Regional Technical Director

Position at Samtec, Inc

Summary/Objective

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

1. Interface and collaborate with Operations, Engineering, and Sales to develop and implement technical strategies and goals that advance the Samtec operational and technical roadmaps.
2. Provide the region with technical strategy and objectives required to carry out the Samtec service model in a manner consistent with Samtec company values and DNA to meet internal and external customer needs.
3. Establish and oversee technical KPIs for all regional facilities performance for operations, quality, and compliance standards (CTPAT, AEO, ISO, IATF, etc.).
4. Perform regular technical risk assessments across all regional facilities, identifying and mitigating risks to technical performance and product quality.
5. Lead regional TPM strategy deployment, establish framework and all associated systems/processes.
6. Define and track leading and lagging KPIs for equipment reliability, including MTBF, MTTR, and maintenance cost per unit to drive measurable improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and asset reliability.
7. Establish and maintain standards for autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance, and early equipment management programs.
8. Build regional TPM capability through systems, site audits, cross‑site knowledge sharing, etc.
9. Lead regional sustaining manufacturing engineering teams in the optimization, standardization, scale‑up of manufacturing processes, and design improvements across all product lines and facilities.
10. Drive automation roadmaps that reduce manual operations where justified, improve ergonomic conditions, increase throughput, and lower unit cost by providing regional direction for machine controls, covering PLC, HMI, DCS, robotics, vision systems, and motion control platforms.
11. Identify and deliver process improvement projects yielding significant cost reduction, capacity expansion, or quality enhancement by utilizing continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DMAIC, FMEA, and Design of Experiments (DOE).
12. Work with local Operations teams to develop and recommend capital expenditure strategies and resource rebalancing to make regional operations scalable, technically advanced, and efficient.
13. Develop and maintain structured technical training curriculum encompassing front line technical support, sustaining manufacturing engineering (tooling/process), sustaining machine controls/vision, and sustaining engineering leadership ensuring common processes, systems, and tracking methods are aligned with global strategy.
14. Develop and implement a regional framework for associate growth and performance management—encompassing career pathways, competency frameworks, and succession planning across front line technical support, manufacturing engineering, machine controls/vision, and engineering leadership—while overseeing performance evaluations, driving improvement plans where needed, and recognizing high performers in partnership with HR and site leadership.
15. Build and oversee internal talent development programs where necessary (i.e. apprenticeship and co‑op programs).
16. Collaborate with Corporate and Regional Leadership to address current and future technical needs to ensure scalability.
17. Conduct regular trips to corporate and manufacturing facilities to build relationships with cross‑functional teams, receive critical training, and collaborate on technical initiatives. Provide corporate stakeholders with trip updates and technical action plans.
18. Collaborate with HODs, HR, and administrative regional partners to ensure all business processes comply with government and industry standards, protecting Samtec's interests.
19. Support and sponsor regional manufacturing execution systems (MES), ERP integration, and industrial automation platforms in alignment with global architecture standards.
20. Champion smart manufacturing initiatives at the regional level, including IIoT infrastructure deployment, AI‑assisted process control, and advanced analytics tools.
21. Drive convergence of IT and OT infrastructure within the region, ensuring secure, scalable, and interoperable manufacturing systems.

Required Experience

1. 10+ years of experience in high‑precision, tight‑tolerance manufacturing.
2. 10+ years of department or regional management experience in technical, engineering, or operations roles leading technical manufacturing functions across multiple sites or regions.
3. Proven track record of delivering capital projects, automation programs, new technologies/processes, and core manufacturing initiatives on time.
4. Knowledge across manufacturing systems/MES, Total Productive Maintenance, process engineering, machine automation, New Product Introduction, GD&T, EIA, MIL standards, and GR&R.
5. Must be familiar with global regulations and manufacturing culture across Asia Pacific Region.
6. Ability to navigate multiple languages/cultures (China/Taiwan/Malaysia/Vietnam/Thailand) Outstanding.

Education

1. Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field required.
2. Masters in Engineering, MBA, or advanced degree is preferred but not required.

Training Required

1. On site corporate training required.
2. On‑the‑job training as appropriate.

Working Conditions

• Regular presence at regional manufacturing sites with periodic travel to corporate headquarters.
• Domestic and international travel required, estimated at up to 30% of working time.
• Flexibility to engage across global time zones to support an international organization.