Production Manager

About VetPowered:

VetPowered, LLC, named Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year in the United States, is a rapidly growing San Diego based corporation specializing in manufacturing, welding, fabrication, machinery repair and customized training under private and U.S. Government contracts. VetPowered employs a highly trained workforce that uses the latest in cutting edge CNC equipment. VetPowered is dedicated to bringing advanced manufacturing back to America.

Key Job Functions:

At VetPowered, the Production Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of all production operations, including machining (turning, milling, laser, waterjet, 3D printing, inspection) and welding and fabrication (punching, shearing, welding, bending). The Production Manager ensures all work is safe, planned, scheduled, tracked, documented, performed correctly, and profitable, and that every job ships on time.

The ideal candidate brings a hands-on machining background and can step in to support quoting and bill of material development when needed, along with an engineering foundation that strengthens quality, process planning, and AS9100 compliance. This role works closely with the Head of Manufacturing, quoting, purchasing, quality, programming, and leadership to keep the shop running smoothly and predictably.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Production Planning, Scheduling, and Execution

Own the production schedule for the machine shop and weld/fab shop; plan, prioritize, track, and deliver all jobs on time.

Lead daily production meetings and report status of personnel, jobs, capacity, and equipment to leadership.

Review purchase orders and customer drawings for accuracy and correct revisions before production starts; communicate issues that affect cost or lead time to leadership and the customer.

Ensure travelers are created with all planned operations, work instructions, inspection steps, and shipping requirements before jobs are released.

Plan workflow, routing, machine assignments, and space requirements to maximize throughput and minimize setups, scrap, and tooling costs.

Ensure production personnel enter hours and work performed in the ERP system daily, and provide quoted vs. actual data on any job in production.

Team Leadership and Safety

Ensure the safety of all production personnel, staff, OJT students, and guests.

Train, supervise, counsel, and mentor machinists, programmers, operators, and fabrication staff; complete annual performance reviews.

Foster a safe, clean, and well-organized 6S-based workplace.

Recruit, interview, and provide hiring recommendations for production positions.

Quoting and BOM Support

Apply hands-on machining knowledge to support quoting, including reviewing drawings for manufacturability, estimating setups, cycle times, tooling, and fixturing.

Assist in developing and verifying bills of material for quoted and awarded jobs, including raw material, hardware, outside processing, tooling, and inspection requirements.

Support lessons learned reviews comparing quoted vs. actual hours, materials, and costs to improve future quotes.

Document and communicate no-bid rationale (capacity, equipment, materials, or process limitations) when applicable.

Quality, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement

Ensure production follows established Quality Management System procedures and supports maintaining AS9100 Rev D certification, including annual audit responsibilities.

Apply engineering fundamentals to resolve technical questions related to drawings, specifications, GD&T, tolerances, and customer requirements.

Ensure inspections, measurements, and verification of incoming materials and outgoing products are performed and documented; ensure nonconforming product is tagged, documented, and dispositioned.

Drive down NCRs, scrap, and rework through root cause analysis and corrective action.

Provide KPIs to leadership, including on-time delivery, quoted vs. actual hours and costs, quality metrics, and capacity.

Recommend improvements to profitability, efficiency, quality, and tracking, including personnel, equipment, tooling, and fixture investments with cost/benefit analysis.

Other duties as required in support of department and company goals.

Qualifications & Work Experience:

To perform this job successfully, the candidate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, with or without an accommodation. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

7+ years of hands-on machining or manufacturing experience, including CNC milling and/or turning, with 3+ years leading production teams in a job shop or contract manufacturing environment.

Bachelors degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering preferred; equivalent combination of technical education and shop-floor experience will be considered.

Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, purchase orders, and quality clauses.

Machining background sufficient to support quoting, estimating, and bill of material development.

Working knowledge of AS9100 (or equivalent) quality systems and aerospace documentation and traceability requirements.

Experience with production scheduling, job costing, and quoted vs. actual analysis.

Experience with ERP/MRP systems; JobBOSS, ProShop, or UniPoint experience is a plus.

Experience with SolidWorks, Mastercam, or CNC programming is a plus.

Proficient with Microsoft Office products, including Outlook, Excel, and SharePoint.

Strong leadership, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Mission and Values

Contribute to achievement of the Mission and Vision of our organization by:

Attention to Detail - The ability to accomplish a task while demonstrating a thorough concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small.

All In - Brings their whole self to work and gives it their all no matter how difficult the job or situation.

Accountable - Taking personal responsibility for their work, owns mistakes, communicates honestly rather than hiding the truth, does not blame others or make excuses.

Adaptable - Easily adjusts to changing circumstances.

Always Improving - A constant, ongoing effort to improve something. This something can be a product, a service, ones skill set, or a teams way of working.

Important Notes

Position Details: This is a full-time salaried (exempt) position, 40+ hours per week. This position is located onsite with no remote work available.

Schedule: This position is Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm. Occasional weekends, overtime, and shift changes may be necessary from time to time in order to support Company goals, quoting deadlines, and production needs.

Pay: This pay does not include any opportunity for incentive compensation and is only reflective of the base pay for this position.

The range of pay for this California-based position is $85,000.00 - $110,000.00 annually.

The actual compensation offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. If your experience looks a little different from what weve listed and you think you can bring value to VetPowered, we would love to learn more about you and encourage you to apply.

Incentive Compensation: Potential for bonus/incentives after one full year of employment. A review of your performance will be conducted after 90 days on board.

Benefits and Perks: VetPowered makes available comprehensive benefits the 1st of the month, following the date of hire. Options include Medical with 50% employer contribution, dental and vision coverage with 100% employer contribution, Flexible Spending Account, Life Insurance, a 401k program with employer match up to $1,000 per year, 8 paid holidays, and paid time off.

Dress Code: Employees are expected to dress appropriately for a manufacturing environment, including wearing closed-toe shoes and any required personal protective equipment when working in or entering production areas. This position is provided VetPowered uniforms and laundry service.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.

The employee frequently is required to stand; sit; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to push, move, lift or otherwise bear 10-30lbs. Applications may include but are not limited to repetitive work using a computer keyboard, mouse and headphones while sitting and/or standing at an assigned work desk area.

Work Environment: The employee works in a contract manufacturing facility in an urban industrial neighborhood. Other areas within the facility are mixed use such as administration, classrooms, welding, and machining areas.

Employee may have additional environmental hazards such as: chemical, electrical, flammable, or mechanical in nature.