Production Manager

Aegis Worldwide; Naperville (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual holiday bonus

PTO

Medical coverage

Job summary

A proven manufacturing leader is sought for a high-volume, multi-shift operation with a direct path toward Plant Manager leadership. This privately held, billion-dollar organization emphasizes developing the next generation of plant leadership, with broad exposure across production, maintenance, engineering, and HR.

You will be on the floor, partnering with supervisors and teams to meet schedules, address staffing and equipment challenges, and drive performance, with long-term opportunities to

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of manufacturing/operations experience.
• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience.
• Bilingual Spanish/English communication skills.
• Hands-on leadership style and willingness to spend significant time on the production floor.

Responsibilities

• Drive production performance and operational execution.
• Lead supervisory and hourly workforce teams.
• Own production scheduling and labor planning.
• Track OEE, labor utilization, downtime, output, and KPIs.
• Lead continuous improvement and process optimization initiatives.
• Drive automation and modernization efforts.
• Oversee headcount and workforce planning.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Planning and HR.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manual processes.
• Contribute to larger operational and business decisions.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish/English

Leadership

On-floor leadership

Education

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

Tools

MRP systems

Job description

This is an opportunity for a proven manufacturing leader who is ready for more than another Production Manager title.

Join a privately held, billion-dollar manufacturing organization that has built a strong reputation in high-volume production - and is continuing to grow. This role offers a direct path toward Plant Manager leadership, with the opportunity to learn a complex operation from the ground up and progressively take on greater ownership of the business.

You won't be coming in to simply maintain the status quo. You'll be developed as part of the company's next generation of plant leadership, with the potential to eventually lead a 400,000+ square-foot manufacturing operation with hundreds of employees.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Clear path to Plant Manager: Report directly to the Plant Manager and develop alongside an experienced site leader with a long-term succession plan in mind.
• Join a billion-dollar privately held company: Get the resources and scale of a major manufacturer without the layers and bureaucracy often found in large corporations.
• A company that's still growing: The organization is actively investing in its people, operations, equipment, and future leadership.
• Real leadership development: You'll gain exposure to production, labor planning, continuous improvement, maintenance, engineering, quality, planning, HR, and broader business decisions.
• High visibility: Leadership is expected to be on the floor, working with teams and understanding the operation firsthand - not managing from behind a desk.
• Long-term opportunity: As you establish yourself, your scope will expand and could eventually lead to Plant Manager and broader multi-site leadership responsibility.

The Role

As Production Manager, you'll play a key role in a high-volume, multi-shift manufacturing environment with a large hourly workforce. Early in the role, your priority will be learning the operation, building relationships, and earning credibility with the team.

You’ll work closely with supervisors, leads, and employees to ensure production schedules are executed, staffing and equipment challenges are addressed, and daily performance goals are met.

Over time, you’ll take on increasing responsibility for:

• Production performance and operational execution
• Supervisory and hourly workforce leadership
• Production scheduling and labor planning
• OEE, labor utilization, downtime, output, and other manufacturing KPIs
• Continuous improvement and process optimization
• Automation and modernization initiatives
• Headcount and workforce planning
• Cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Planning, and HR
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manual processes
• Contributing to larger operational and business decisions

The long-term goal is to develop someone who understands not only how the plant operates, but why the business makes the decisions it does - and is ultimately ready to make those decisions themselves.

What We're Looking For

• 10-15+ years of manufacturing/operations experience
• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience
• Bilingual Spanish/English communication skills
• A hands-on leadership style and willingness to spend significant time on the production floor
• Strong knowledge of production scheduling, MRP, OEE, labor utilization, headcount, and manufacturing KPIs
• Strong emotional intelligence and the ability to earn trust across different personalities and levels of the organization
• The ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment
• Flexibility to occasionally gain exposure to other shifts as you develop

Preferred Background

• High-speed manufacturing, CPG, food, food packaging, or similar industries
• Large-scale, multi-shift manufacturing operations
• High-headcount and/or union environments
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field
• Strong analytical and business acumen beyond day-to-day production management

Nice to Have

• Lean or Six Sigma certification
• APICS or related operations/supply chain certification
• MBA or advanced degree
• Multi-site manufacturing experience

The Environment

This is a hands-on, high-accountability manufacturing culture. Leaders are visible, decisions move quickly, and credibility is earned by being present with the team and willing to get into the operation.

The organization values people who are hardworking, loyal, adaptable, improvement-minded, and capable of navigating different personalities while continuing to raise the bar.

During the busiest season, the pace increases significantly and additional floor presence—including occasional Saturdays - is expected.

Important: The role has a PTO blackout period from September 1 through December 1. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday are paid holidays.

• Annual holiday bonus
• PTO
• Medical coverage with PPO, HSA, and HMO options