Foundry Production Manager

Brightpath Associates LLC; Coldwater (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Brightpath Associates LLC is seeking an accomplished Foundry Production Manager to own operations in a high-volume metal casting environment. You will direct supervisors and production personnel, optimize processes, and drive cost control while meeting customer quality and delivery requirements.

This leadership role influences plant productivity, workforce performance, and overall operational results. You will lead Lean initiatives, ensure safety, and foster a culture of accountability and

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience working in a metal foundry or casting manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing production teams and shop-floor execution.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills across production, maintenance, quality, and management teams.

Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day foundry production activities to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Translate customer demand into practical manufacturing schedules and staffing plans.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and hourly personnel for stronger team performance.
• Establish and monitor metrics related to throughput, efficiency, labor utilization, downtime, scrap, and quality.
• Identify production constraints and implement solutions to improve capacity and flow.
• Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by addressing losses and downtime.
• Collaborate with Maintenance to improve machine reliability and availability.
• Partner with Quality to investigate defects and implement corrective actions.
• Reduce scrap, rework, and material waste while improving first-pass yield and casting consistency.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement activities (5S, Kaizen, waste reduction).
• Review production results and communicate performance, challenges, and improvements to plant leadership.
• Ensure safety procedures and manufacturing standards are followed; support workforce planning and development.

Skills

Foundry experience

Leadership

Analytical skills

Communication

Job description

We are seeking an accomplished Foundry Production Manager to take ownership of manufacturing operations within a high-volume metal casting environment. This leader will be responsible for ensuring that production activities are performed safely, efficiently, and consistently while meeting customer requirements for quality and delivery.

The successful candidate will provide direction to production supervisors and manufacturing personnel, optimize foundry processes, improve equipment performance, control operating costs, and build a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

This is a highly visible leadership position with direct influence over plant productivity, workforce performance, product quality, and operational results.

Key Areas of Responsibility

The Production Manager will have oversight of the complete foundry manufacturing process, including:

• Metal melting and furnace operations
• Molding and core-related production activities
• Casting operations
• Shakeout and finishing processes
• Production planning and scheduling
• Material utilization and yield
• Equipment performance and availability
• Quality and scrap reduction
• Safety and environmental compliance
• Workforce development and performance management

Primary Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day foundry production activities to achieve established safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Translate customer demand and production requirements into practical manufacturing schedules and staffing plans.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and production employees to strengthen team performance and accountability.
• Establish and monitor operational metrics related to throughput, efficiency, labor utilization, downtime, scrap, and quality.
• Identify production constraints and implement solutions to improve capacity, flow, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by addressing equipment losses, process inefficiencies, and downtime.
• Work closely with Maintenance to improve machine reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, and equipment availability.
• Partner with Quality teams to investigate defects, identify root causes, and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Reduce scrap, rework, and material waste while improving first-pass yield and casting consistency.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement activities, including 5S, Kaizen, process optimization, and waste reduction.
• Review production results and communicate performance, challenges, corrective actions, and improvement opportunities to plant leadership.
• Ensure employees follow established safety procedures, manufacturing standards, work instructions, and operating practices.
• Support workforce planning, training, employee development, and succession planning for the production organization.
• Evaluate raw material consumption and manufacturing yields to improve cost efficiency.
• Promote a culture centered on safety, ownership, teamwork, problem-solving, and operational excellence.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience working in a metal foundry or casting manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience managing production teams in a manufacturing facility.
• Strong understanding of production planning, scheduling, and shop-floor execution.
• Proven ability to improve manufacturing productivity, efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Experience leading supervisors and hourly manufacturing personnel.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to work effectively across production, maintenance, quality, and management teams.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with experience in the following areas will be highly valued:

• Metal casting and foundry production
• Furnace and melting operations
• Sand molding and sand system processes
• Casting finishing operations
• Lean Manufacturing
• 5S and Kaizen
• Six Sigma methodologies
• OEE improvement
• Scrap and yield improvement
• KPI development and performance management

What the Company Offers

• Leadership responsibility within an established foundry operation
• Opportunity to make a measurable impact on plant performance
• Strong focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement
• Collaborative manufacturing leadership environment
• Opportunities to develop production teams and strengthen plant culture
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
• Long-term career opportunity within a stable manufacturing organization