Production Manager

Novax Recruitment Ltd; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Novax Recruitment Ltd is seeking a Production Manager for Processing & Plate in New York. Lead supervisors, drive safety, quality, and productivity while aligning workforce and equipment with evolving production needs.

You will coordinate with Fabrication, Welding, Quality, Engineering and Maintenance to improve throughput and performance, with emphasis on developing frontline leadership and leveraging CNC processing and automation. AWS D1.1 experience is a strong asset.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in production management within structural steel or fabrication.
• Experience managing supervisors who oversee own teams.
• Strong knowledge of CNC plate-processing equipment (plasma, laser, oxy-fuel, drilling, beveling).
• AWS D1.1 experience required; D1.5/value bridges are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop supervisors for Processing & Plate production teams.
• Establish accountability for safety, quality, productivity, scheduling and performance.
• Manage manpower, shifts, equipment and workflow to meet changing production needs.
• Drive throughput and maximize utilisation of CNC processing, automation, and robotic equipment.
• Identify bottlenecks, downtime, rework and inefficiencies and address them.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for throughput, utilisation, downtime, quality and schedule.
• Recruit and develop frontline leadership as production scales.
• Collaborate with Fabrication, Welding, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance and Project Management.

Skills

Production leadership

Staff development

Manpower planning

Throughput optimization

KPIs

Safety compliance

Education

AWS D1.1 certification

Tools

CNC processing equipment

Job description

Production Manager - Processing & Plate

New York

Compensation: $120,000-$150,000 + Benefits

Why This Role Matters

Join a well-funded, growing structural steel and heavy fabrication operation that is investing heavily in modern manufacturing technology and production capability.

This is a key leadership position focused on turning strong equipment, increasing workloads and a developing workforce into a disciplined, high-performing production operation.

You'll take ownership of Processing & Plate, developing supervisors, strengthening accountability and improving throughput, utilisation and production performance.

The biggest priority isn't simply machinery, it's people, leadership and performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop supervisors responsible for production teams across Processing & Plate.
• Build accountability around safety, quality, productivity, schedule and performance.
• Manage manpower, shifts, equipment and workflow against changing production requirements.
• Drive throughput and maximise utilisation of CNC processing, automation and robotic equipment.
• Identify and address bottlenecks, downtime, rework and production inefficiencies.
• Establish and manage KPIs covering throughput, utilisation, downtime, quality and schedule performance.
• Recruit, develop and strengthen frontline leadership as production continues to scale.
• Collaborate with Fabrication, Welding, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance and Project Management.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Proven Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Fabrication Manager or similar leadership experience within structural steel or bridge fabrication,
• Demonstrated experience managing supervisors who are responsible for their own teams, rather than solely supervising operators directly.
• Strong exposure to CNC plate-processing equipment such as plasma, laser, oxy-fuel cutting, drilling, beveling, machining or plate rolling.
• Experience working around automation, robotics, heavy fabrication and large welded assemblies.
• Proven ability to improve throughput, equipment utilisation, manpower planning and overall production performance.
• Strong knowledge of production KPIs, continuous improvement and identifying operational bottlenecks.
• AWS D1.1 experience required; AWS D1.5 and bridge fabrication experience would be highly valuable.