Job Description
Description The Operations Manager is responsible for leading and managing all day-to-day production execution activities within the manufacturing environment. This role serves as the primary operational authority for the production floor and is accountable for ensuring operators and production support personnel execute work in full compliance with work orders, customer requirements, and the production schedule. The Operations Manager owns the flow of parts from raw material through manufacturing, quality inspection, secondary processing, and shipping. This position is responsible for work order management, daily and weekly scheduling, labor allocation, and ensuring smooth handoffs between departments. The Operations Manager is responsible for maintaining process discipline, hitting throughput targets, reducing bottlenecks, and ensuring the facility runs efficiently from receipt of raw material to shipment of finished product. Essential Functions: To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each stated essential function, with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation may be made to help qualified individuals with disabilities perform the essential functions. Key Responsibilities: Production Floor Leadership: § Directly oversee approximately 30 operators across pressing, quality support, secondary processing, and shipping functions. § Enforce adherence to work instructions, setup procedures, and standard operating procedures across all production areas. § Provide real-time direction and decision-making to resolve floor-level production issues. § Allocate labor and equipment to meet daily production requirements. § Maintain accountability for operator performance, attendance, and adherence to company policies. Work Order & Scheduling Management: § Manage work order release, sequencing, and prioritization to meet customer delivery commitments. § Coordinate the daily and weekly production schedule across pressing, quality, and secondary operations. § Adjust schedules in response to material availability, equipment status, quality holds, or customer expedites. § Ensure work orders are accurately closed out and labor is properly reported in the ERP system. § Coordinate with Production Control, Quality, and Shipping to align priorities and resolve conflicts. Material Flow & Throughput: § Oversee the movement of parts from raw material receipt through pressing, in-process quality, secondary processing, and shipping. § Identify and resolve bottlenecks that affect throughput or on-time delivery. § Coordinate with Quality Assurance to ensure parts move efficiently through inspection without unnecessary delays. § Coordinate with Shipping to ensure finished goods are released on time and in full. § Track daily output against schedule and report production performance to plant leadership. Operational Discipline & Continuous Improvement: § Drive accountability for adherence to standard work, 5S, and shop floor housekeeping. § Lead investigations into production delays, downtime, and missed schedules, and implement corrective actions for recurring issues. § Coordinate operator training and cross-training to support flexibility and coverage across production areas. § Escalate systemic or high-risk issues to plant leadership with documented data and recommendations. § Performs other duties as directed. § Supports continuous improvement, safety, and audit preparation initiatives as assigned. Requirements Position Qualifications and Competency Statements: § Leadership: Ability to direct, manage, and hold operators accountable across multiple production areas. § Decision-Making: Capable of making firm production and resource decisions under pressure. § Analytical Thinking: Strong ability to interpret production data, identify bottlenecks, and prioritize accordingly. § Process Discipline: Ensures procedures are consistently followed without exception. § Communication: Clear, direct communication with hourly and salaried personnel. § Conflict Resolution: Ability to address noncompliance or performance issues professionally and effectively. Skills and Abilities: § Required education: Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered. § Required experience: Minimum 5 years in manufacturing operations leadership, preferably in metal stamping, deep draw, or high-volume production environments. § Required proficiencies: Strong understanding of Microsoft Exc