Production Manager in Waterbury, Connecticut at Specialty Manufacturing Buyer LLC

The Production Manager is responsible for leading and managing day-to-day production operations within a fast-paced manufacturing environment. This role serves as the primary leader on the production floor and is accountable for ensuring that production teams execute work safely, efficiently, and in accordance with work orders, customer requirements, quality standards, and established production schedules.

The Production Manager oversees the flow of parts from raw material through manufacturing, quality inspection, secondary processing, and shipping. This position is responsible for production scheduling, work order management, labor allocation, workflow coordination, and removing obstacles that impact productivity or on-time delivery.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader who can balance people leadership, production execution, accountability, and continuous improvement while maintaining a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, and efficiency.

• Manage work order release, sequencing, and prioritization to support customer delivery commitments.
• Develop and coordinate daily and weekly production schedules across presses, quality, and secondary operations.
• Adjust production priorities in response to material availability, equipment downtime, quality holds, customer expedites, and changing business needs.
• Ensure work orders are completed and closed accurately and that labor is properly recorded in the ERP system.
• Partner with Production Control, Quality, and Post-Production Operations to align priorities, coordinate workflow, and resolve scheduling conflicts.

• Oversee the movement of materials and parts from raw material receipt through manufacturing and subsequent production processes.
• Monitor production output against schedule and identify opportunities to improve throughput and efficiency.
• Identify bottlenecks, delays, and capacity constraints and take appropriate action to keep production moving.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to facilitate timely inspection and disposition of parts.
• Coordinate with Post-Production Operations to ensure completed goods are released, processed, and shipped on time and in full.
• Track and communicate production performance, schedule attainment, and operational issues to plant leadership.

• Promote accountability for standard work, 5S, housekeeping, and overall shop floor organization.
• Lead investigations into production delays, downtime, missed schedules, and recurring operational issues.
• Develop and implement corrective actions to address root causes and prevent recurring problems.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, eliminate bottlenecks, and optimize labor and equipment utilization.
• Coordinate employee training and cross-training to improve workforce flexibility, coverage, and overall capability.
• Escalate significant operational, quality, safety, or production risks to plant leadership with supporting data and recommended solutions.
• Support company initiatives related to safety, quality, continuous improvement, and audit readiness.

The Production Manager is expected to lead by example and establish a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, quality, and continuous improvement. This position requires a leader who is comfortable making decisions, addressing performance issues, communicating expectations clearly, and working collaboratively with other departments to achieve company goals.

• Perform other duties as assigned by management.
• Support additional operational, safety, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives as needed.

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 Excel, ERP/MRP systems, work order management, production scheduling, labor reporting, and shop floor metrics.

Required attributes: Assertive leadership style, high accountability standards, strong organizational skills, and ability to enforce compliance consistently.

Work Environment:

This position involves working both in office and within the shop work environment. The employee must be aware of potential hazards, including, but not limited to, working in close proximity to moving mechanical parts, operating vehicles, exposure to electrical current, high temperatures, and chemicals. It is critical that the Operations Manager maintain situational awareness while actively engaging on the production floor to monitor operations and ensure schedule adherence.