Production Supervisor (Split Shift)

Job Description:

Brooks Instrument (www.brooksinstrument.com), an industry leader in flow and pressure instrumentation for critical applications, is seeking candidates for a Management Development Program (MDP) position that will be based at the company headquarters in Hatfield, Pennsylvania (suburban Philadelphia). The company has manufacturing locations in Pennsylvania, California, Hungary, Malaysia and Korea, and also maintains sales and service offices throughout the world. Our high-tech products are used in laboratory and process applications in end markets such as: oil & gas, petrochemical, medical devices, waste water, life sciences, and analytical instruments. 

Brooks is a division of ITW (Illinois Tool Works), a fortune 200 company. ITW is one of the world’s leading diversified manufacturers of specialized industrial equipment, consumables, and related service businesses. The company has operations in 56 countries and employs over 50,000 employees. These talented employees, many of whom have specialized engineering or scientific expertise, contribute to ITW’s global leadership in innovation. The company is proud of its broad portfolio of nearly 10,000 active patents, and is focused on fully leveraging its highly differentiated business model to deliver solid growth with consistent best-in-class margins and return on capital.

Basic Function

The Split Shift Production Supervisor provides direct leadership and operational oversight for first- and second-shift employees manufacturing Vacuum and Pressure products at the Brooks Instrument facility in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Working a schedule designed to provide meaningful coverage and visibility across both shifts, the supervisor ensures consistent execution of safety, quality, delivery, productivity, inventory, cost, housekeeping, and employee-performance expectations.

The supervisor serves as the primary connection between the two shifts, maintaining clear priorities, effective handoffs, and consistent application of policies and operating practices. This role works closely with the Production Operations Manager, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Materials, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and other partners to resolve issues, develop employees, meet customer requirements, and drive continuous improvement through the ITW Toolbox and Lean Manufacturing methods.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•       Provide direct supervision, daily direction, coaching, and performance management for assigned first- and second-shift employees supporting Vacuum and Pressure production.

•       Maintain a regular work schedule that overlaps first and second shifts sufficiently to provide leadership visibility, employee access, direct observation, communication, and accountability across both shifts.

•       Establish and communicate daily production priorities, staffing assignments, schedules, output requirements, and operational expectations based on customer demand and business needs.

•       Coordinate effective handoffs between first and second shifts, including status of production, staffing, materials, equipment, quality issues, safety concerns, and open actions.

•       Ensure production plans, procedures, quality requirements, and performance expectations are applied consistently across both shifts.

•       Create and maintain a healthy and safe work environment; ensure employees understand and follow all safety requirements, personal protective equipment rules, cleanroom or gowning procedures, and incident-reporting expectations.

•       Lead daily management and gemba activities; review results against plan, identify gaps, assign corrective actions, remove obstacles, and ensure timely follow-through.

•       Monitor, analyze, and communicate key performance indicators, including safety, quality, output, on-time delivery, productivity, labor efficiency, yield, scrap, rework, cycle time, overtime, inventory accuracy, and attendance.

•       Organize work, allocate available labor, and adjust priorities throughout the day to address changing demand, staffing constraints, material availability, equipment issues, and production interruptions.

•       Maintain thorough working knowledge of assigned Vacuum and Pressure products, manufacturing processes, equipment, work cells, documentation, and operating requirements.

•       Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to troubleshoot production issues, identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and sustain approved process or product changes.

•       Coordinate with Materials and Supply Chain to address component shortages, inventory discrepancies, work-in-process concerns, and other constraints affecting the production schedule.

•       Ensure employees accurately complete required production, inventory, quality, training, timekeeping, and other business-system transactions and documentation.

•       Promote 5S, visual management, standard work, flow, mistake-proofing, waste reduction, and other ITW Toolbox and Lean Manufacturing practices throughout assigned production areas.

•       Evaluate production operations, workflows, staffing, and methods to identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and employee effectiveness.

•       Ensure assigned employees are appropriately trained and qualified; maintain training plans and records and provide cross-training to build flexibility and coverage across both shifts.

•       Provide ongoing feedback, conduct performance discussions and reviews, recognize strong performance, and address attendance, conduct, or performance concerns in partnership with Human Resources.

•       Support employee hiring, interviewing, selection, onboarding, training, engagement, development, and retention activities.

•       Coach, mentor, and develop employees and emerging leaders; identify development opportunities and support succession planning for critical production roles.

•       Communicate company information, policy changes, production updates, and business priorities accurately and consistently to employees on both shifts.

•       Ensure established company policies, work rules, procedures, quality standards, and regulatory requirements are communicated, understood, and followed.

•       Collaborate with other supervisors and functional partners to coordinate shared resources, resolve cross-functional problems, and support overall site and customer priorities.

•       Support customer complaint investigations, corrective actions, audits, and other quality-system activities as assigned.

•       Prepare and communicate production, staffing, overtime, attendance, quality, delivery, and operational updates to the Production Operations Manager and other stakeholders.

•       Promote a respectful, inclusive, accountable, and team-oriented work environment across both shifts.

•       Support company continuous improvement initiatives and perform other duties as assigned. Marginal functions not listed among the essential duties may also be required.

Education and Experience

•       Bachelor's degree in engineering, technology, operations management, business administration, or a related field preferred.

•       Minimum of three years of supervisory or team-leadership experience in a manufacturing or production environment required.

•       Experience supervising employees across multiple shifts or working a split-shift schedule strongly preferred.

•       Experience with vacuum, pressure, flow-control, instrumentation, semiconductor, electromechanical, or other complex technical products preferred.

•       Demonstrated experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, daily management, 5S, visual management, standard work, or other continuous improvement methods preferred.

•       Experience working within an ISO 9001 or similarly regulated quality-system environment preferred

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

•       Proven ability to lead, motivate, coach, and hold employees accountable while maintaining positive working relationships.

•       Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, production scheduling, labor allocation, inventory processes, quality requirements, and performance metrics.

•       Ability to maintain consistent communication, expectations, and follow-through across first- and second-shift teams.

•       Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess priorities and respond effectively to production disruptions or escalations.

•       Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with employees, peers, managers, and cross-functional partners.

•       Strong organizational, time-management, documentation, and follow-through skills.

•       Ability to handle confidential employee and business information with discretion and sound judgment.

•       Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint; experience with ERP, manufacturing execution, quality, timekeeping, or data-reporting systems preferred.

•       Ability to work onsite in Hatfield on a split-shift schedule and adjust working hours periodically to support operational needs, employee meetings, training, or critical issues.

Benefits

Our employees enjoy competitive, merit-based salary plus excellent benefits including:

• Health and dental insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• 401K plan with generous company match
• Vacation, personal days and holidays
• Continuing education reimbursement program
• Flexible spending accounts 

The opportunity to join a well established (80 years in business) yet dynamically changing organization that works together as a team to meet the challenges of satisfying customers’ needs and managing rapid growth to better compete in a global marketplace.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.