Manufacturing Operations Manager

The Production Manager is responsible for the day-to-day execution and performance of production within an assigned manufacturing value stream. This leader will own staffing, scheduling, throughput, output, safety, quality, delivery, and cost while leading and developing Production Supervisors and their teams.

This role serves as a critical connection point between Production and the broader manufacturing organization. While functions such as Metal Fabrication, Welding, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Material Flow maintain their own functional leadership, the Production Manager is responsible for coordinating closely with these teams to ensure work moves efficiently from one stage of manufacturing to the next.

The ideal candidate is a strong shop-floor leader with experience in contract manufacturing, engineered-to-order production, and complex integrated products who can translate production requirements into daily execution, identify constraints, develop frontline leadership, and drive measurable improvements in manufacturing throughput.

Responsibilities

Production Leadership & Execution

• Lead daily production operations for an assigned manufacturing value stream from material release through final shipment.
• Own production staffing, scheduling, labor allocation, throughput, output, and daily execution against the production plan.
• Lead and develop Production Supervisors and their teams across a production organization of approximately 25–100+ employees.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability for frontline leadership and production employees.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor, identifying issues and driving timely resolution.
• Ensure production priorities are aligned with customer requirements, manufacturing schedules, and business objectives.
• Monitor production performance and adjust labor, priorities, and resources as conditions change.
• Drive consistent execution across shifts and ensure effective communication between production teams.

Safety, Quality, Delivery & Cost

• Own production performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC) within the assigned value stream.
• Maintain OSHA compliance and reinforce a visible, hands-on safety culture throughout production.
• Partner with EHS to identify risks, implement corrective actions, and improve shop-floor safety performance.
• Partner with Quality to address defects, rework, nonconformances, and recurring production issues.
• Drive on-time execution while maintaining established quality and safety standards.
• Monitor labor efficiency, overtime, scrap, rework, productivity, and other key production cost drivers.
• Establish and track production KPIs to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

Throughput & Continuous Improvement

• Identify and eliminate production bottlenecks that impact throughput, cycle time, and customer delivery.
• Drive manufacturing throughput optimization across the assigned value stream.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing principles to improve production flow and operational performance.
• Lead and participate in Value Stream Mapping, Value Stream Maps, Kaizen events, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Improve material flow, work sequencing, floor utilization, and handoffs between manufacturing disciplines.
• Support organizational streamlining and Value Chain Management initiatives that improve end-to-end manufacturing performance.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to improve standard work, production processes, tooling, and manufacturing efficiency.

New Product Introduction & Manufacturing Readiness

• Drive production readiness for new product introductions and manufacturing ramps.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management to identify production risks before products reach the manufacturing floor.
• Ensure labor, tooling, work instructions, materials, processes, and production capacity are