Department Manager

Mountville Rubber Company; LaGrange (AR); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Mountville Rubber Company seeks a Department Manager to own daily performance of a manufacturing department, ensuring safety, quality, output, and cost targets. The role connects plant leadership with shop-floor teams, translating priorities into department-level execution and driving accountability.

The position leads shift teams, partners with HR for hiring and performance management, and champions Lean/Six Sigma initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering, or Business preferred.
• 3+ years of manufacturing experience, including supervisory experience.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Proficiency with ERP/MES systems and standard office software.
• Strong communication skills across all levels, from shop floor to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Enforces safety policies and maintains a safe working environment.
• Manages daily production schedules to meet customer delivery commitments.
• Monitors quality metrics and partners with Quality to resolve nonconformances and reduce scrap.
• Directly supervises shift leads/supervisors and hourly staff; oversees hiring and performance management with HR.
• Leads continuous improvement projects (Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, waste reduction) and evaluates capital investments.
• Partners with other departments to resolve constraints and communicates status to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering, or Business

Tools

ERP/MES systems

MS Office

Job description

Department Manager

Manufacturing Operations

Location: M + A Matting Plant 1

Department: Production / Quality Management

Reports to: Plant Manager

Position Summary

The Department Manager owns the day-to-day performance of an assigned manufacturing department, including safety, quality, output, cost, and people leadership. This role serves as the primary link between plant leadership and the shop-floor team, translating company priorities into department-level execution, in line with Mountville's commitment to doing the right thing and doing what is best for the customer.

Key Responsibilities

Safety & Compliance

• Enforces safety policies and maintains a safe working environment for all team members.
• Leads incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective action follow-through.
• Ensures department compliance with OSHA regulations and internal EHS standards.

Production & Quality

• Manages daily production schedules to meet customer delivery commitments.
• Monitors quality metrics and partners with the Quality team to resolve nonconformances and reduce scrap/rework.
• Drives root-cause problem solving on downtime, defects, and process variance.
• Ensures that all processes are managed properly within the company ERP system (D365)

People Leadership

• Directly supervises shift leads/supervisors and, through them, hourly production staff.
• Handles hiring, training, performance management, coaching, and disciplinary actions in coordination with HR.
• Builds a culture of accountability, engagement, and cross-training to strengthen bench depth.

Cost & Continuous Improvement

• Manages department budget, labor efficiency, and material yield.
• Identifies and leads continuous improvement projects (Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, waste reduction).
• Recommends and justifies capital or process investments to plant leadership.

Planning / Scheduling:

• Partners with Suppliers, Production Departments, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering to resolve constraints.
• Communicates department status, risks, and needs to plant leadership in daily/weekly reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering, Business, or equivalent experience preferred
• 3+ years of manufacturing experience, including 2+ years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Proficiency with ERP/MES systems and standard office software.
• Strong communication skills across all levels, from the shop floor to executive leadership.

Core Competencies

• Decisive, hands-on leadership with a bias for being on the floor, not just in the office.
• Sound judgment under pressure; prioritizes doing the right thing even when it's the harder call.
• Customer-first mindset when balancing schedule, cost, and quality trade-offs.
• Drives improvement rather than defaulting to “how it's always been done.”

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• Manufacturing floor environment with exposure to noise, heat, and machinery.
• Ability to walk or stand for extended periods; occasional lifting up to 50 lbs.
• Use of standard PPE required in designated areas of the plant.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mountville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.