor, material, quality, delivery, and cost data.
- Working knowledge of ERP-based manufacturing, preferably SAP, including work orders, routings, BOMs, labor reporting, inventory, and traceability.
- Experience with KPI management, daily operating reviews, capacity planning, recovery planning, and financial performance.
- Working knowledge of lean manufacturing, standard work, 5S, Kaizen, NCR, CAPA, 8D, root-cause analysis, and FMEA.
Soft Skills
- Clear, decisive communicator who sets expectations and aligns technicians, partners, and leadership.
- Strong planning, prioritization, and problem-solving skills in a changing production environment.
- Proven people leader with sound judgment, accountability, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Visible, data-driven floor leader who acts quickly, removes barriers, and follows commitments through completion.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) and transitioning products from engineering development into stable production.
- Experience in X ray systems, microscopy, vacuum systems, or other complex electromechanical assemblies.
- Prior experience in a regulated or quality focused environment (e.g., ISO certified manufacturing).
Work Environment:
- The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; sit for long periods of time; use hands to handle or feel objects, grasp tools or operate controls; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk and hear; smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 50 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee can be exposed to the weather conditions prevalent at the time. In addition, the employee will be exposed to the conditions in the production area and test areas as controlled by the HVAC system and required for the area. The noise level in the work area is usually moderate to extreme. Steel toes shoes will be required.
The annual pay range for this position is $128,000 – $160,000
The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.
This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions. ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off.
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 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.
Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:
Jo Anne Mittelman
Zeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).
