Job Summary
Relocation to Wadena, MN
As Operations Manager, you will serve as the operational leader for Homecrest Outdoor Living and Innovative Surfaces, with accountability for manufacturing, materials management, procurement, inventory, and production scheduling. In the near term, this role will carry significant hands-on manufacturing leadership responsibility while the organization builds supervisory depth on the floor. Over time, the role will shift toward broader operational strategy and cross-functional integration.
Essential Functions
Manufacturing & Shop Floor Leadership
- Provide direct operational oversight of all manufacturing activities for Homecrest Outdoor Living and Innovative Surfaces, with accountability for safety, quality, throughput, and cost.
- Maintain active, visible shop floor presence—setting performance standards and driving accountability at the supervisory and floor level.
- Assist Production Supervisors with workflow in and between departments.
- Rely on floor supervisors for shift-level execution while remaining involved enough to identify problems, remove obstacles, and intervene when needed.
- Lead a structured, continuous improvement program grounded in lean manufacturing principles.
- Own plant-level quality outcomes with direct accountability for results.
- Manage in-process inspection activities, defect tracking systems, and corrective action processes.
- Drive measurable reduction in rework and scrap through disciplined process control and data-informed decision making.
- Oversee maintenance operations in partnership with the maintenance team leader to ensure equipment reliability supports production commitments.
- Serve on the Safety Committee and ensure all operations personnel adhere to established safety policies.
- Maintain environmental compliance for Homecrest Outdoor Living and Innovative Surfaces operations.
Materials Management & Procurement
- Own the end-to-end flow of materials from supplier to production floor.
- Coordinate purchasing, receiving, staging, and inventory management as an integrated system.
- Work with Materials Manager to validate activities, including vendor identification and selection, sourcing strategy development, and purchase order management.
- Evaluate and manage supplier performance against defined criteria—quality, cost, and delivery reliability.
- Partner with Materials Manager on strategic supplier relationships and contract negotiations for key raw materials, components, and services.
- Identify and proactively mitigate supply chain risks, including tariff exposure, single-source dependencies, and lead time variability.
Inventory Management
- Develop and maintain inventory management policies that appropriately balance service level requirements with working capital efficiency.
- Establish and manage a cycle count program that drives sustained inventory accuracy across all stock locations.
- Monitor inventory levels, turns, and aging; identify and address excess, obsolete, or slow-moving stock systematically.
- Ensure inventory data integrity within Business Central as the foundation for reliable planning and reporting.
Production Scheduling & Planning
- Own the master production schedule, maintaining alignment between incoming customer demand, available production capacity, and material availability.
- Track and drive improvement in schedule attainment and on-time shipment performance.
- Use scheduling data to identify recurring capacity constraints and bottlenecks; develop and implement structural solutions.
Data, Performance, & Systems
- Define and maintain a core set of operational KPIs spanning manufacturing, procurement, inventory, and scheduling.
- Track, analyze, and report KPI performance regularly and report results with clear recommended actions.
- Use operational data proactively to diagnose performance gaps and prioritize improvement efforts across all operations.
- Build and sustain a performance rhythm of daily and weekly operational reviews grounded in current, accurate data.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, develop, and hold accountable a cross-functional operations team spanning production supervision, purchasing, and scheduling.
- Coach supervisors toward greater independence, ownership, and decision-making capability.
- Recruit and onboard supervisory and managerial talent as needed
- Conduct structured annual performance appraisals with clear goals and individual development plans for all direct reports.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, supply chain management, operations management, or a closely related field strongly preferred. Equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible operations experience will be considered.
- Minimum 10 years of operations experience with demonstrated growth in scope and responsibility over time.
- Minimum 5 years in a management role with cross-functional accountability—manufacturing plus at least one of: procurement, inventory, or production scheduling.
- Experience in a high-mix/low-volume or custom/semi-custom manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
Technical Competencies
- Hands-on, working knowledge of lean manufacturing tools and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Demonstrated experience building or maturing a continuous improvement initiative.
- Strong supply chain and materials management foundation, including procurement strategy, inventory optimization, and supplier performance management.
- Direct working experience with Microsoft Business Central ERP.
- Experience building and presenting from KPI dashboards, operational scorecards, and planning tools.
Leadership & Interpersonal Competencies
- Proven ability to lead and develop cross-functional operations teams.
- Clear, direct communicator across all levels of the organization from shop floor to board of directors.
- Able to work cross-functionally with customer service, sales, product development, and finance without losing operational focus.
- Self-directed and accountable; follows through on commitments and operates with a consistent sense of urgency.
- Operate effectively from both the strategic and tactical level as the role demands.
Located in Wadena, MN, Homecrest Outdoor Living, LLC is a leading manufacturer of outdoor furniture. Since our founding in 1953, our goal has been to enhance our customers’ outdoor living experience by producing quality furniture that lasts for decades. In fact, many of our vintage wire collections from the 1960s are still in use today. Our Core Values
At Homecrest, our culture is built on a foundation of four core values. We are looking for team members who share our commitment to these principles:
- Passion: We are driven, enthusiastic, dedicated, and proud. We take pride in creating high-quality products that help people love life outdoors.
- Innovation: We embrace new ideas and think outside the box. We are constantly seeking better ways to improve our products and our process.
- Accountability: We do what we say we will do and take responsibility. We own our work and our results, ensuring the Homecrest name always represents quality.
- Integrity: We are open and honest, building trust through transparency and upholding strong ethical values. We believe in doing the right thing, every time.
Pay: $90,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
