Manufacturing Operations Manager

Product Society; California, Northern (MO, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Product Society is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of our manufacturing facility, overseeing Production, Compounding, Pre-Weigh, Facilities & Maintenance, Shipping & Receiving, and supporting teams. You will ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently, and on schedule while meeting customer requirements for quality, cost, and delivery.

This floor-focused leadership role demands hands-on problem solving and a commitment to continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or extensive leadership experience in manufacturing operations.
• Proven track record leading multiple manufacturing functions and frontline teams.
• Experience with production scheduling, maintenance, and facilities management.
• Strong safety, quality, and Lean manufacturing knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Own daily manufacturing operations and ensure production schedules are executed safely, efficiently, and on time.
• Oversee production from pre-weigh and compounding through filling, packaging, and finished-goods movement.
• Ensure materials, equipment, staffing, and information needed to execute the schedule are available.
• Monitor performance metrics like downtime, throughput, and schedule adherence; drive improvements.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve capacity and flow.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production teams.
• Establish daily priorities, accountability, and clear expectations for supervisors and staff.
• Oversee maintenance, facilities, and warehouse operations to minimize downtime.
• Drive safety, quality, and compliance initiatives across the facility.
• Develop and coach supervisors and frontline employees for long-term capability.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Production scheduling

Cross-functional collaboration

Lean / process improvement

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Operations Management or related field

Equivalent leadership experience

Tools

ERP system

Manufacturing execution system

Job description

Product Society is seeking an experienced, hands-on Manufacturing Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of our manufacturing facility, with direct oversight of Production, Compounding, Pre-Weigh, Facilities & Maintenance, Shipping & Receiving, and the teams supporting these functions.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring the facility operates safely, efficiently, and on schedule while meeting customer requirements for quality, cost, and delivery.

This is a floor-focused leadership role for someone who understands manufacturing and knows how to build accountability, solve problems, improve processes, and develop people. The ideal candidate is comfortable getting into the details of the operation while maintaining a clear view of the bigger picture.

Responsibilities & Duties

Manufacturing & Production Operations

Own daily manufacturing operations and ensure production schedules are executed safely, efficiently, and on time.

Oversee production from pre-weigh and compounding through filling, packaging, palletizing, and finished-goods movement.

Ensure production teams have the materials, equipment, staffing, and information needed to execute the schedule.

Monitor production performance, downtime, labor utilization, throughput, and schedule adherence.

Identify bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve capacity, efficiency, and flow.

Establish clear daily priorities and communicate expectations to supervisors and team members.

Hold teams accountable for meeting production goals and following established processes.

Oversee Pre-Weigh and Compounding so materials are accurately prepared and available when needed.

Ensure proper procedures for weighing, batching, documentation, material handling, and traceability.

Work closely with Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production to prevent material shortages and production delays.

Improve batch turnaround time, accuracy, labor utilization, and workflow.

Facilities & Maintenance

Oversee facility maintenance and mechanical activities to keep equipment and infrastructure operational.

Establish and manage a preventative-maintenance program for manufacturing and facility equipment.

Ensure breakdowns are addressed quickly and root causes identified.

Coordinate outside contractors and service providers when required.

Maintain a safe, clean, organized, and functional manufacturing environment, and reduce unplanned downtime.

Shipping & Receiving

Oversee all inbound receiving and outbound shipping.

Ensure raw materials, packaging components, and finished goods are received, stored, staged, and shipped accurately and on time.

Maintain accurate inventory movement and documentation.

Ensure shipments are properly prepared, labeled, palletized, and coordinated with carriers.

Improve warehouse flow, organization, material staging, and space utilization; partner with Supply Chain and Customer Service to resolve issues.

Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline employees across the operation.

Establish clear roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability.

Build a culture of ownership, teamwork, urgency, and continuous improvement.

Identify staffing needs and partner with leadership on recruiting and workforce planning.

Ensure employees are properly trained and cross-trained; address performance issues promptly; develop future leaders.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Make safety a non-negotiable priority across the facility.

Ensure employees follow all safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

Partner with Quality to ensure processes meet established standards; ensure SOPs and work instructions are followed and maintained.

Investigate operational, safety, and quality issues and drive corrective and preventative actions.

Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous-improvement initiatives throughout the facility.

Identify waste, inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and unnecessary labor or material movement.

Improve production flow, labor efficiency, equipment utilization, changeover times, material flow, warehouse organization, scheduling execution, downtime, and standard work.

Establish measurable KPIs, use data to drive decisions, and conduct root-cause analysis rather than temporary fixes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

You’ll work closely with Supply Chain & Planning, Customer Service, Quality, Product Development, Finance/FP&A, Sales/Account Management, and the Leadership Team — proactively communicating operational risks, capacity constraints, production delays, material issues, and customer-impacting concerns before they become larger problems.

What Success Looks Like (First 90–180 Days)

Clear ownership and accountability across Production, Compounding, Pre-Weigh, Maintenance, and Shipping & Receiving.

Consistent daily operating rhythms and communication; better visibility into performance and constraints.

Largest bottlenecks and recurring issues identified; a preventative-maintenance and downtime-management process established.

Improved schedule execution and fewer avoidable delays; a facility that’s organized, clean, safe, and running to clear standards.

Stronger cross-functional communication and a “see it, own it, solve it” culture.

Qualifications

Qualifications

5+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations leadership experience.

Experience managing multiple manufacturing functions and frontline teams.

Experience in CPG, cosmetics, personal care, food, beverage, chemical, or similar batch/process manufacturing strongly preferred.

Experience with production scheduling and manufacturing execution.

Experience with maintenance, facilities, warehouse, shipping, and receiving operations.

Strong understanding of safety, quality, and manufacturing best practices.

Experience with an ERP or manufacturing management system.

Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills; effective in a hands-on manufacturing environment.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field preferred.

Equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will be considered.

The Ideal Candidate

A hands-on manufacturing leader who enjoys being on the floor; highly organized and process-driven.

Comfortable managing multiple departments and competing priorities; a strong problem solver who looks for root causes.

Able to hold people accountable while developing and coaching them.

Comfortable in a fast-paced, growing CPG manufacturing environment; data-driven and able to use KPIs to manage performance.

Strong communicator across departments and levels; willing to roll up their sleeves and help solve problems; focused on execution, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Reporting Structure

Reports to the Chief Operating Officer, with direct oversight of Production, Compounding, Pre-Weigh, Facilities & Maintenance, and Shipping & Receiving.

The Manufacturing Operations Manager is expected to lead with ownership, accountability, urgency, and integrity — not just managing today’s production schedule, but building the systems, processes, people, and culture needed to create a scalable, reliable, high-performing manufacturing operation.