The Production Manager will manage, coach, and develop the manufacturing area, consisting of Team Leaders and hourly production team members, to ensure high performance and continuous improvement in manufacturing safety practices, workmanship, delivery, and cost. As an engineer-to-order and manufacture-to-order operation, every project is unique — the Production Manager is responsible for planning, scheduling, and executing custom fabrication and assembly work to meet customer specifications and committed delivery dates. This role is focused on manufacturing performance and manufacturing KPIs, and works closely with the managers responsible for Quality, Safety, Supply Chain/Inventory, and Shipping/Receiving.
Summary of Responsibilities
- Direct reports include Team Leaders & hourly production team members in a non-union environment.
- Responsible for manufacturing performance and improvement of key manufacturing KPIs, including quality rejections, utilization, efficiency, and overall throughput. Align shop metrics with overall company goals; organize resources to deliver on these metrics.
- Plan and manage the daily production schedule and work order priorities. Assign team members to jobs based on skill sets, project requirements, and delivery commitments; manage staffing throughout the day and monitor expected and unexpected absenteeism. Review the daily plan with Team Leaders.
- Establish and document procedures that represent transaction flow inside of the ERP system throughout the manufacturing process — including work order release, labor reporting, WIP tracking, and job closure — and ensure these procedures are consistently followed on the shop floor.
- Establish labor benchmarks for standard operations and use them to drive efficiency metrics, improve job costing accuracy, and support estimating and quoting.
- Maintain a good technical understanding of operations; follow the escalation process to address and respond to abnormalities and recommend corrective action as required.
- Act as a first responder to Team Leaders and production team members on the shop floor. Facilitate delegation of issues to the appropriate level in the escalation process.
- Implement Lean manufacturing practices suited to low-volume, high-mix custom manufacturing, along with the Escalation Process.
- Cascade necessary information to Team Leaders and communicate key issues, risks, and resource needs to the leadership team in a timely manner.
- Develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures and work instructions for fabrication and assembly operations. Ensure process stability and repeatability across custom projects. Coach and develop Team Leaders and team members to ensure documented procedures are in place and followed.
- Maintain a cross-training matrix and drive skills development so the team can flex across projects and work centers as demand shifts.
- Implement 5S standards throughout the shop.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Production Manager collaborates with Quality, Safety, Supply Chain/Inventory, Shipping/Receiving, Engineering and Project Management as needed to ensure proper and timely completion of projects for customers.
- Partner with the Quality Manager to resolve workmanship and production quality issues, reduce quality rejections and rework, and drive improvements in First Pass Yield.
- Promote a safety culture within the manufacturing team, ensure compliance with safety rules and procedures (including PPE), and support and/or conduct accident investigations and corrective actions involving production personnel.
- Partner with Supply Chain/Inventory to communicate material needs and priorities, flag shortages that impact the production schedule, and ensure material transactions on the shop floor are accurate and timely in the ERP system.
- Partner with Shipping/Receiving to align production completions with shipment commitments and ensure finished work is staged and transacted correctly.
- Partner with Engineering to resolve drawing, specification, and manufacturability questions quickly so jobs keep moving.
- Partner with Project Management to communicate production status, capacity, and realistic delivery dates for customer projects, and to flag schedule risks early so customer expectations can be managed proactively.
Leadership & Administration: Provide effective day-to-day leadership, work direction, and support for the manufacturing team across the shop.
- Partner with Human Resources team to ensure fair and consistent administration of all policies, work rules, and processes.
- Oversee shop staffing and allocate employees across projects and work centers to cover absenteeism and shifting priorities.
- Identify and communicate overtime needs. When applicable, acquire overtime help and accurately apply overtime guidelines.
- Manage employee disciplinary investigation and action as appropriate. Partner with HR to conduct timely investigations when necessary. Complete accurate and thorough disciplinary records with supporting documentation.
- Ensure attendance practice is issued in a timely manner and consistent with the Attendance Policy.
- Distribute written communications in a timely fashion.
Manufacturing KPIs: The Production Manager owns, tracks, and reports on the following key metrics:
- Quality rejections — rejections attributable to manufacturing workmanship, with root cause and corrective action, in partnership with the Quality Manager.
- Utilization — productive time against available labor and equipment capacity.
- Efficiency — actual labor hours against established labor benchmarks by operation.
- Overall throughput — volume of work orders and projects completed through the shop against the production schedule.
- On-time performance — completion of jobs and projects against committed dates, aligned with customer expectations, in partnership with Project Management.
What you need to Succeed
- Demonstrated experience working with team members at all levels of the organization to achieve operational results.
- High level of initiative, energy, and motivation to develop & grow in a team environment.
- Organizational skills, initiative, and ability to handle multiple priorities and tasks.
- Sound technical aptitude & experience, including the ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
- Working knowledge of ERP systems, including production transactions, routings, and labor reporting.
- Dynamic leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Exceptional problem-solving & follow-through ability.
- Ability to facilitate team projects and work effectively across departments.
Minimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA degree, ideally in engineering, supply chain management, or business — or extensive experience in manufacturing operations in lieu of a degree.
- Leadership experience and/or technical acumen within Operations (i.e.: manufacturing, materials, quality, procurement, or related functional area).
- Solid verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and leadership influencing skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 5 years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally in an engineer-to-order, manufacture-to-order, or custom fabrication setting, and project implementation.
- Experience establishing and documenting ERP transaction procedures and labor standards in a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated accomplishments showing results-based methodology, analytical methods, schedule achievement, and teamwork.
- Lean Manufacturing implementation experience.
Physical Requirements:
- Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard and mouse.
- Vision correctable to 20/20.
- Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds at times.
- Ability to stand, walk, stoop, bend, and kneel.
Working Conditions:
- This position operates in a metal manufacturing environment. Working conditions may include exposure to elevated temperatures, particularly during the summer months, as well as dust, dirt, noise, and other conditions typical of an industrial manufacturing facility.
- Ability to travel to customers, vendors, and other MXD Process sites as needed.
