Manufacturing Supervisor

Wahl Clipper Corporation; Sterling (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) matched/profit sharing

Tuition support

Paid holidays

Job summary

Wahl Clipper Corporation in Sterling, IL is seeking a Manufacturing Supervisor to lead daily production teams, driving safety, quality, and timely delivery while developing talent.

You will coach hourly workers, set priorities, and partner with Quality, Engineering, and Maintenance to achieve operational excellence through Lean practices and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years in manufacturing or industrial environment with at least 2 years in a supervisory role.
• Experience leading hourly production teams in high-volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity objectives.
• Provide visible safety leadership through floor presence, observations, investigations, and hazard identification.
• Supervise, coach, and develop production associates and team leaders toward continuous learning.
• Conduct performance coaching, reviews, and development planning for direct reports.
• Lead daily production meetings and drive accountability for operations results.
• Drive lean initiatives, standardization, waste elimination, and continuous improvement activities.
• Monitor KPIs, identify gaps, and implement corrective actions to improve labor efficiency and throughput.
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to resolve operational challenges.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Lean manufacturing

Safety compliance

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/engineering/manufacturing

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365)

Job description

Wahl Empowers People To Be Their Best!

Leading People. Driving Performance. Shaping the Future of Manufacturing.

At Wahl Clipper, operational excellence starts with exceptional leadership. As a Manufacturing Supervisor, you'll play a pivotal role in leading production teams, developing talent, and ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, delivery, and productivity. This is more than a supervisory position. It's an opportunity to build organizational capability, influence business results, and prepare for future leadership growth within our operations organization. If you're a leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and is passionate about developing people while driving continuous improvement, we'd love to meet you.

What You ll Do

As a key member of the Operations leadership team, you'll provide daily leadership to production employees and team leads while championing a culture of accountability, safety, and performance excellence:

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity objectives while ensuring compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Provide visible safety leadership through daily floor presence, safety observations, incident investigations, and proactive hazard identification.
• Supervise, coach, and develop production associates and team leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, teamwork, and continuous learning.
• Conduct performance coaching, performance reviews, skills assessments, and development planning for direct reports.
• Address employee concerns and administer attendance, performance, and corrective action processes in partnership with Human Resources.
• Lead daily production meetings and visual management processes to review performance, communicate priorities, and drive accountability for operational results.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives through disciplined execution of daily management systems, problem solving, waste elimination, process standardization, and continuous improvement activities.
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators, identify performance gaps, and implement corrective actions to improve labor efficiency, quality, throughput, and customer service levels.
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Human Resources to resolve operational challenges and support business objectives.
• Manage workforce planning, staffing, training, and resource allocation to ensure effective execution of production schedules while controlling operating costs and overtime.
• Support strategic manufacturing initiatives, organizational capability building, and succession planning while developing the leadership skills necessary for future advancement into broader operations management responsibilities.
• Maintain a safe work environment through consistent enforcement of safety policies and procedures.
• Lead incident investigations and corrective action implementation.
• Drive safety engagement and continuous improvement.
• Ensure products meet established quality standards.
• Lead containment and corrective action activities when quality issues arise.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that improve customer satisfaction.
• Achieve production schedules while optimizing labor utilization and controlling costs.
• Monitor operational metrics and implement corrective actions when performance targets are not met.
• Manage attendance and staffing levels to ensure production requirements are met while adhering to company policies.
• Develop employee skills through coaching, training, and performance feedback.
• Promote employee engagement, accountability, and teamwork.
• Support succession planning and leadership development.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Eliminate waste and improve process effectiveness through Lean manufacturing principles.
• Manage attendance and staffing levels to ensure production requirements are met while adhering to company policies.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in business, Engineering, Manufacturing, or related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment, including at least 2 years in a supervisory, lead, or team leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading hourly production teams in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while balancing safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to manage attendance, performance, corrective actions, and employee relations issues in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations including safety systems, quality control, production planning, and lean/continuous improvement principles.
• Proven ability to drive performance against key operational metrics such as safety, quality, delivery, cost, and labor efficiency.
• Experience in problem-solving methodologies (e.g., root cause analysis, structured problem solving, or lean tools).
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization, including hourly employees, leadership, and cross-functional partners.
• Proficiency in manufacturing systems, reporting tools, and basic data analysis for operational decision-making.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrated ability to lead improvement projects with measurable business impact.
• Exposure to structured operational excellence systems (e.g., WCM, Lean, Six Sigma, TPM).
• Experience utilizing Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) ERP and manufacturing reporting systems.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Green Belt, or equivalent continuous improvement training preferred.

Why You ll Love Wahl Clipper

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being and growth, including:

• Low-cost BCBSIL medical, dental, and vision plans
• A generous company-matched 401(k) and profit sharing
• Tuition support to fuel your learning
• Paid holidays and a vibrant, casual work environment

But that's just the beginning. At Wahl, you'll also enjoy:

• A legacy of quality and innovation.
• A team that values your expertise and ideas.
• Opportunities to grow and contribute to meaningful projects.
• A culture built on respect, precision, and progress.

Ready to Lead What9s Next?

If you're passionate about developing people, elevating performance, and creating a safer, stronger, and more efficient manufacturing operation, we invite you to apply. Join Wahl Clipper and help shape the future of manufacturing excellence.

Applicant must be legally authorized to work in the United States on date of hire without action by company. US immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

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