Production Manager

American Legend Aircraft; Sulphur Springs (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

American Legend Aircraft Company is seeking an experienced, hands-on Production Manager to lead daily manufacturing operations at our aircraft production facility. You will manage scheduling, staffing, and materials across fabrication, welding, sheet metal, composites, paint, assembly, and testing to deliver quality aircraft on time.

The ideal candidate drives process improvements, ensures compliance with FAA Part 22 and ASTM standards, and leads lean initiatives while maintaining cost,

Qualifications

• Five+ years of manufacturing or production experience, preferably in aviation or a regulated industry.
• Three+ years of supervisory or production-management experience.
• Experience managing schedules, employees, materials, workflow and priorities.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, organizational, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and manufacturing ERP or production-planning systems.
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, technical specifications and BOMs.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and manage daily aircraft production activities.
• Establish and maintain weekly and monthly production schedules.
• Monitor production across fabrication, assembly, finishing, inspection and testing.
• Coordinate staffing, materials, tooling, and production priorities.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Develop and improve standard work instructions and routings.
• Implement and optimize production planning using M1 ERP.

Skills

Manufacturing experience

Supervisory experience

Production scheduling

Leadership

Problem solving

Microsoft Office

ERP / production planning

Reading engineering drawings

Education

Industrial Engineering / Manufacturing Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering (Bachelor’s)

FAA A&P Certificate (preferred)

Tools

M1 ERP

Job description

American Legend Aircraft Company is seeking an experienced, hands‑on Production Manager to lead daily manufacturing operations at our aircraft production facility.

This position is responsible for safely producing high-quality aircraft on schedule while maintaining compliance with company procedures, engineering specifications, quality requirements, applicable FAA regulations, and ASTM consensus standards.

The Production Manager will lead employees across fabrication, welding, sheet metal, composites, paint, aircraft assembly, avionics, engine installation, final assembly, inspection, and production testing.

This position will also play an important role in implementing and improving the company’s FAA Part 22 / ASTM compliance systems, certification processes, Quality Control and Quality Assurance programs, M1 ERP manufacturing system, and lean-manufacturing initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a strong, hands‑on leader who understands manufacturing, develops employees, improves processes, solves production problems, and maintains accountability for quality, schedule, cost, and customer satisfaction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and manage daily aircraft production activities.
• Establish and maintain weekly and monthly production schedules.
• Monitor aircraft through fabrication, assembly, paint, avionics, inspection, testing, and delivery.
• Coordinate staffing, workload, materials, tooling, and production priorities.
• Conduct regular production meetings and report schedule, labor, material, and production issues to management.
• Ensure aircraft are manufactured according to approved drawings, specifications, work instructions, bills of material, and quality requirements.
• Support implementation of manufacturing systems required for FAA Part 22 and applicable ASTM compliance.
• Work closely with Engineering and Quality Assurance on regulatory compliance, certification, inspection, documentation, and conformity requirements.
• Maintain accurate production records, aircraft build records, inspection documentation, configuration control, and material traceability.
• Lead root‑cause investigations and corrective actions involving production and quality issues.
• Develop and improve standardized work instructions, production travelers, routings, processes, and employee training.
• Implement and improve production planning and control using M1 ERP manufacturing software.
• Utilize ERP systems for work orders, production scheduling, bills of material, labor tracking, inventory, material planning, and cost control.
• Identify production bottlenecks, waste, rework, and inefficiencies and implement practical improvements.
• Apply lean‑manufacturing and continuous‑improvement principles to improve quality, productivity, workflow, and on‑time delivery.
• Monitor labor hours, overtime, material usage, rework, scrap, and production costs.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and Inventory to ensure materials and components are available when needed.
• Ensure tools, fixtures, machinery, and production equipment are properly maintained.
• Recruit, train, coach, evaluate, and develop production employees and department leads.
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and professional manufacturing environment.
• Quality, Regulatory, and Certification Responsibilities
• Support development and implementation of systems necessary for FAA Part 22 and ASTM consensus‑standard compliance.
• Work closely with Engineering and Quality Assurance on aircraft certification and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain effective production documentation, traceability, configuration control, and inspection processes.
• Support internal audits, corrective actions, conformity activities, and regulatory reviews.
• Help develop and maintain effective Quality Control and Quality Assurance systems.
• Promote a culture in which quality is built into every stage of the manufacturing process.

Customer Responsibilities

• Work closely with customers throughout aircraft production and delivery.
• Provide timely and accurate updates regarding production progress, configuration, schedules, and delivery expectations.
• Respond professionally to customer questions, concerns, and requested changes.
• Coordinate with Sales, Engineering, Quality, and Production to ensure customer requirements are properly documented and completed.
• Maintain a high level of customer satisfaction throughout the production and delivery process.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Set clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, workmanship, attendance, and accountability.
• Hold employees and department leads accountable for performance and completion of assigned work.
• Build strong communication between Production, Quality, Engineering, Purchasing, Sales, Administration, and customers.
• Ensure employees receive the training, tools, information, and support necessary to perform successfully.
• Address performance concerns promptly and professionally.
• Develop employees and future department leaders.
• Promote teamwork, continuous improvement, and pride in producing safe, reliable, high‑quality aircraft.

Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of manufacturing or production experience, preferably in aviation, aerospace, automotive, or another regulated industry.
• Three or more years of supervisory or production‐management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage production schedules, employees, materials, workflow, and competing priorities.
• Experience implementing or improving manufacturing processes and production‑control systems.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing quality, documentation, configuration control, and traceability.
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, technical specifications, work instructions, and bills of material.
• Strong leadership, problem‑solving, organizational, communication, and customer‑service skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and manufacturing ERP or production‑planning systems.
• Ability and willingness to work in a hands‑on manufacturing environment and spend significant time on the production floor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Current FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Certificate and/or Inspection Authorization (IA).
• Aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, assembly, or repair experience.
• Experience with FAA regulatory compliance, ASTM standards, certification, and quality systems.
• Experience implementing lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and production‑control systems.
• Experience with M1 ERP or similar manufacturing ERP software.
• Experience with P&L responsibility, budgeting, cost control, and labor management.
• Experience developing work instructions, routings, bills of material, production travelers, and employee training programs.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and work around aircraft and manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to work in production areas where noise, dust, paint, chemicals, machinery, and changing temperatures may be present.
• Ability to use required personal protective equipment.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Aircraft completed on schedule.
• Product quality and reduction of rework.
• Compliance with production, quality, and regulatory documentation.
• Successful implementation of FAA/ASTM production systems.
• Effective use of M1 ERP throughout manufacturing.
• Labor efficiency and control of production costs and overtime.
• Improvement in workflow, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Employee training, development, and accountability.
• Effective resolution of production and quality problems.
• Timely communication and customer satisfaction.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation will be based on experience and qualifications.

American Legend Aircraft Company offers a competitive benefits package and the opportunity to play a key leadership role in the continued growth of an American aircraft manufacturer.

This position provides the opportunity to directly influence the company’s production systems, FAA Part 22 certification efforts, ASTM compliance, quality systems, ERP implementation, manufacturing efficiency, and future growth.

• American Legend Aircraft Company is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, performance, and business needs without regard to any legally protected status.