We have been retained by Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB), a fast-growing, global publicly-traded digital manufacturing company, to identify their next Chief Operations Officer (COO). Reporting directly to President & CEO, this position is one of the most important hires at the organization as Protolabs continues evolving its global manufacturing and fulfillment capabilities to support the next phase of growth.
With approximately $550M in annual revenue, 2,300 global employees, nine manufacturing facilities across the United States and Europe, and a rapidly expanding global manufacturing network, Protolabs has built one of the most differentiated software-enabled manufacturing platforms in the industry. Through CNC machining, injection molding, 3D printing, sheet metal fabrication, and proprietary manufacturing software systems, the company helps many of the world’s leading aerospace, defense, medical device, robotics, and industrial companies accelerate product development and scale production globally.
This COO role is broader than a traditional manufacturing operations leadership position. The selected executive will oversee Protolabs’ global manufacturing, fulfillment, supply chain, operational strategy, and manufacturing partner network across internal factories and approximately 250 manufacturing partners worldwide. Leading over 1,700 employees globally, this individual will play a critical role in helping evolve Protolabs from a market-leading prototype manufacturer into a more scaled production-capable manufacturing partner serving highly demanding OEM customers across regulated end markets.
The company is exceptionally well-positioned in the market and continues to experience strong momentum across both its prototyping and production manufacturing offerings. This hire will help drive operational scalability, lean transformation, production readiness, global fulfillment optimization, quality systems enhancement, and long-term operational strategy globally.
The selected candidate will receive a highly competitive executive compensation package including strong base salary, annual bonus, long-term incentives/equity participation, relocation assistance, and excellent executive benefits.
*** This organization is headquartered in the Minneapolis / Twin Cities area, and this individual will be expected to operate onsite regularly as a highly visible member of the Executive Leadership Team. ***
Responsibilities
- Define and execute global manufacturing and fulfillment strategies related to capacity, efficiency, quality, cost, and delivery performance
- Lead global manufacturing operations across multiple facilities, regions, and manufacturing service lines
- Optimize the internal factory and manufacturing partner network portfolio to meet changing customer demand while maximizing ROI
- Establish clear operational decision frameworks for internal manufacturing vs. network fulfillment vs. service-line execution
- Build scalable operational systems capable of supporting continued growth across both prototyping and production manufacturing
- Drive lean transformation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives globally
- Establish scalable production-oriented quality systems, supplier rigor, and operational governance
- Partner closely with Commercial leadership to align operational capabilities with growth strategy, customer segmentation, and GTM priorities
- Translate customer needs and market insights into operational and fulfillment strategies
- Support Sales and Customer Success through scalable service offerings, operational credibility, and customer-focused execution
- Partner closely with Technology leadership on software-enabled manufacturing capabilities, MES evolution, operational automation, and fulfillment systems
- Measure and manage cost, quality, and delivery performance through transparent, data-driven KPIs
- Lead CAPEX planning and operational investment prioritization aligned to global business objectives
- Build, develop, and retain a strong global operations leadership team
- Strengthen succession planning and leadership bench across manufacturing, supply chain, and fulfillment functions
- Evaluate organizational structure objectively while driving operational efficiencies and scalability initiatives
- Support future operational expansion, manufacturing footprint evolution, and acquisition integration activities
- Lead with a collaborative, transparent, accountable, and highly visible leadership style
Desired Skills And Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain,
- Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, Business, or related technical discipline required
- MBA or advanced technical/business degree strongly preferred
- Lean, Six Sigma, APICS/CSCP, or other operational excellence certifications preferred
- Senior executive experience leading complex operations, manufacturing, supply chain, or fulfillment organizations
- Demonstrated responsibility for large-scale, global, or highly matrixed operational environments
- Experience leading multi-site manufacturing operations serving demanding Fortune 500 OEM customers
- Strong preference for experience within Tier 1 / Tier 2 manufacturing suppliers, contract manufacturing, or complex industrial operations
- Experience operating in highly regulated manufacturing environments including aerospace, defense, medical device, industrial, or adjacent sectors
- Proven operational transformation experience including lean systems, quality systems, facility rationalization, network restructuring, or operational scaling
- Experience supporting both rapid-turn/custom manufacturing environments and scalable production operations strongly preferred
- Demonstrated partnership with Commercial, Product, Technology, and Finance leadership teams
- Experience leading organizations where operational decisions directly impacted customer acquisition, revenue growth, and retention
- Experience overseeing mixed internal manufacturing and external manufacturing partner models preferred
- M&A integration exposure and operational scaling experience highly desirable
- Strong analytical capabilities with experience building operational and financial decision models
- Deep understanding of customers, end markets, and manufacturing value propositions
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and make disciplined trade-offs across competing operational priorities
- Strong influencing capabilities across regions, functions, and executive leadership teams
- Ability to operate effectively within a fast-paced, high-accountability environment
- Strong operational urgency and bias toward action
- Customer-oriented mindset grounded in operational rigor and execution
- Proven ability to lead through transformation while preserving strong organizational culture and collaboration