MedTech Manufacturing Director

If you’ve worn a pair of glasses, we’ve already met.

We are a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames, and sunglasses. We offer our industry stakeholders in over 150 countries access to a global platform of high-quality vision care products such as the Essilor brand, with Varilux, Crizal, Eyezen, Stellest and Transitions, iconic brands that consumers love such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol and Oliver Peoples, as well as a network that offers consumers high-quality vision care and best-in-class shopping experiences such as Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, and Target Optical, and leading e-commerce platforms.

Our unique business model and relentless pursuit of operational excellence ensures that consumers everywhere have access to products. Balancing speed, efficiency and proximity, the Company manages a global supply chain with cutting-edge technology, based on centralization for frames and on a capillary network for lens finishing and prescription laboratories. In our dynamic environment, fueled by technology and innovation, our people have the space to pioneer new solutions.

Join our global community of over 200,000 dedicated employees around the world in driving the transformation of the eyewear and eyecare industry. Discover more by following us on LinkedIn!

As we continue to reinforce GEARS’ (Group Equipment and Automation Robotics Systems) role in supporting the Group’s growth in the med-tech domain, we are proposing this position to lead the Med-Tech Manufacturing unit of Ligny en Barrois (called La Compasserie), reporting to the Head of worldwide Med-Tech Manufacturing. This unit is the strategic Med-Tech factory of the Group, experienced in new products introduction, producing a large part of the range of equipment used by eye care professionals for finishing, screening, and optometry. The factory employs 180 people, of which 120 report to the Director of Med-Tech Manufacturing.

You are responsible of the CNC workshop, the assembly workshops for the different product categories, and the local department of Industrialization/Methods, Quality and Maintenance.

You work closely with all the other functions on-site (Supply Chain, HR, Controling, EHS and general services), and with R&D, Industrialization, Sourcing Dpt based on other sites in France.

Key success factors:

You will lead and transform a strategic manufacturing unit, ensuring operational excellence while supporting the industrialization of innovative products.

Your role combines strategic leadership and operational execution, with a strong focus on:

• • Industrial performance and cost competitiveness
  • New product industrialization
  • Quality and regulatory compliance (ISO 13485)
  • Team engagement and organizational development

Job Responsabilities

Industrial Strategy & Site Leadership

• Define and execute the site’s industrial roadmap (capacity, investments, product mix).
• Build and manage budget (COGS, OPEX, CAPEX).

• • Ensure optimal resource allocation and industrial capacity.
  • Anticipate risks and implement mitigation plans.

Management & structuration

• • Lead multidisciplinary teams: Production, Industrialization, Quality, Maintenance in accordance with the Group’s policy and values regarding communication, social dialogue, EHS, ethic.
  • Monitor key performance indicators (volume, quality, efficiency, costs, CSR) and manage actions plans.
  • Foster a high-performance and collaborative culture.
  • Develop talents and leadership across the organization.
  • Ensure strong communication and social dialogue.
  • Anticipate organizational changes and manage them in accordance with HR guidelines.

Manufacturing Excellence

• • Ensure compliance with ISO 13485 for the industrialization & manufacturing of medical devices.
  • Continuously improve the QMS for more efficiency, ensuring adherence to product specifications at the lowest cost.
  • Promote lean manufacturing management and continuous improvement of standards.
  • Support local industrial transformation projects.
  • Develop technology watching on medical device industry and synergy across other sectors of Group’s Operations.

New products introduction and sustaining

• • Contribute to the industrialization of new products by setting up and qualifying the manufacturing process in collaboration with the New Product Industrialization department (SOP, tooling, test benches, etc.) and R&D.
  • Support the product sustaining by identifying areas for improvement (cost, reliability, quality), contributing to change management, and qualifying the manufacturing of new versions.

Candidate Profile

• MSc in Engineering
• Minimum 10 years experience in industrial leadership / manufacturing management
• Strong experience in assembly processes (mechatronics preferred)
• Experience in medical devices or regulated environment
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, QMS, ISO 13485
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (SAP preferred)
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Proven experience in industrial transformation