Manufacturing Operations Manager

About the Role

Great Southern Wood – LA, Inc., the makers of YellaWood® pressure-treated lumber, is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Operations Manager to lead the manufacturing division at one of our production facilities. This role owns the full operational rhythm of the plant — from safety and staffing to scheduling and output — and reports directly to the General Manager.

Key Responsibilities

Operations Leadership

• Direct day-to-day manufacturing operations across all shifts, ensuring alignment with corporate production and quality standards
• Serve as the primary point of accountability for plant performance, coordinating across departments (sales, production, maintenance, quality, and shipping)

Safety

• Own plant safety programs, ensuring compliance with OSHA and company safety standards
• Lead safety training, audits, and incident investigations; drive a culture of proactive hazard identification and continuous safety improvement

Employee Training & Development

• Design and oversee onboarding and ongoing training programs for production staff
• Build cross-training plans to increase workforce flexibility and reduce single points of failure
• Evaluate performance and support employee development and retention

Efficiency & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor key operational metrics (throughput, downtime, waste, labor efficiency) and drive continuous improvement initiatives
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process changes to improve line efficiency and reduce cost per unit

Production Scheduling

• Own both reactive and proactive scheduling functions:
• Reactive scheduling: Adjust daily/weekly production plans in response to equipment downtime, material shortages, labor availability, or urgent order changes
• Proactive scheduling: Build forward-looking production schedules based on sales forecasts, seasonal demand trends, and inventory targets to minimize disruption and maximize plant utilization
• Coordinate with sales, procurement, and logistics teams to align production output with customer demand and raw material (lumber) availability

Inventory Accuracy & Management

• Maintain accurate real-time inventory counts of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods
• Implement and enforce cycle counting procedures to identify and correct discrepancies between system and physical inventory
• Partner with warehouse and logistics teams to ensure accurate receiving, put-away, and shipping transactions are reflected in inventory systems
• Use inventory data integrity as a direct input into production scheduling decisions — ensuring forecasts and schedules are built on reliable stock levels rather than assumptions
• Investigate and resolve root causes of inventory variances (shrinkage, miscounts, system errors) to prevent recurring issues
• Support month-end/quarter-end inventory reconciliation and audits

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing operations/plant management experience; wood products, lumber, or industrial manufacturing background preferred
• Demonstrated experience with production scheduling and forecasting tools
• Experience with inventory management systems (ERP/WMS) and cycle counting processes
• Strong knowledge of OSHA safety regulations and manufacturing compliance
• Proven leadership managing multi-shift hourly workforces
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to balance long-term planning with real-time operational decision-making

What We Offer:

COMPETITIVE PAY AND A FULL BENEFITS PACKAGE INCLUDING:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid vacation and holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Flexible spending accounts
• Dependent scholarship program

About Great Southern Wood Preserving:

Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc. is the industry's leading producer of pressure-treated lumber products for D-I-Y retail home centers, pro dealers, and other retail building-related segments. Our YellaWood brand pressure-treated pine is widely known to consumers throughout the South who use it for various outdoor building projects. Great Southern also distributes a large volume of products from many of the best-known brands in the industry. Thanks to 15 full-service treating plants and several production facilities, Great Southern Wood is strategically located to provide prompt and efficient service to lumber yards and building supply stores throughout the South, Midwest, and Northeast.