Manufacturing Manager

Virginia Transformer Corp; Troutville (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Account

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Employee referral program

Job summary

Virginia Transformer Corp in Troutville, Virginia is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Manager to lead production operations on-site. This hands-on leadership role focuses on safety, quality, delivery, and cost, with accountability across the manufacturing floor.

You will guide supervisors, collaborate with quality, engineering, maintenance, and HR, and drive continuous improvement, Lean initiatives, and workforce development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with 5+ years of manufacturing management experience.
• Experience managing production supervisors and hourly employees.
• Strong leadership and floor presence on the manufacturing floor.
• Experience in transformer/electrical equipment manufacturing desirable.
• Proven track record in safety, quality, productivity, and cost improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to meet safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost targets.
• Develop supervisors into stronger leaders and manage across shifts.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance on process improvements.
• Drive continuous improvement and Lean initiatives.
• Promote teamwork and cross-department communication.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Floor leadership

Team leadership

Problem solving

Prioritization

Communication

Accountability

MS Office

ERP/MRP/MES

Shift support

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field

5+ years manufacturing experience

Tools

ERP / MRP / MES

Job description

On the Heels of Achieving 3X Growth, Virginia Transformer Is Hiring to Do It Again!

Virginia Transformer is continuing to expand its manufacturing capabilities and is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Manager to lead production operations at our Troutville, Virginia facility.

This is a hands-on manufacturing leadership position for an individual who can lead people, drive production performance, solve problems on the manufacturing floor, and create accountability across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Position Summary

The Manufacturing Manager is responsible for planning, directing, and managing the people, processes, equipment, and resources required to safely manufacture high-quality products while achieving production schedules, customer commitments, and cost objectives.

This position will provide direct leadership to production supervisors and manufacturing teams while working closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Materials, Supply Chain, and Human Resources.

The successful candidate will be a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable spending significant time on the manufacturing floor, addressing production challenges, developing employees, and driving continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operations Leadership

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Review production schedules, work orders, staffing, material availability, equipment capacity, and operational priorities.
• Coordinate manpower, equipment, materials, and resources across manufacturing areas and shifts.
• Ensure production schedules and customer delivery commitments are achieved.
• Monitor daily production performance and quickly address issues affecting output, quality, efficiency, or delivery.
• Establish priorities and adjust production plans as manufacturing requirements change.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve throughput and manufacturing flow.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor and work directly with supervisors and employees to resolve operational challenges.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable production supervisors and manufacturing employees.
• Establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, attendance, housekeeping, and overall performance.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, training, cross-training, performance management, and employee development.
• Develop supervisors into stronger manufacturing leaders capable of independently managing their operations.
• Address employee performance and workplace concerns in partnership with Human Resources.
• Promote teamwork and effective communication across departments and shifts.
• Build a manufacturing culture centered on safety, urgency, accountability, quality, and continuous improvement.

Safety & Quality

• Ensure manufacturing activities comply with company safety policies, procedures, and applicable requirements.
• Promote a proactive safety culture and immediately address unsafe conditions and behaviors.
• Partner with EHS to identify and reduce workplace risks.
• Work closely with Quality to ensure products meet customer specifications and internal quality standards.
• Review quality issues, nonconformances, rework, scrap, and customer-related concerns.
• Lead and support root-cause analysis and corrective actions to prevent recurring manufacturing issues.
• Reinforce quality ownership throughout the production organization.

Operational Performance

Develop, monitor, and improve key manufacturing metrics, including:

• Safety performance
• Production output
• Labor efficiency and productivity
• Quality performance
• Rework and scrap
• Overtime
• On-time completion

Use production data and operational metrics to identify trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.

Implement visual management, production tracking, and accountability processes that provide clear visibility into manufacturing performance.

Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing throughput, reducing waste, improving labor utilization, reducing downtime, and improving overall plant efficiency.

• Identify and implement improvements to manufacturing processes, workflows, layouts, and production methods.
• Drive standard work and consistent execution across manufacturing operations.
• Lead initiatives designed to reduce cycle time, improve productivity, eliminate waste, and increase capacity.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance on equipment, tooling, process, and automation improvements.
• Encourage employees and supervisors to identify and implement practical improvements on the manufacturing floor.
• Support Lean manufacturing and other continuous improvement methodologies.

Budget & Resource Management

• Assist with development and management of departmental operating budgets.
• Manage labor and overtime to meet production requirements while controlling costs.
• Monitor expenditures for materials, supplies, tooling, equipment, and other manufacturing resources.
• Ensure efficient utilization of labor, equipment, materials, and facility resources.
• Identify capital equipment and manufacturing resource requirements needed to support production and growth.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Maintenance, Materials, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, HR, EHS, and other functions.
• Coordinate production requirements with Materials and Supply Chain to ensure availability of critical components.
• Work with Maintenance to minimize equipment downtime and improve equipment reliability.
• Partner with Engineering on manufacturing processes, product changes, tooling, and production improvements.
• Communicate manufacturing performance, risks, constraints, and corrective actions to plant leadership.

Education & Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business, or a related discipline with 2–5 years of manufacturing management experience, OR
• 8–10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience in lieu of a four-year degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing experience required.
• Experience managing production supervisors and hourly manufacturing employees.
• Experience in industrial, heavy, electrical, engineered-product, or equipment manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Transformer, electrical equipment, switchgear, power equipment, or related manufacturing experience is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience improving production, safety, quality, productivity, and operational performance.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-mix or engineer-to-order manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Experience supporting multiple shifts is preferred.

Skills & Abilities

• Strong manufacturing and production leadership capabilities.
• Hands-on, visible leadership style with a strong manufacturing-floor presence.
• Ability to lead supervisors and hourly production teams.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to prioritize and execute in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of production planning, labor management, manufacturing processes, quality systems, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to analyze production data and translate metrics into corrective actions.
• Strong communication, coaching, and employee-relations skills.
• Ability to drive accountability while building effective teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Experience with ERP, MRP, MES, or other manufacturing systems preferred.
• Ability to support manufacturing operations across multiple shifts as business needs require.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be a manufacturing-floor leader, not someone who manages operations primarily from an office.

We are looking for an individual who understands production, knows how to lead people, recognizes problems quickly, and takes ownership of results. This person should be comfortable walking the floor, talking with employees and supervisors, identifying constraints, and driving issues through resolution.

The Manufacturing Manager must combine a strong sense of urgency with disciplined execution and have the ability to improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost simultaneously.

Virginia Transformer offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 401(k) with company match
• Medical insurance
• Vision insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Account
• Paid time off
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee referral program

Work Location

Troutville, Virginia – On-Site

This position requires regular onsite presence and active involvement in daily manufacturing operations.