Production Manager

Sterling Engineering; Vernon Hills (IL); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Shift differential

Job summary

Sterling Engineering is seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead a large-scale 2nd shift manufacturing operation, overseeing safety, quality, production performance, staffing and execution for up to 400 employees.

The ideal leader is hands-on, credible on the shop floor, able to manage a large workforce with limited senior leadership presence, and quickly learn the operation. Medical device experience is not required; high-volume automated environments are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Business, or related discipline preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing or production leadership experience.
• Experience leading large manufacturing teams in high-volume or highly automated environments.
• Experience managing through supervisors and frontline leaders rather than solo contributors.
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for second-shift operations supporting up to 400 employees.
• Lead production supervisors, team leads, and personnel to meet daily safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Maintain a strong presence on the floor to support teams and ensure effective execution.
• Drive daily production performance against schedules, output goals, labor requirements, and customer demand.
• Identify constraints, staffing issues, equipment concerns, and take action to maintain production.
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, HR for shift support.
• Strengthen handoffs between first and second shifts to ensure continuity of operations.
• Develop and coach supervisors and frontline leaders with clear expectations.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Lead problem-solving and root-cause efforts related to performance, downtime, and quality.
• Review KPIs and implement corrective actions when needed.
• Support employee engagement and retention for a stable second-shift workforce.

Skills

Leadership

High-volume manufacturing

Lean manufacturing

Production planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety leadership

Root-cause analysis

People management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

ERP software

MES systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Shift: Second Shift – Standard Monday–Friday Second Shift Schedule

Compensation: $115,000/year + 10% Annual Bonus + 10% Shift Differential

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to provide leadership and operational oversight for a large-scale manufacturing operation on second shift. This is a highly visible leadership position responsible for driving safety, quality, production performance, staffing, and overall execution across an operation supporting up to 400 employees.

The ideal candidate is a strong, hands-on manufacturing leader who is comfortable managing a large workforce and making sound operational decisions with limited senior leadership presence during the shift. This individual must be highly dependable, accountable, and capable of establishing a strong leadership presence across the production floor.

Medical device experience is not required. We are primarily seeking a proven production leader from a high-volume manufacturing environment who can quickly learn the operation, build credibility with the workforce, and drive consistent execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and direction for second-shift manufacturing operations supporting up to 400 employees.
• Lead production supervisors, team leads, and manufacturing personnel to achieve daily safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Maintain a strong and highly visible presence on the manufacturing floor, ensuring teams have the leadership and support needed to execute effectively.
• Drive daily production performance against schedules, output goals, labor requirements, and customer demand.
• Identify production constraints, staffing issues, equipment concerns, and other barriers to output and take appropriate action to maintain production.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, HR, and other functional groups to ensure appropriate support for second-shift operations.
• Strengthen communication and coordination between first and second shifts to ensure effective handoffs and continuity of operations.
• Monitor staffing and labor utilization and adjust resources based on production requirements and changing priorities.
• Develop and coach supervisors and frontline leaders while establishing clear expectations around accountability, communication, and performance.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, ownership, and continuous improvement throughout the operation.
• Lead problem-solving and root-cause efforts related to production performance, downtime, labor efficiency, quality issues, and operational disruptions.
• Review manufacturing KPIs and implement corrective actions when performance falls below expectations.
• Support employee engagement and retention initiatives, with particular focus on building a stable and effective second-shift workforce.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, safety requirements, quality systems, and established manufacturing procedures.
• Operate independently and exercise sound judgment during portions of the shift when senior leadership and functional support may have limited onsite presence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Business, or a related discipline preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing or production leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading large manufacturing teams, ideally within a high-volume or highly automated production environment.
• Experience managing through supervisors and frontline leaders rather than solely through individual contributors.
• Strong background in production management, staffing, labor utilization, scheduling, productivity, and operational execution.
• Proven ability to hold teams accountable and improve production performance.
• Strong floor leadership skills with the ability to build credibility across all levels of a manufacturing organization.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Human Resources.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to work independently and make effective operational decisions with limited senior leadership oversight.
• Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or operational excellence experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience within medical device, pharmaceutical, food, automotive, consumer products, plastics, packaging, or other high-volume manufacturing environments is beneficial but medical device experience is not required.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be a production-first leader who has successfully managed a sizable manufacturing workforce and understands how to drive results through supervisors and frontline leadership. This person should be comfortable spending significant time on the production floor, addressing problems in real time, holding teams accountable, and ensuring second-shift operations receive the same level of leadership and execution as first shift.

Success in this role will require someone who is dependable, trustworthy, decisive, and capable of operating with a high degree of autonomy while maintaining strong communication with plant leadership.