Production Manager
Department:
Heat Treat Services / Production
Reports To:
Plant Manager
FLSA Status:
Salary Exempt
Position Summary
The Production Manager is responsible for leading, directing, and coordinating all production activities to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant processing of customer material. This position is accountable for achieving production goals related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, equipment utilization, productivity, training, and continuous improvement.
The Production Manager provides leadership to shift supervisors and production employees while ensuring customer requirements, work instructions, quality procedures, production schedules, and company policies are properly followed. This role requires strong knowledge of heat-treating operations, processing procedures, equipment capabilities, workflow management, and employee leadership.
The Production Manager is expected to be a visible leader on the production floor who promotes accountability, teamwork, communication, housekeeping, safety, quality, and continuous improvement throughout the facility.
Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesProduction Leadership and Scheduling
· Manage daily production operations to meet customer requirements, production goals, and business objectives.
· Create, maintain, and execute the facility production schedule.
· Schedule and plan shop jobs from receipt through completion, ensuring proper sequencing, load planning, furnace utilization, and turnaround time.
· Assign work to shift supervisors and production personnel based on workload, skill level, equipment availability, and customer priority.
· Coordinate production schedules across all shifts to ensure continuity of operations.
· Determine when overtime, staffing adjustments, or schedule changes are required to maintain customer delivery commitments.
· Monitor jobs in process and ensure production activity is aligned with due dates, customer specifications, and internal priorities.
· Coordinate with shipping, quality, maintenance, customer service, and plant leadership to support on-time delivery and efficient workflow.
· Maintain visibility of customer material throughout the plant to maximize furnace loads and minimize delays.
Heat Treat Processing and Oversight
· Maintain strong working knowledge of heat-treating methods, equipment, controller operation, and processing procedures.
· Ensure all parts are processed according to customer purchase orders, drawings, specifications, work instructions, and applicable quality requirements.
· Review shop orders, customer requirements, drawings, and specifications to the customer Purchase Order to ensure accuracy.
· Ensure production personnel properly operate equipment, including furnaces, forklifts, cranes, blasters, and other production-related equipment.
· Ensure furnace logs, production records, process documentation, and related data are accurate, complete, and maintained as required.
· Respond to production issues, furnace alarms, processing concerns, and shop emergencies as needed.
Safety, Quality, and Compliance
· Promote and maintain a safe, clean, organized, and compliant work environment.
· Participate in safety inspections/audits and ensure corrective actions are promptly completed when unsafe conditions are identified.
· Interpret and enforce company policies, safety rules, work instructions, and production procedures.
· Ensure production employees comply with Quality Assurance procedures, customer requirements, and applicable quality management system requirements.
· Participate in audits such as but not limited to internal audits, customer audits, and accreditation audits.
· Interface with Quality Assurance on jobs in process, discrepancies, NCRs, quality concerns, and corrective actions.
· Participate in nonconformance root cause analysis and ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented effectively.
· Ensure production procedures, work instructions, and related documents remain current, accurate, and value-added to the operation and update as necessary.
· Support company quality policies, continuous improvement initiatives, and compliance expectations.
· Ensure customer, regulatory and legal requirements are in compliance.
Employee Supervision and Development
· Provide leadership, direction, and supervision to production employees and shift supervisors.
· Direct shift supervisors in their daily responsibilities and ensure expectations are clearly communicated.
· Schedule employee work hours and shifts to meet operational needs.
· Ensure the production department is appropriately staffed based on workload, skill requirements, and business needs.
· Participate in hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, performance reviews, disciplinary action, and termination decisions.
· Conduct ongoing training for new employees and ensure annual training reviews are completed.
· Ensure employees are properly trained on applicable equipment, processing procedures, safety requirements, quality procedures, and work instructions.
· Promote positive employee relations by addressing concerns, resolving conflicts, and encouraging teamwork.
· Hold employees accountable for performance, attendance, safety, quality, housekeeping, and adherence to company procedures.
· Lead by example through professionalism, work ethic, communication, accountability, and cooperation with other departments.
Equipment, Maintenance, and Facility Support
· Monitor production equipment performance and report downtime, maintenance needs, and repair priorities.
· Work with the maintenance department to coordinate repair of production equipment and prioritize equipment repairs based on operational impact.
· Issue or communicate maintenance work requests when equipment repair or preventive maintenance is needed.
· Ensure escalation and appropriate action is taken in regard to; equipment downtime, utilization, furnace alarms, and other production-impacting issues.
· Support housekeeping standards throughout the facility.
· Identify obstacles to production flow and implement appropriate corrective actions to improve efficiency and reduce delays.
Performance Management and Continuous Improvement
· Monitor production performance through reports, observations, staff meetings, KPI reviews, and direct communication with employees.
· Maintain and report regular production KPIs to the Plant Manager, including but not limited to: on-time delivery, equipment utilization, production efficiency, downtime, furnace alarms, training completion, continuous improvement activity, safety and housekeeping performance, and quality and NCR trends.
· Develop and implement short- and long-term plans to achieve production goals.
· Identify opportunities for production simplification, cost reduction, improved workflow, improved equipment utilization, and waste reduction.
· Support continuous improvement initiatives and ensure improvements are sustained through standard work and employee accountability.
· Communicate production status, obstacles, risks, and improvement opportunities to plant leadership.
Customer and Cross-Functional Communication
· Interface with customers as needed regarding due dates, delivery schedules, processing questions, and production status.
· Assist customers by phone, email, or other communication methods when production-related support is required.
· Communicate effectively with management, employees, customers, quality, maintenance, shipping, and other departments.
· Provide timely updates regarding production delays, risks, equipment issues, staffing concerns, or customer-impacting issues.
· Ensure communication across shifts is clear, complete, and effective.
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position has supervisory responsibility for production employees and shift supervisors. Responsibilities include planning, assigning, and directing work; evaluating performance; training employees; addressing complaints; resolving problems; supporting hiring decisions; and administering corrective action in accordance with company policies and applicable laws.
Required Qualifications
· High school diploma or equivalent required.
· Minimum of five years of relevant production, manufacturing, heat treat, industrial processing, or supervisory experience required.
· Demonstrated knowledge of production scheduling, workflow management, employee supervision, and manufacturing operations.
· Ability to read and interpret customer purchase orders, drawings, specifications, work instructions, technical procedures, and quality requirements.
· Ability to communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, managers, customers, and cross-functional departments.
· Ability to define problems, collect information, evaluate options, and implement effective corrective actions.
· Working knowledge of safety requirements, quality systems, production procedures, and continuous improvement practices.
· Ability to use basic math, percentages, ratios, production data, and KPI information to support decision-making.
· Ability to work in a fast-paced production environment with changing priorities, delays, and customer demands.
· Ability to be available as needed to support production issues, shop emergencies, and shift supervisor needs.
· Demonstrated knowledge and experience utilizing Microsoft office,
· Knowledge and experience with quality management systems, internal audits, customer audits, accreditation audits, NCRs, root cause analysis, and corrective actions preferred.
· Experience managing production KPIs, scheduling systems, ERP systems, and continuous improvement initiatives preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
· Bachelor’s degree in management, engineering, material science, industrial processing, manufacturing, or a related field.
· Ten or more years of related manufacturing management experience.
· Heat treat experience strongly preferred.
· Forklift, crane, furnace, controller, blasting, or other production equipment experience preferred.
Competencies
· Leadership: Leads by example, sets expectations, follows through, and holds the team accountable.
· Safety Focus: Promotes safe work practices and addresses unsafe conditions immediately.
· Quality Focus: Ensures accuracy, compliance, and customer requirements are met.
· Communication: Provides clear direction and timely updates across shifts and departments.
· Decision-Making: Uses facts, data, risk assessments and sound judgment to resolve production issues.
· Accountability: Takes ownership of production performance, employee performance, and operational results.
· Adaptability: Responds effectively to changing priorities, equipment issues, staffing needs, and customer demands.
· Teamwork: Builds positive working relationships and supports cooperation across departments.
· Problem Solving: Identifies root causes and implements sustainable corrective actions.
· Continuous Improvement: Looks for ways to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, efficiency, and employee capability.
· Dependability: Maintains consistent attendance, follows through on commitments, and ensures responsibilities are covered.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, stand, walk, and move throughout the production environment. The employee may be required to sit, reach, use hands to handle or feel, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Heavier lifting may require lift-assist equipment or team assistance.
Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
This position operates in a manufacturing and heat-treating environment. The employee may be exposed to moving mechanical parts, heat, humid conditions, fumes, airborne particles, production equipment, forklifts, cranes, furnaces, and moderate to high noise levels. Appropriate personal protective equipment must be worn as required.
Other Duties
This job description is not intended to contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
