Operations Lead, Custom Upholstery & Craft Quality

Emblem; Chino (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Emblem in Chino, CA, is seeking an experienced Operations Manager, Custom Upholstery, to lead our furniture manufacturing floor. This hands-on leadership role emphasizes craftsmanship, quality, and respectful team leadership.

You will oversee framing, sewing, upholstery, and finishing, coordinate with Purchasing and CAD, develop SOPs, and coach a skilled production team on-site to deliver high-quality pieces on schedule.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a custom upholstery or skilled production team.
• Strong knowledge of upholstered furniture construction and quality standards.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication abilities.
• Experience supervising a factory floor or shop team.
• Experience improving processes, SOPs, or factory systems.
• Ability to lead firmly without creating an authoritarian environment.
• Must work on-site in Chino, CA.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily flow across framing, sewing, upholstery, assembly, packaging, and shipping.
• Lead and develop the production team including upholsterers, carpenters, sewers, cutters, and production support staff.
• Plan production schedules based on deadlines, materials, team capacity, and project complexity.
• Troubleshoot custom upholstery and furniture construction challenges with the team.
• Review work in progress and finished pieces for quality, accuracy, consistency, and readiness for delivery.
• Improve communication between Production, Purchasing, Client Services, CAD, and ownership.
• Coordinate with Purchasing to ensure materials, frames, fabric, foam, and supplies are ready when needed.
• Support shipping and receiving coordination so finished work is protected, organized, and delivered on time.
• Help create and improve SOPs, production visibility systems, quality checkpoints, and cross‑training practices.
• Keep the factory organized, safe, and moving efficiently.
• Set clear expectations for attendance, productivity, quality, safety, and communication.
• Help hire, train, coach, discipline, and, when needed, terminate production employees.
• Work with HR support on documentation, write‑ups, and employee issues.
• Build a strong team culture based on respect, accountability, craftsmanship, and good communication.

Skills

Production leadership

Upholstery knowledge

Factory supervision

Production scheduling

Lean & 5S

Cross-functional collaboration

Bilingual English/Spanish

Job description

Emblem in Chino, CA, is seeking an experienced Operations Manager, Custom Upholstery, to lead our furniture manufacturing floor. This hands-on leadership role emphasizes craftsmanship, quality, and respectful team leadership.

You will oversee framing, sewing, upholstery, and finishing, coordinate with Purchasing and CAD, develop SOPs, and coach a skilled production team on-site to deliver high-quality pieces on schedule.