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