Production Manager

OVERVIEWWe are seeking a hands-on Production Manager to lead day-to-day manufacturing operations for a high-mix manufacturing facilityThis role is ideal for a strong shop-floor leader who can improve production flow, establish operational discipline, develop frontline supervisors, and drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost. The Production Manager will play a key role in transitioning the operation from traditional batch manufacturing toward Lean, single-piece flow and takt-driven production.Fluency in both English and Spanish is required for this position.KEY RESPONSIBILITIESLead daily production activities, frontline supervisors, and manufacturing personnelDrive the transition from batch production toward Lean single-piece flow, cellular manufacturing, and balanced production linesEstablish takt time, hour-by-hour production tracking, visual management, and clear daily performance expectationsImprove production flow by reducing WIP, bottlenecks, material shortages, and unnecessary movementDevelop and maintain standard work, 5S practices, visual controls, and shop-floor accountabilityEnsure daily production schedules and customer delivery commitments are consistently achievedBalance labor, equipment capacity, and production requirements to improve throughput and control overtimeMonitor equipment effectiveness, downtime, changeovers, scrap, labor efficiency, and other manufacturing KPIsLead structured root-cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives using Lean problem-solving toolsDrive setup and changeover reduction using SMED and related Lean methodologiesCoach and develop supervisors and frontline employees through a highly visible, hands-on leadership approachMaintain strong standards around workplace safety, quality, equipment maintenance, and regulatory complianceUtilize ERP/MES systems for production tracking, work orders, labor reporting, scrap, scheduling, and operational analysisQUALIFICATIONS5+ years of progressive production leadership or supervisory experience within a discrete manufacturing environmentDemonstrated hands-on experience implementing Lean manufacturing principles on the production floorExperience with single-piece flow, cellular manufacturing, takt time, line balancing, WIP reduction, and visual managementProven ability to improve throughput, productivity, labor efficiency, quality, and schedule attainmentStrong experience coaching frontline supervisors and production employeesWorking knowledge of 5S, Kaizen, root-cause analysis, OEE, standard work, and continuous improvement methodologiesExperience working with ERP or manufacturing production systemsStrong analytical, organizational, and shop-floor problem-solving skillsBilingual English/Spanish fluency is requiredBachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related discipline preferred; significant relevant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered in lieu of a degreePREFERRED EXPERIENCEIndustrial packaging, fabrication, machining, or assembly manufacturing, wood products, cratingExperience with CNC equipment, automated saws, cutting equipment, pneumatic tooling, or similar manufacturing machineryExperience leading a successful transition from batch manufacturing to single-piece or continuous flowLean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certificationExperience with SMED, Kanban/pull systems, tiered visual management, and hour-by-hour production trackingExperience improving material yield and reducing manufacturing scrap