Production Manager

Description

The Production Manager is responsible for leading and supporting all production operations to ensure a safe, efficient, and high-performing manufacturing environment. This role combines hands-on manufacturing expertise with strong leadership to achieve operational and business objectives. As a coach, mentor, and leader, the Production Manager develops teams, removes obstacles, and provides the direction, resources, and accountability necessary for success. 

The successful candidate possesses a strong technical foundation in manufacturing processes, fabrication, assembly, production planning, quality systems, and continuous improvement methodologies. They are expected to understand how products are built, identify process inefficiencies, troubleshoot production challenges, and collaborate with engineering, quality, and operations teams to improve safety, productivity, and product quality. 

The Production Manager drives a culture of safety, quality, continuous improvement, teamwork, and accountability while ensuring production schedules, customer commitments, and business objectives are met. 

  Duties:  

• Lead and support daily production operations to ensure safety, quality, delivery, and productivity objectives are achieved. 
• Create a culture where safety is the highest priority and every employee is empowered to identify and address safety concerns. 
• Provide visible leadership on the production floor through regular engagement, coaching, and support of team members. 
• Remove barriers that prevent employees from performing their work safely, efficiently, and effectively. 
• Develop supervisors and production employees through coaching, training, mentoring, and accountability. 
• Foster a culture of teamwork, ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement. 
• Ensure production schedules are executed efficiently while meeting customer expectations and business objectives. 
• Monitor operational performance metrics and drive corrective actions when targets are not achieved. 
• Lead root cause investigations and problem-solving efforts to eliminate recurring production, quality, and safety issues. 
• Champion continuous improvement activities that reduce waste and improve flow. 
• Identify and implement process improvements that increase productivity, quality, safety, and employee engagement. 
• Collaborate with Planning, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and other departments to ensure operational alignment and execution. 
• Establish and communicate clear goals, expectations, and priorities for the production team. 
• Ensure adherence to quality standards, standardized work, and operational procedures. 
• Conduct regular team meetings, production reviews, and performance discussions. 
• Complete performance evaluations and actively support employee development and succession planning. 
• Support capacity planning, staffing strategies, and resource allocation to meet current and future business demands. 
• Lead by example in demonstrating company values, professionalism, accountability, and respect for others. 
• Promote a culture where problems are surfaced quickly, addressed effectively, and used as opportunities for learning and improvement.  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Management, or a related field preferred. 
• 5-10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience with demonstrated success leading production teams. 
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Root Cause Analysis, and Operational Excellence principles. 
• Proven ability to develop, coach, and lead supervisors and team members to achieve high levels of engagement and performance. 
• Knowledge of production planning, capacity management, workflow optimization, and performance management systems. 
• Strong understanding of quality systems, manufacturing processes, and customer-focused production environments. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of workplace safety requirements demonstrated commitment to building a strong safety culture. 
• Excellent leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and make informed decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. 
• Proven ability to lead change, drive accountability, and achieve results through others. 
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple initiatives. 
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications and manufacturing software systems. 
• Ability to build strong cross-functional relationships and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization. 
• Demonstrates a proactive, servant leadership mindset focused on removing obstacles and enabling team success. 
• Must be able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.