Production Manager

Production Manager, Armtec Defense Technologies Armtec Defense Technologies (Armtec) is an operating unit of the Transdigm Group (NYSE: TDG), an industry leader in aerospace and defense products and services. Armtec is comprised of three business units producing subcomponents for ordnance in Coachella, CA; decoy countermeasure flares in Camden AR; and radar countermeasure chaff in Lillington NC. At Armtec, we welcome skilled and enthusiastic people who share our determination and high standards to join us in our mission-critical work supporting the US and allied war-fighters who serve us all by defending democracy and protecting freedom. This position is staffed in Coachella, at Armtec’s world-class, sole-source production facility for felted fiber nitrocellulose combustible cartridge cases for medium and large caliber military ammunition; and pyrophoric payloads for training grenades. Company Profile Company: Armtec Defense Technologies is an operating unit of the TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG). Industry: Manufacturing Combustible Ordnance and Countermeasures Job Overview Title: Production Manager Job Family: Manufacturing Management Reports to: Site Leader Works with: Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Materials, Planning, supervisors, and production employees Location: Coachella, California Type: Full-Time Job Summary The Production Manager is the daily driver of plant performance and is responsible for leading manufacturing execution through the Production Supervisors. This role owns the rhythm of production and ensures Safety, Environmental, Quality, Productivity, Schedule, Throughput, Reliability, and employee development objectives are met. The Production Manager is expected to lead from the floor, create clear accountability, remove barriers to performance, and build a high-performing production organization in partnership with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, Materials, and Planning. This is not a maintain-the-status-quo role. Armtec is seeking a hands-on manufacturing leader who is eager to improve departments, develop employees, solve operational problems, and help move the plant to a higher level of performance. The successful candidate will be motivated by challenge, comfortable leading change, and interested in growing into larger leadership roles through demonstrated results in this assignment. Leadership Opportunity This role is designed for a high-potential leader who wants to take ownership of a critical manufacturing organization and prove the ability to deliver measurable improvement. Success will be measured not only by daily production execution, but by the ability to improve people, process, reliability, schedule adherence, throughput, and cost performance over time. The Production Manager is expected to understand the business objectives of the site, translate those objectives into daily execution priorities, and communicate progress, risks, and resource needs clearly to the Site Leader. Lead the operational organization as the primary operating driver of their program plan. Create a culture where supervisors and employees understand the goals, own the plan, and actively contribute to improvement. Use data, visual management, daily meetings, and disciplined follow-up to improve performance every week. Build supervisors into stronger leaders through coaching, accountability, and clear expectations. Demonstrate readiness for larger leadership responsibility by delivering measurable results in the assigned role. Primary Responsibilities Lead production activities in compliance with Armtec’s Safety and Environmental Policies. Drive daily production execution to meet customer schedules, build plans, forecasts, and delivery commitments. Own production performance metrics, including safety, quality, schedule adherence, throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, rework, and cost per unit. Develop and mentor Production Supervisors so they can lead meetings, own department performance, and drive accountability at the production level. Establish manufacturing priorities for Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Materials, Planning, and other support functions. Partner closely with Maintenance to improve equipment availability, reduce unplanned downtime, improve MTBF, reduce MTTR, and support reliability-centered execution. Partner closely with Engineering to identify bottlenecks, remove process constraints, execute productivity projects, and implement permanent corrective actions. Lead daily management routines, production reviews, IPT meetings, and action-item follow-up to ensure the plant is aligned and moving forward. Drive continuous improvement, S.M.A.R.T. initiatives, material yield improvement, scrap reduction, labor productivity, and waste elimination. Create clear ownership for capital and productivity projects that affect production areas, including expected return, schedule, resources, and delivery of promised benefits. Evaluate and communicate the financial and operational impact of productivity, capital, manpower, and forecast decisions, including expected return, resources required, and timing of benefit realization. Use weekly graphs, scorecards, and trend reviews to measure improvement and ensure the organization is always moving forward. Use budget, forecast, labor, throughput, and productivity data to make decisions and drive accountability across the production organization. Build a cohesive production and support team that can solve problems quickly and execute with urgency. Actively participate in new product development, production launch, capacity planning, and labor estimates for proposals. Own and manage production budget responsibilities for assigned areas, including labor, overtime, consumables, scrap, rework, and controllable production costs. Make recommendations on manpower levels, staffing plans, shift structure, overtime, training needs, and resource allocation required to meet forecast, schedule, throughput, and productivity commitments. Approve production forecasts, build plans, manpower assumptions, and material/resource requirements in partnership with Planning, Materials, and Operations leadership. Communicate business objectives, forecast status, production risks, resource needs, and performance gaps to the Site Leader with clear recommendations and action plans. Maintain the highest ethical standards, even when challenged from above. Understand and live by Armtec’s ethics and business conduct policies. Expected Leadership Behaviors Be visible on the floor and engaged with supervisors and employees. Set clear expectations, inspect results, and follow up with discipline. Treat production employees as the center of execution and ensure support functions are aligned to help them succeed. Use facts and data to identify the real constraint and drive practical action. Challenge the process when performance is not improving and create action plans to restore momentum. Hold the team accountable while developing people and building confidence. Lead change with urgency, consistency, and respect. Qualifications A four-year college degree. Requires a minimum of 10 years of manufacturing/operational experience, preferably in a participative management environment. Demonstrated ability to lead supervisors, develop employees, and improve manufacturing performance. Strong understanding of safety, quality, production planning, throughput, labor efficiency, OEE, reliability, and continuous improvement. Strong understanding of production budgets, labor planning, manpower recommendations, forecasting, capital project support, productivity project tracking, and financial impact of operational decisions. A high energy level with excellent reasoning, communication, and problem-solving skills. Must be driven to complete production commitments and improve performance over time. Must be dependable, responsible, accurate, and able to work effectively with people at all levels of the organization. Must be comfortable taking on a challenging assignment and delivering measurable improvement. Armtec Competencies Armtec seeks senior leaders who demonstrate a positive outlook; sense of urgency; professionalism; cool under pressure; approachability; charismatic leadership; interpersonal savvy; motivational skills; conflict management; assessing people; organizing; planning; priority setting; building effective teams; managerial courage; fairness to direct reports; and relentless drive for results. Education & Professional Work Experience Requirements Must be authorized to work in the U.S. To conform to U.S. export control regulations, applicant should be eligible for any required authorization from the U.S. Government. Work Hours 4/10 workweek To Apply Please apply online on the Armtec Career Website, Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran. Salary Range: $110,387 - $153,138 /Salary Benefits Medical Dental Vision Health Savings Account (HSA) with generous company contribution Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA - Medical & Dependent Care) Life and Accident Death and Dismemberment Insurance Disability Insurance Parent Leave Pay Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Vacation Sick Leave Holidays (8 paid holiday including holiday shutdown weeks in July and December) 401(k) matching Tuition Assistance