Production Manager

Lifework Search; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Lifework Search is partnering with a growing organization seeking a hands-on Production Manager to lead manual assembly and kitting operations. You will drive safety, quality, productivity, and schedule attainment on the production floor.

You will plan labor, balance lines, review upcoming builds with supervisors, and own KPIs such as output, efficiency, waste, and safety, while fostering team development and continuous improvement in a labor-intensive environment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on production leadership in manual assembly.
• Experience with audits, CAPA, SOPs in regulated environments.
• Strong line-balancing and labor planning skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production across manual assembly and kitting lines.
• Spend ~90% on the production floor directing safety, quality, productivity, and schedule attainment.
• Plan labor and balance lines based on volume, content, staffing, and customer requirements.
• Review upcoming builds with supervisors to prepare lines, materials, and staffing.
• Own production KPIs including output, efficiency, quality, labor, waste, and safety.
• Identify bottlenecks with time studies and line-balancing to boost productivity.
• Evaluate line layouts to improve ergonomics, workflow, safety, and efficiency.
• Partner with Quality to support SOPs, CAPA, traceability and customer requirements.
• Lead with urgency; communicate expectations and manage long-tenured staff.
• Overlap with second shift as needed.

Skills

Production leadership

Line balancing

Labor planning

Time studies

Standard work

Ergonomics

Continuous improvement

Safety leadership

Team development

Communication

Job description

We are currently working with a growing organization that has recently added several new customers and is expanding its production operation. As they continue to grow, they are looking for a hands-on Production Manager to lead a labor-intensive, manual assembly environment and drive productivity, continuous improvement, and team development.

Position Description:

• Lead day-to-day production across multiple manual assembly and kitting lines, typically ranging from 10-40 employees per line.
• Spend approximately 90% of the day on the production floor, working with supervisors and team members to drive safety, quality, productivity, and schedule attainment.
• Plan labor and balance production lines based on volume, work content, staffing levels, and customer requirements.
• Review upcoming builds with supervisors and ensure lines, materials, and staffing are properly prepared in advance.
• Own production KPIs, including output, efficiency, quality, labor utilization, waste, and safety.
• Use time studies, standard work, and line-balancing techniques to identify bottlenecks and improve productivity.
• Evaluate line layouts and workstations to improve ergonomics, workflow, safety, and efficiency.
• Continuously review processes, identify improvement opportunities, and implement practical changes on the floor.
• Partner with Quality and other functions to support SOPs, audit readiness, CAPA, traceability, food safety, and customer requirements.
• Highly energetic, self-motivated production leader with significant experience in manufacturing, assembly, packaging, kitting, or another labor-intensive production environment.
• Strong experience leading manual assembly operations where people and process drive throughput rather than highly automated equipment.
• Demonstrated understanding of line balancing, labor planning, time studies, standard work, production flow, and ergonomic line setup.
• Strong continuous improvement mindset and the ability to pivot quickly as production priorities change.
• Experience with audits, CAPA, SOPs, quality systems, and regulated production environments preferred.
• Confident leader with a strong sense of urgency who can communicate expectations and effectively lead long-tenured employees.
• Ability to spend the majority of the workday on the production floor and overlap with second shift as needed.
• Candidates whose experience is primarily in distribution, warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, or parcel operations without direct production or assembly leadership will not be the best fit.