Manufacturing Operations Leader - CNC / Metal Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Manufacturing Operations Leader to coordinate production schedules, workflow, priorities, and communication within a CNC machining and metal manufacturing environment.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership position for someone who understands how work moves through a manufacturing facility and can confidently lead production meetings, drive accountability, communicate with customers and department leaders, and keep jobs moving according to schedule.

The ideal candidate combines shop-floor manufacturing knowledge with strong production planning, ERP/MRP, leadership, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Implement and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS)
• Coordinate daily production schedules, workflow, and priorities with department leaders and manufacturing teams
• Lead production and operational meetings covering schedules, job status, priorities, quality concerns, and customer requirements
• Serve as a key communication point between customers, management, production employees, department leads, vendors, and other stakeholders
• Create and maintain work orders within the ERP/MRP system
• Issue job route sheets and track work through each stage of the manufacturing process
• Manage expedited orders, schedule changes, and shifting production priorities
• Monitor job status and proactively communicate potential delays, capacity issues, or production concerns
• Coordinate outsourced manufacturing processes and priorities with external vendors
• Track manufacturing productivity and production performance
• Forecast and track monthly revenue based on scheduled and completed work
• Assist with troubleshooting quality and production issues using 5-Why, root-cause analysis, DMAIC, and other problem-solving tools
• Support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives
• Help drive accountability across departments to keep production commitments on schedule

Must-Have Qualifications

• 3+ years of manufacturing operations, production leadership, production control, scheduling, or related experience
• Experience working in a CNC machining, metal fabrication, metalworking, or metal processing environment
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and shop-floor production workflow
• Hands-on experience with ERP/MRP systems
• Experience with production scheduling, work orders, and changing production priorities
• Experience leading production or operational meetings and coordinating priorities across multiple departments
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to drive accountability and follow through on commitments
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to communicate professionally with production employees, department leaders, management, customers, and external stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Master Production Schedule (MPS) experience
• Experience tracking manufacturing productivity and production performance
• Lean Manufacturing or continuous improvement experience
• Familiarity with manufacturing quality systems and root-cause analysis
• 5-Why, Six Sigma, or DMAIC experience
• Experience coordinating outsourced manufacturing processes
• Experience forecasting production-related revenue or capacity

Ideal Background

We're especially interested in candidates who have worked around CNC machining, steel fabrication, metal forming, welding, cutting, machining, or other metal processing operations and understand how work moves from order entry and scheduling through production and completion.

This could be an excellent opportunity for a Production Supervisor, Manufacturing Operations Lead, Production Control Manager, Master Scheduler, Manufacturing Supervisor, or similar manufacturing professional ready to take on broader operational responsibility.

Interested?

If you have a strong metal manufacturing background and enjoy coordinating people, schedules, customers, and production priorities, we'd like to hear from you.

Apply online today to learn more about this Manufacturing Operations Leader opportunity in Kankakee, IL!