NPT Process & Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

The NPT Process & Operations Manager will own daily manufacturing operations, safety, quality, and continuous improvement for the Non-Pneumatic Tire (NPT) building cell. Serving as the primary floor leader, this role bridges the gap between engineering theory and production reality. You will manage daily throughput, stabilize a highly manual assembly process, enforce strict quality gates, and optimize labor and material resources. The ideal candidate will transform the Monitor facility's "incubator" cell into a disciplined, data-driven, and highly efficient manufacturing department primed for future scale.

Benefits:

• Generous Pay commensurate with experience and/or education.
• Benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, life, accident, critical care, and short-term & long-term disability insurance.
• 401K retirement program with employer match.
• Paid holidays, sick and vacation time.
• Employee purchase pricing on auto, power sport, and bicycle tires.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Industrial, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical management discipline preferred.
• Experience: 3-5+ years of hands-on experience managing a manufacturing cell, assembly line, or production department, ideally within the automotive, tire, or heavy industrial sectors.
• Process Improvement Expertise: Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma methodologies, Kaizen events, and root-cause analysis (5-Why, Fishbone diagrams).
• Leadership Style: A hands-on, floor-first leader with a high appetite for solving operational friction. Exccptlonal cornmunicaliun ::1kills lo lead local labor teams while presenting clear operational data to executive leadershiµ.
• Technical Acumen: Experience m,mr1ging r.nmplex process variables (e.Q., chemical bonding, humidity/tP.ml')P.rnhire curing, pneumalii.;, i::li::clrical, mechanical press systems). Proficient in utilizing manufacturing execution software, MRP and ERP systems, and digital SOP tools.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Daily Operations & Throughput Management: Oversee daily production schedules, staffing allocation, and equipment uptime to consistently hit targeted units-per-day metrics. Maximize workflow efficiency within a space-constrained foolµrinl.
• Process Stabilization & Controls: Standardize a highly manual, high-touch assembly process. Identify and eliminate environmental and mechanical variables (such as air pressure inconsistencies, adhesive repeatability, and cure time fluctuations).
• Quality Assurance & Corrective Actions: Own the department's quality metrics. Implement strict inline quality checks to drive a target of 300 PPM or better. Lead root-cause investigations for field returns (RGAs) or internal events, executing immediate corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Cost Optimization & Material Flow: Partner with program leadership to execute cost-reduction initiatives. Monitor material scrap rates, optimize the consumption of chemical adhesives and web materials, and audit labor hours to drive down the total cost-per-unit burden.
• Supply Chain & Inventory Coordination: Manage raw component supply lines (tread bands, webs, hubs, and steel wheels) into the building cell. Maintain critical safety stock levels to prevent "line down" events while avoiding excess inventory buildup.
• Digital Workflow & Training Implementation: Champion the adoption of digital standard operating procedures (SOPs) via platforms like Dozuki. Author, update, and enforce work instructions to minimize human error and accelerate operator onboarding.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Act as the on-site liaison between floor operations, local plant engineering, and the Kenda American Technical Center (KATC) to seamlessly transition product updates from R&D into routine production.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EOE)