Director of Production

Location: On-site in Chicago, IL

• Department: Operations / Production
• Direct Reports: Production Managers/Supervisors, CAD/CAM Team Lead, Department Leads (Fixed, Removable, and Ortho), Quality Lead, Planners/Schedulers
• Salary – 180K+
• Full Benefits
• Relocation assistance

🎯 Role Overview

The Company is a full-service dental laboratory specializing in crown & bridge, removable, orthodontics, and implants. We are undergoing a major transition from analog workflows to advanced digital CAD/CAM, 3D printing, and AI, with the goal of achieving end-to-end automation in the U.S. This transformation is aimed at significantly elevating quality, customer experience, and cost efficiency.

The Director of Production owns the day-to-day operations and performance across all product lines. This critical leadership role is accountable for safety, quality, throughput, cost, staffing, training, and delivery.

This role works in close cooperation with the Director of Technology, who owns the technology strategy, selection, systems integration, and automation roadmaps. Production defines operational requirements, capacity targets, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Technology delivers the technical solutions and integrations; Production ensures adoption, standard work, and sustained results.

🚀 Leadership Team & Strategic Oversight

• Serve on The Company's Leadership Team, shaping strategy and culture in alignment with growth, margin, and customer-experience goals.
• Co-own the annual operating plan and regular reviews: capacity ramp, mix strategy (in-house vs. outsource), labor model, and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets.
• Lead network and footprint planning (layout, cells/lines, shift strategy), capital planning (business cases and paybacks), and make/buy decisions with Finance and the CEO.
• Partner with the Director of Technology on the 36-month digital roadmap to sequence pilots, scale proven technologies, and de-risk organizational change.
• Provide strategic input on practice service models (SLAs, turnaround tiers), cost-to-serve, and experience improvements.
• Develop the talent strategy for production (org design, upskilling, succession) and champion a high-performance, safety-first culture.

🛠️ Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead daily production across crown & bridge, removable, ortho, and implant lines; manage in-house vs. outsourced mix to meet turnaround commitments.
• Own scheduling, capacity planning, and labor deployment; run tiered daily/weekly huddles; remove bottlenecks.
• Supervise the CAD/CAM team's execution (quality of designs, case setup standards, libraries, nesting) and ensure handoffs to milling/printing/finishing meet takt time.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Own the lab-wide Quality Management System (QMS) implementation and compliance for production: SOPs, work instructions, document control, calibration/maintenance, material/lot traceability.
• Drive remake/adjustment reduction and complaint handling (5-Why/Ishikawa; CAPA leadership).
• Ensure OSHA/infection control compliance and a safe workplace, lead audits and corrective actions.

Throughput, Cost & Continuous Improvement

• Implement Lean/6σ methodologies: standard work, visual management, 5S, SMED, Kanban/pull, and basic Statistical Process Control (SPC) where applicable.
• Reduce cycle time and Work-In-Process (WIP); improve On-Time Delivery (OTD), Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), labor cost per unit, and in-house vs. outsource economics.
• Build production dashboards (with Ops/Finance) and manage to KPIs.

People Leadership & Training

• Recruit, coach, and develop supervisors, technicians, and CAD designers; build bench strength and succession.
• Stand-up structured training programs (analog to digital upskilling, cross-training, role certifications).
• Oversee the remote school-based lab for standards, curriculum alignment, production readiness, and talent pipeline.

Technology Partnership (Collaboration)

• Director of Production (This Role) Responsibilities: Defines operational requirements, take time, staffing models, layouts, SOPs, and success criteria for new technology. Owns adoption, training execution, standard work, and sustained performance after go-live.
• Joint Responsibilities: Co-lead pilots (Tech leads technical; Production leads operational readiness and training). Co-author business cases and ROI; align on KPIs for acceptance. Co-own continuous improvement backlogs that touch both process and tech.

🌟 Qualifications

• 8+ years leading multi-line operations in a precision/custom manufacturing environment (dental lab, medical device, prosthetics/orthotics, CNC/CAD/CAM, 3D printing).
• Demonstrated success running (not just selecting) digital dental production: CAM, design, milling, sintering/curing, and print room management.
• Strong knowledge of dental implant systems and complex restorative workflows (full-arch, hybrids, guided surgery) preferred.
• Proven Lean/6σ toolkit; data-driven management with production dashboards and basic SPC/OEE.
• Excellent leadership, change management, and cross-functional communication; track record of scaling teams and culture during transformation.
• QMS ownership experience; OSHA/infection control familiarity required.

Tools & Platforms (Exposure/Execution)

• Design/CAD: exocad, 3Shape (execution standards, libraries, indications)
• CAM/Equipment: common dental mills, sintering furnaces, curing units; SLA/DLP printers
• Ops Systems: ERP/MES/LIS for scheduling, WIP, and traceability; BI tools for KPI dashboards

💼 Work Environment & Compensation

• Schedule: Full-time, on-site in Chicago; early huddles and occasional off-shift coverage.
• Travel: Occasional vendor/conference visits and oversight of the remote school-based lab (≤10%).
• Compensation & Benefits: Competitive salary, performance bonus tied to KPIs, and comprehensive benefits package (commensurate with experience).

⚖️ EEO Statement

The Company is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.