Director of General Engineering

About the role

Alcon is seeking a Director of General Engineering to lead all engineering functions at its medical‑device disposables and consumables manufacturing site in Houston, Texas. This senior, transformation‑focused role will drive automation, digitalisation, continuous improvement and sustainability across both legacy automated lines and manual assembly processes.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute a risk‑managed automation roadmap, upgrading legacy systems and converting manual operations to validated automated solutions.
• Introduce Industry 4.0 technologies such as real‑time process monitoring, machine vision, digital work instructions, OEE dashboards, connected asset management and predictive maintenance.
• Own the full validation lifecycle (IQ/OQ/PQ/CSV) for new and modified equipment and software, ensuring compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 13485 and GMP/GDP standards.
• Lead Lean, Six Sigma and Value‑Stream‑Mapping initiatives to achieve annual engineering‑led OpEx savings in energy, yield, scrap, material efficiency, labor productivity and capital avoidance.
• Collaborate with IT and Global Engineering to pilot and scale digital tools that improve throughput, quality or cost.
• Drive the site’s transition to sustainable energy generation and usage.
• Build and nurture an engineering organization with a strong talent pipeline, capability development and a positive culture.

Required profile

• Proven senior leadership experience in engineering within a regulated medical‑device manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver large‑scale automation and digital transformation projects on time and within budget.
• Strong track record of continuous‑improvement and OpEx delivery using Lean, Six Sigma and value‑stream‑mapping.
• Experience managing validation (IQ/OQ/PQ/CSV) and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Required skills

• Automation engineering
• Industry 4.0 technologies (machine vision, digital work instructions, OEE dashboards, predictive maintenance)
• Real‑time process monitoring
• Connected asset management
• Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ/CSV)
• FDA 21 CFR Part 820 compliance
• ISO 13485
• GMP/GDP
• Lean methodology
• Six Sigma
• Value‑Stream Mapping