Operations Manager II

Cooper Standard Automotive; Sherman Park (SC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Cooper Standard Automotive is seeking an Operations Manager to lead daily plant manufacturing operations, ensuring safety, quality, and on-time delivery while controlling costs and inventory. The role includes oversight of MP&L and collaboration across Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, HR, and Finance.

A path to Plant Manager within 12 months is anticipated. The ideal candidate will have 5–8 years of supervisory experience in manufacturing, a bachelor’s degree in a related field, and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or related field required, or equivalent experience.
• Five to eight years of supervision or management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in automotive manufacturing, production control, material flow, inventory management, logistics, supply chain, or MP&L preferred.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, production cost management, and operational reporting preferred.
• Knowledge of quality and environmental management systems, including IATF and ISO 14001.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily plant manufacturing operations to meet safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, and engagement goals.
• Build and maintain a safe work environment through proactive safety leadership and follow-up actions.
• Direct operations leadership and staffing, manpower planning, performance management, and talent development.
• Develop and execute production plans supporting customer requirements, on-time delivery, and launch readiness.
• Provide leadership oversight for MP&L activities including scheduling, material planning, inventory control, shipping, and vendor releasing.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, HR, Finance, MP&L to resolve issues and improve performance.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts: scrap reduction, lean activities, Gemba walks, corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance with quality, environmental, safety, labor relations, policy, procedure, and contractual requirements (IATF / ISO 14001).
• Develop, monitor, and manage the Operations budget, including labor and production costs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Operations leadership

SAP experience

Talent development

Problem solving

Communication skills

MS Office / ERP awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or related field

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Job description

Position Summary

The Operations Manager leads plant manufacturing operations to deliver safe, efficient, and effective performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, employee engagement, labor relations, staffing, production, inventory, and compliance requirements. This role also provides leadership oversight for Material Planning and Logistics (MP&L), working closely with the MP&L Manager to align scheduling, material flow, inventory control, shipping, receiving, vendor releasing, and customer delivery. We are seeking a strong operations leader with the capability and potential to move into the Plant Manager position within the next 12 months.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead daily plant manufacturing operations to meet safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, inventory, labor relations, and employee engagement goals.
• Build and maintain a safe work environment through proactive safety leadership, incident follow-up, corrective actions, and preventive observations.
• Direct operations leadership and manufacturing teams, including staffing, manpower planning, performance management, training, and talent development.
• Develop and execute production plans that support customer requirements, on-time delivery, launch readiness, quality standards, and plant performance objectives.
• Provide leadership oversight for MP&L activities, including scheduling, material planning, inventory control, shipping, receiving, vendor releasing, and MRP buying.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Human Resources, Finance, MP&L, and other functions to resolve operational issues and improve plant performance.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts, including scrap reduction, lean activities, Gemba walks, corrective actions, and production floor improvements.
• Ensure compliance with quality, environmental, safety, labor relations, policy, procedure, and contractual requirements, including IATF and ISO 14001.
• Develop, monitor, and manage the Operations budget, including labor, production costs, resource needs, and operational spending.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or a related field required, or equivalent experience.
• Five to eight years of supervision or management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in automotive manufacturing, production control, material flow, inventory management, logistics, supply chain, or MP&L preferred.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, production cost management, and operational reporting preferred.
• Knowledge of quality and environmental management systems, including IATF and ISO 14001.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Strong manufacturing operations leadership with the ability to provide effective oversight of MP&L execution. SAP experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to lead through others, develop talent, delegate effectively, and drive accountability for results.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including the ability to use operational, quality, inventory, and cost data to make decisions.
• Effective communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, decision‑making, organization, and planning skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and applicable manufacturing, scheduling, inventory, or ERP systems.

Work Environment/Work Conditions

• Work is performed in both office and manufacturing floor environments.
• Proper personal protective equipment is required while on the manufacturing floor.
• Travel to manufacturing facilities or customer locations may be required.

Cooper Standard is proud of its diverse workforce and committed to providing equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetic information, physical or mental disability, age, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are dedicated to creating an environment at work that not only values diversity but also encourages inclusion and a sense of belonging. We firmly believe that a diverse workplace fosters an environment where our employees can flourish and provide superior service to our customers.