Pay: From $80,000.00 per year
Job description:
ABOUT THE COMPANY
We are an established and growing apparel manufacturing and wholesale distribution company based in Puerto Rico. We design, screen print, and retail-finish branded clothing for major accounts including Walmart, and distribute to wholesale clients across the region. Our operation runs the full production cycle in-house — from design and raw material sourcing through screen printing, retail finishing, and outbound logistics. We are a team of 32 people across six departments and are at a stage of growth where operational discipline and cross-department coordination are the next critical investment.
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
Our General Manager oversees strategy, client relationships, forecasting, and financial compliance. As we have grown, the coordination layer between six active departments has become a full-time leadership responsibility. We are creating this Operations Manager role to own that layer — ensuring every department, every order, and every production week runs with precision.
This is a newly created position reporting directly to the General Manager, with direct visibility to company ownership.
THE ROLE
The Operations Manager is the operational backbone of the company. You will own the master production schedule, manage all cross-department coordination, and be accountable for on-time delivery performance across every client order — from Walmart replenishments to wholesale accounts. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role. You will be on the floor and in the details daily, while also thinking one to two weeks ahead to prevent problems before they affect production. You will lead through influence — your six department supervisors have deep knowledge of their areas; your job is to align them, sequence their work correctly, and remove obstacles.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Production Scheduling
- Own and publish the master production schedule weekly — distributed every Friday for the following week across all departments Coordinate with Supply Chain on material availability and lead times before committing to production dates Adjust and communicate schedule changes in real time when client, material, or capacity changes arise Manage production capacity across normal operations and overflow activations
- Cross-Department Coordination
- Serve as the daily coordination point between Design, Supply Chain, Screen Printing, Logistics, and Customer Service Own every department-to-department handoff — ensure no order loses ownership between stages Run daily floor check-ins and weekly supervisor meetings to align priorities, confirm readiness, and resolve issues Route all confirmed client orders through the correct production sequence from receipt to shipment
- Operational Performance
- Track and report weekly KPIs to the General Manager: on-time delivery rate, press uptime, production efficiency, quality reject rate, and order fulfillment accuracy Identify recurring process breakdowns and implement lasting fixes — not just one-time patches Manage the activation process for overflow production including temporary staff coordination and department readiness
- Walmart & Retail Compliance Support
- Understand the operational requirements of major retail accounts, particularly the production, labeling, finishing, and shipment compliance standards required by Walmart Coordinate with Customer Service and Logistics to ensure all retail compliance steps — carton labeling, ASN submission timelines, DC appointment coordination — are built into the production schedule Anticipate compliance deadlines and flag risks to the General Manager before they become chargebacks
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- 8+ years of experience — in operations management within a manufacturing, apparel, or wholesale distribution environment
- Production scheduling ownership — proven experience owning a production schedule in a multi-department manufacturing operation
- Track record — of reducing operational bottlenecks and improving on-time delivery performance
- Retail account experience — familiarity with Walmart vendor requirements, compliance standards, or EDI/Retail Link systems is a significant plus
- Strong floor presence — comfortable with production supervisors and warehouse teams as well as GM-level reporting
- Data-driven — you track what matters and use numbers to make decisions Influence leadership — experience managing through influence across departments without direct HR authority over all staff
- Bilingual Spanish / English — required for this role given our client and team mix Based in Puerto Rico — or willing to relocate — no relocation assistance provided
WHAT SETS THE RIGHT CANDIDATE APART
You have been in a manufacturing environment long enough to know what breaks and why. You do not need to be told that a late art approval affects the print schedule or that a missing screen stops a press. You have already lived those problems and built habits to prevent them. You lead with calm urgency — things move because you make them move, not because you escalate everything upward.
REPORTING STRUCTURE
This role reports directly to the General Manager. You will coordinate six department supervisors and team leaders as part of the company's operational leadership team, with direct visibility to company ownership.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Base Salary $70,000 per year
Schedule Full-time | On-site | Puerto Rico
Reporting to General Manager
Growth Direct access to company leadership and ownership. As the company scales, this role scales with it.
Experience:
- operations management: 8 years (Required)
- Production scheduling ownership : 5 years (Required)
- Retail Account : 5 years (Required)
Language:
- Bilingual Spanish / English (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- San Juan, PR 00920 (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
Pay: From $80,000.00 per year
Application Question(s):
- How many employees have you directly supervised in a manufacturing environment?
- What was the largest team you have managed?
- Do you have experience developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?
- Do you have experience improving manufacturing processes or implementing continuous improvement initiatives?
- Which Lean Manufacturing tools are you familiar with? (Check all that apply.)
- ☐ 5S
- ☐ Kaizen
- ☐ Lean Manufacturing
- ☐ Six Sigma
- ☐ Root Cause Analysis
- ☐ None
- Which ERP or production management systems have you used?
- Do you have experience managing production KPIs?
- ☐ Yes
- ☐ No
Experience:
- Manufacturing management: 5 years (Required)
- Employees directly supervised: 5 years (Required)
Language:
Work Location: In person
