Area Manager

ABOUT LOZIER

Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with facilities across the U.S., Lozier Corporation is the leading manufacturer of products used by retailers in stores and warehouses, with a vision to be operationally excellent in support of retail's present and future. Retailers have relied on our quality products and service for more than 65 years.

BENEFITS AND SCHEDULE

• Company bonus potential.
• PTO (Paid Time Off) plus paid holidays.
• Competitive benefits package (Eligible for medical, dental, and vision benefits on the first day of employment).
• Onsite Health Clinic.
• 401(k) with employer match.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Career Development Programs.
• Relocation benefits available, (as applicable).
• Monday thru Friday daytime schedule with additional limited off hour calls as needed to provide support across three shifts.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Area Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a designated production area to ensure safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale (SQDCM) objectives are met. This leadership role manages production teams, coordinates with support departments, and implements continuous improvement initiatives to drive operational excellence. The Area Manager ensures efficient use of resources, adherence to company policies, and fosters a culture of accountability and teamwork through support, encouragement, and mentorship.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Demonstrate leadership by championing Lozier's Mission, Vision, and Values and living the Lozier Leadership Model.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of supervisors, leads, and production employees that apply diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals, meet or exceed performance targets, and move the organization forward.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with local policies, safety regulations, quality standards, and production schedules.
• Ensure all regulatory standards and company policies are understood, supported and followed on the production floor.
• Support supervisors on maintaining advanced quality standards such as ISO 900 and advanced product quality planning (APQP).
• Oversee workforce planning and scheduling to optimize labor and equipment utilization.
• Maintain an environment conducive to continuous improvement, including recommending alternatives for improving working conditions, production methods, equipment, documented processes, remove barriers to production, and resolve issues quickly.
• Encourage supervisors to drive continuous improvement initiatives by leveraging support functions to ensure process capabilities using lean manufacturing principles, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Analyze real-time and historical supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data to identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities for process optimization.
• Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), scrap rate, labor efficiency, and downtime to identify and implement improvements.
• Mentor supervisors to conduct process checks within areas of responsibility and monitor performance to ensure health of the process and drive daily accountability.
• Maintain accurate records and reports on production output, downtime, personnel performance, and safety incidents.
• Ensure training programs are effective and current to support workforce development and regulatory compliance.
• Lead or participate in cross-functional projects focused on cost savings, capacity expansion, or process standardization.
• Support a culture of accountability, engagement, and high performance to consistently achieve results under tough circumstances.
• Demonstrate regular attendance and timeliness in reporting to work, meetings, and completing assignments.
• Ability to work and interact well with others.

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS

• Lead strategic and budgetary planning sessions along with associated plan execution, including leading and lagging metric definition, alignment, and deployment.
• May support collective bargaining process.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Associate degree in manufacturing, industrial engineering, business, or other relevant technical field is required. Bachelor degree in manufacturing, industrial engineering, business, or other relevant technical field preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of warehouse or manufacturing experience, if degreed. Minimum of 7 years of warehouse or manufacturing experience, if non-degreed. Minimum of 3 years of experience in a supervisory or lead role is required.

Required Skills:

• Intermediate PC skills (Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook) and manufacturing systems (ERP/MES).
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, influence others, and manage change.
• Proven experience utilizing SQDCM models to lead and unify teams.
• Analytical/quantitative problem resolution.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, production/capacity planning, scheduling, execution, and lean manufacturing principles.
• Experience with aligning process capability to internal or external customer requirements.
• Ability to recognize waste/losses and identifying solutions to reduce or minimize.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as a team across all functionalities of the business.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement.

Preferred Skills:

• Applied understanding of Six Sigma. Lean certification preferred.
• Operational familiarity of SCADA systems.
• Functional knowledge of ISO 9000.
• Proficient in APQP.
• Demonstrated ability in automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS).
• Bilingual skills.

SPECIAL DEMANDS

• Must maintain a valid driver's license.
• Ability to navigate manufacturing environments, including frequent walking, standing, and exposure to machinery.
• Requires frequent floor presence, including walking, standing, and collaboration with shift teams.
• Occasional time spent working a flexible schedule depending on production needs.

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as assigned by their supervisor. Lozier reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way desired and the essential job functions may be modified to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Successful completion of pre-hire drug screen and post offer background screen is required to obtain employment. Continued employment remains on an "at-will" basis.