Engineering Associate Director, EMEA & APAC Lead

This is where you save and sustain lives

At Baxter, we are deeply connected by our mission. No matter your role at Baxter, your work makes a positive impact on people around the world. You'll feel a sense of purpose throughout the organization, as we know our work improves outcomes for millions of patients.

Baxter's products and therapies are found in almost every hospital worldwide, in clinics and in the home. For over 85 years, we have pioneered significant medical innovations that transform healthcare.

Together, we create a place where we are happy, successful and inspire each other. This is where you can do your best work.

Join us at the intersection of saving and sustaining lives—where your purpose accelerates our mission.

Summary:

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Associate Director, EMEA/APAC Engineering Lead to oversee and drive engineering excellence across manufacturing sites within the Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions. This role serves as the primary engineering point of contact for regional leadership, ensuring alignment between engineering strategy, operational needs, and business objectives.

The Associate Director will be responsible for driving innovation, automation, and digitalization, while also providing technical leadership, process optimization, and investment oversight. The role requires a strong balance of hands-on technical expertise and high-level strategic influence, ensuring that engineering solutions contribute to manufacturing efficiency, cost reduction, and overall operational improvements.

What you'll be doing:

1. Regional Engineering Leadership & Governance

• Serve as the engineering leader and key liaison for EMEA/APAC regional division leadership, ensuring engineering priorities align with business objectives.
• Develop and implement a standardized engineering strategy across all sites, ensuring alignment with corporate standards, regulatory requirements, and operational best practices.
• Lead the regional engineering governance framework, including capital investment planning, risk management, and performance tracking.

2. Manufacturing Process Improvement & Operational Support

• Analyze manufacturing processes across sites to identify, develop, and implement engineering-driven improvements that enhance productivity, quality, and cost efficiency.
• Provide on-site and remote engineering support to troubleshoot and resolve process-related technical challenges across EMEA/APAC sites.
• Collaborate with site engineering teams to drive Manufacturing Improvement Programs (MIP) and deploy Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance operational performance.

3. Automation & Digitalization Strategy

• Lead the roadmap for automation and digitalization across EMEA/APAC sites, ensuring adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, smart manufacturing, and data-driven decision-making.
• Drive initiatives to enhance process automation, real-time monitoring, and predictive maintenance using advanced analytics and digital solutions.
• Partner with IT, operations, and site engineering teams to identify opportunities for smart manufacturing adoption and system integration.

4. Capital Investment & Business Case Review

• Oversee the development, evaluation, and approval of capital investment projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and return on investment (ROI).
• Provide technical and financial guidance in reviewing investment business cases, ensuring feasibility, risk mitigation, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with finance and operations to track capital investments, ensuring projects deliver expected value and operational impact.

5. Cross-Functional & Strategic Program Leadership

• Act as the engineering representative in cross-functional strategic programs within the EMEA/APAC region, influencing decision-making at the highest levels.
• Collaborate with operations, quality, supply chain, and R&D to drive holistic solutions that enhance overall manufacturing efficiency.
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing, best practice standardization, and technical capability development across regional sites.

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering (Electrical, Industrial, Chemical Engineering or related field).
• 12+ years of experience in engineering leadership, process optimization, and manufacturing operations within the pharmaceutical, medical device, or highly regulated industries.
• Extensive experience leading site engineering operations or operational excellence functions in a matrix organization.
• Deep knowledge of automation, digitalization, and Industry 4.0 technologies in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record in driving cost savings, process improvements, and capital investment planning through engineering solutions.
• Ability to lead, influence, and drive change in a diverse, cross-cultural, and multi-functional environment.
• Strong business acumen, with experience in financial analysis, budgeting, and ROI assessment for engineering projects.
• Proficiency in Lean, Six Sigma, and reliability engineering methodologies to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee large-scale initiatives, capital projects, and process transformations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certification in Project Management (PMP), Lean Six Sigma, or Reliability Engineering (CRE).
• Professional Black Belt certification is a plus.
• Experience with digital transformation, smart manufacturing, and AI-driven operational improvements.
• Experience in multi-site governance and strategic engineering leadership at a regional or global level and/or OPEX Experience.

Why Join Us?

This role offers an exciting opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing engineering across the EMEA/APAC region, drive innovation and automation, and influence key business decisions. If you are a technical leader with a strategic mindset, this is an excellent opportunity to make a high-impact contribution in a global organization.

Reasonable Accommodations

Baxter is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information.

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