Production Manager

Benefits: Health insurance Vision insurance 401(k) matching Dental insurance Production Manager Location: Bellefonte, PA (on-site) | Type: Direct hire, full-time About the Opportunity A specialty piezoceramic manufacturer serving defense, medical, and industrial customers is hiring a Production Manager to own scheduling, planning, and floor execution. This is a high-visibility role in a small, vertically integrated plant — you'll be close to the product, close to leadership, and positioned to shape how the operation runs rather than inherit a rigid system. What You'll Do Own daily production execution across [ceramic processing, machining, electroding, poling, test, and assembly] to hit schedule, quality, and cost targets Build and maintain the production schedule; balance capacity, labor, and material availability against customer commitments and on-time delivery goals Drive production planning and materials flow in coordination with purchasing, sales, and engineering Apply Lean manufacturing principles — value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, waste reduction — to improve throughput, yield, and cycle time Supervise, develop, and schedule [production supervisors and hourly staff]; own training, cross-training, and performance management Establish and track production KPIs (OTD, yield, scrap, labor efficiency, WIP); report performance to leadership Partner with Quality to maintain ISO 9001:2015 compliance, support corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement Champion a safe work environment and enforce safety standards in a technical manufacturing setting Work with engineering on new product introduction, capacity planning, and process capability What You Need Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field [equivalent experience considered] 5+ years in production supervision or management within a low-volume/high-mix manufacturing environment Demonstrated command of Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodology Hands-on production scheduling and capacity planning experience; ERP/MRP proficiency Proven people leadership — hiring, developing, and holding a floor team accountable Data-driven approach to KPIs and problem solving Comfortable in a technical process environment where product quality depends on tight process control Nice to Have Background in ceramics, electronic components, or another process-driven manufacturing environment Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher) Experience in an ISO 9001-certified operation Familiarity with defense or medical device manufacturing requirements