Production Manager

Our client, a global automotive manufacturer located in Wixom, MI, is seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations within a high-volume manufacturing environment. This is a high-visibility leadership role with a defined career progression path toward Plant Manager within the next three years. What You Will Be Doing Drive operational excellence by leading department-wide environmental health and safety initiatives while ensuring full compliance with corporate and regulatory standards. Develop and execute departmental emergency preparedness procedures while supporting broader facility-wide contingency planning efforts. Promote a strong culture of workplace safety by proactively identifying risks and implementing preventative measures to minimize incidents. Investigate workplace incidents, evaluate root causes, and oversee corrective action plans focused on long-term operational improvements. Analyze operational performance metrics and present key business insights, project updates, and strategic recommendations to leadership teams and stakeholders. Identify skill gaps within the team and implement training initiatives to strengthen quality standards, compliance, and overall operational performance. Mentor frontline leadership on containment procedures and material disposition processes related to quality nonconformance issues. Oversee internal quality review processes, ensuring product concerns are escalated, addressed, and resolved through structured problem-solving methods. Manage rework authorization processes and implement safeguards to prevent defective product from reaching customers. Monitor customer quality performance indicators and lead corrective action initiatives to improve service levels and product reliability. Build a high-performance team environment focused on accountability, employee engagement, innovation, and continuous improvement. Lead daily operational review meetings focused on identifying production challenges, resolving bottlenecks, and improving execution efficiency. Collaborate with senior leadership teams to communicate operational constraints and secure support required to meet business objectives. Align production schedules with available labor, materials, and maintenance resources to maximize throughput and operational efficiency. Evaluate delivery performance trends and implement process improvements to strengthen on-time delivery performance. Partner cross-functionally to communicate production risks, quality concerns, and operational challenges impacting customer commitments. Lead cost reduction and lean manufacturing initiatives focused on improving productivity, reducing waste, and increasing departmental efficiency. Develop workforce planning strategies to optimize staffing levels and improve labor utilization against production demands. Support budget planning activities and maintain cost controls to ensure department financial targets are achieved. Oversee workforce scheduling, payroll approvals, attendance management, and employee time-off coordination. Address employee relations matters in partnership with leadership and Human Resources to maintain a productive and compliant work environment. What We Need From You 8+ years of experience in automotive manufacturing within a high-volume production environment 4+ years of leadership experience managing production teams with a proven ability to develop supervisors and drive accountability Strong background in lean manufacturing, KPI management, labor planning, and operational excellence systems Excellent communication, leadership, and coaching skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization Experience in welding, metal stamping, or fabrication environments Hands‑on experience with SAP or other ERP/MRP systems The Perks Join a stable and growing global manufacturer with long-term customer partnerships Direct hire opportunity with day shift schedule and competitive benefits package Clear advancement path into Plant Manager within 3 years #J-18808-Ljbffr