MANAGER, HUNG LINES

YKK AP America Inc.; Macon (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

YKK AP America Inc. is seeking a Manufacturing Department Lead to direct resources and drive performance against critical KPIs such as quality, safety, delivery, and productivity.

The role requires Lean manufacturing experience, cost management, and cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Finance, and Operations. You will coach frontline Supervisors, manage budgets, and promote a culture of continuous improvement and safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred (Engineering, Operations, or Business Management a plus).
• Experienced in utilizing root-cause analysis, workflow balancing, and workplace organization techniques to maximize department performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, track, and visually report on daily, weekly, and monthly department KPIs (e.g. Efficiency, Scrap Rates, First-Pass Yield, and Downtime).
• Transition the floor from basic compliance to a continuous improvement mindset using Lean Manufacturing tools (e.g. Gemba walks and Root-Cause Analysis).
• Own the department’s annual operating budget. Monitor labor costs, variances, overhead, and scrap expenses to align with targets.
• Identify opportunities for automation or equipment upgrades with ROI analyses for CapEx requests.
• Manage plant personnel, determine work procedures, and coordinate schedules to meet production demands.

Skills

Root-cause analysis

Workflow balancing

Workplace organization

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

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Our company culture is built upon YKK’s philosophy called the CYCLE OF GOODNESS™. We believe that providing value and being fair to our customers and our employees is what makes us a successful company in return. Guided by our core values and fundamental behaviors, we strive to foster a caring company, committed employees and challenging work that benefits our employees, customers, and communities. We offer competitive compensation packages, training and advancement opportunities. YKK AP America provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package designed to provide the security they need to enjoy life at home and at work. By providing a high level of benefit coverage at a reasonable cost to the employee, we hope to foster a long and productive employment relationship.

Summary:

Manage and direct department to assure effectiveness and efficiency of resources to achieve critical performance goals defined for: quality, safety, delivery, service and productivity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, track, and visually report on daily, weekly, and monthly department KPIs (e.g. Efficiency, Scrap Rates, First-Pass Yield, and Downtime).
• Transition of the floor from basic compliance to a continuous improvement mindset using Lean Manufacturing tools (e.g. Gemba walks and Root-Cause Analysis).
• Partner with Industrial Engineering to optimize workflow, eliminate bottlenecks, establish and balance Line cycle times, and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Own the department’s annual operating budget. Monitor and manage labor costs, material variances, overhead, and scrap expenses to ensure alignment with plant financial targets.
• Partner with Plant Finance to conduct monthly variance analysis, forecasting future operational costs and adjusting labor/resource allocation based on fluctuating production volumes.
• Identify opportunities for automation or equipment upgrades; build financial justifications and ROI analyses for Capital Expenditure (CapEx) requests.
• Manage plant personnel, determine work procedures, and coordinate flexible schedules/workflows to meet fluctuating production demands.
• Design and execute cross-training matrices for line operators to reduce production vulnerabilities, increase employee skill sets, and create clear pathways for internal advancement.
• Transform safety from a compliance metric into a core value where every associate feels empowered to speak up.
• Conduct regular safety audits, job safety analyses (JSAs), and incident investigations. Implement immediate corrective actions to prevent ergonomic injuries, strains, or lacerations inherent to window assembly.
• Partner with Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) teams to ensure 100% compliance with OSHA and corporate environmental guidelines.
• Actively coach, mentor, and develop frontline Supervisors and Lead persons, equipping them with the leadership skills needed to manage and support their teams effectively.
• Support supervisors in structured daily huddles to cascade company updates, celebrate department wins, and address employee feedback directly.
• Build high-moral, supportive work culture rooted in fairness, transparency, and mutual respect.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly manage 2 or more supervisors and indirectly manage all Line Associates.
• Carries out leadership responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.
• Own talent development and acquisition process for the department, including interviewing, hiring, and training employees.
• Conduct objective and constructive reviews of the manufacturing team and processes including review of performance and use of company tools such as OPLs and JSAs.
• Manage employee relations, conflict resolution, and disciplinary actions up to termination in collaboration with the Organizational Excellence team in alignment with company guidelines.
• Oversee and audit administrative supervisor task, including weekly timekeeping approval and attendance tracking.

Education/Experience/Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university preferred (Engineering, Operations, or Business Management is a plus): or a combination of experience, education, and training may be considered.
• Experienced in utilizing root-cause analysis, workflow balancing, and workplace organization techniques to maximize department performance.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and is expected to use proper lifting techniques at all times. Specific vision abilities required for this role include close vision. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit. The employee may occasionally be required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.

Travel Requirements:

The travel required for this position is less than 10%.

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this position. Individuals are required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at designated times and in specified environments in accordance with established safety program requirements. The noise level in the work environment is typically moderate. While performing job duties, individuals may occasionally be exposed to moving mechanical parts.

Legal Notice:

This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the job and the responsibilities to be performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position. Additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned as needed. YKK AP America Inc. reserves the right to add or remove duties or otherwise modify this job description at any time in its sole discretion. Employment with YKK AP America Inc. is at-will. Nothing in this job description is intended to create a contract of employment, guarantee employment for any definite period of time, or otherwise modify the at-will nature of employment with the Company. The essential functions of this position are set forth in the above job description and may be subject to reasonable accommodation in accordance with applicable law. To qualify for this position, an employee or applicant must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. YKK AP America Inc. The Company prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

TAWANA MUHAMMAD

YKK AP America Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an inclusive workforce. YKK AP America Inc. will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. YKK AP America Inc. participates in the E-Verify program as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program(Opens in a new window) .

YKK AP America Inc. is committed to workingwith and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with physical or mental disabilities. Applicants with a disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process can follow the process outlined below when applying for a position: Provide your name and contact information to YKK AP America Inc.'s Accommodations team at [e-mail] . Your request will be responded to as soon as possible. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis in compliance with federal and state law.

Employment with YKK AP America Inc. is conditioned upon successfully completing a criminal background check and a negative drug test consistent with state and federal law.

For candidates applying for positions in the state of California

At YKK AP America Inc., we do not ask for personal financial information during telephone, in-person or video interviews nor do we charge job seekers fees as part of the recruitment process. YKK AP America Inc.'s recruiting correspondence will be sent by a recruiting representative with @ykkap.com email address and not @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com or any other email domain service.