Production Manager - 2nd Shift

Advancedphotonix; Chino (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Growth opportunities

Collaborative team

Southern California location

Job summary

Luna Innovations Incorporated in Chino, CA is seeking an experienced operations leader to own the 2nd shift production performance across polarization and photonics test and measurement products. This on-site role requires hands-on leadership on the floor while coordinating with Team Leads and technicians to meet throughput, quality, and safety goals.

Reporting to the VP of Operations, you will guide staffing, training, and scheduling, enable continuous improvement, and liaise with Quality and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, or business, or equivalent manufacturing leadership experience.
• 5-7 years in manufacturing supervision/management, in electronics, optical, or similarly regulated/high-mix precision manufacturing.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, fabrication methods, and tool design; familiarity with optical and electronics manufacturing equipment and quality assurance techniques.
• Proven experience leading through Team Leads/supervisors, not just individual technicians; strong interpersonal communication and teamwork skills.
• Track record with lean/continuous improvement methodology and project management in a growth or high-mix production environment.
• Familiarity with quality systems in a precision manufacturing setting (calibration, inspection, non-conformance processes).
• Commitment to health and safety standards and environmental regulations.
• Experience with NetSuite and/or Salesforce a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the 2nd shift production plan: schedule staff, set priorities, monitor progress, and report shift metrics.
• Directly supervise 2nd shift Team Leads and technicians; hire, train, and develop staff; ensure smooth handoffs with 1st shift.
• Maintain workflow by monitoring process steps, reduce costs, and drive continuous improvement on the floor.
• Lead department goals for safety, quality, and operations; oversee shift safety compliance and incident response.
• Partner with Quality to sustain calibration and inspection standards; drive corrective actions for non-conformances.
• Ensure equipment uptime by coordinating repairs and evaluating new equipment with Engineering.
• Resolve personnel problems by analyzing data, investigating issues, and planning staffing and overtime with HR.
• Serve as key point of contact for 2nd shift operations.
• Coach and develop Team Leads with performance management.

Skills

Leadership

Lean/CI

Project management

Teamwork

Communication

Problem solving

Health & safety

Education

Bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, or business

Tools

NetSuite

Salesforce

Job description

Full-Time · On-site · PM hours targeting a approximately 11:00 AM-8:00 PM

Salary Range: $120,000.00 To $135,000.00 Annually

About Luna & Role

Luna Innovations Incorporated (Luna) is a global leader in fiber optic test and measurement and distributed sensing, trusted by aerospace manufacturers, defense contractors, research institutions, and commercial operators worldwide. We are a team of innovators who engineer, manufacture, and relentlessly pursue quality, driven by a shared commitment to exceeding our customers' expectations.

Our Chino, CA location develops and manufactures precision optical polarization components, modules, and test equipment critical to optical communications, silicon photonics testing, and fiber optic sensing applications worldwide.

This role owns full production performance for Chino's 2nd shift: output, quality, safety, and people leadership across Team Leads and technicians manufacturing Chino's polarization and optical/photonics test and measurement products. This is an office-based leadership role, not a production floor position, though it requires regular, hands-on presence on the floor to directly supervise 2nd shift activity. It carries high-visibility scope, reporting directly to the VP of Operations, with room to grow into broader accountability spanning shift-level P&L, cross-site coordination, and site strategic planning as Chino's needs evolve. Travel is minimal, generally under 10%.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the 2nd shift production plan: scheduling and assigning personnel, establishing priorities, monitoring progress, revising schedules, and reporting shift production summaries against throughput, quality/yield, on-time delivery, and scrap targets.
• Directly supervise 2nd shift Team Leads and technicians; hire, train, and develop staff; ensure clean handoffs with 1st shift leadership on WIP, quality holds, and priority changes.
• Maintain workflow by monitoring process steps and control points, implementing cost reductions, and driving continuous improvement on the floor.
• Lead department goals for safety, quality, and operations while maximizing 2nd shift output; own shift-level safety compliance, incident response, and environmental/health regulation adherence.
• Partner with Quality to sustain calibration and inspection standards and drive non-conformance/corrective action closure on shift.
• Ensure equipment uptime by coordinating repairs and evaluating new equipment and techniques with Engineering; maintain working relationships across departments to keep them informed of manufacturing issues.
• Resolve personnel problems by analyzing data, investigating issues, and recommending action; manage staffing, scheduling, and overtime for 2nd shift in partnership with HR.
• Serve as a key point of contact for 2nd shift operations.
• Coach and develop Team Leads, with direct input into their performance management and growth.

Growth Opportunities

• Build relationships with other Luna manufacturing locations and business unit leadership as the role develops.
• Contribute to site leadership planning and P&L reporting (pricing, gross margin, manufacturing variances, OpEx), staffing ratios, and capacity planning for 2nd shift, depending on evolving site needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, or business, or equivalent manufacturing leadership experience.
• 5-7 years in manufacturing supervision/management, in electronics, optical, or similarly regulated/high-mix precision manufacturing.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, fabrication methods, and tool design; familiarity with optical and electronics manufacturing equipment and quality assurance techniques.
• Proven experience leading through Team Leads/supervisors, not just individual technicians; strong interpersonal communication and teamwork skills.
• Track record with lean/continuous improvement methodology and project management in a growth or high-mix production environment.
• Familiarity with quality systems in a precision manufacturing setting (calibration, inspection, non-conformance processes).
• Commitment to health and safety standards and environmental regulations.
• Experience with NetSuite and/or Salesforce a plus.
• Strong self-starter with problem-solving ability.
• Ability to work a later-hours shift (approximately 11:00 AM-8:00 PM) consistently, with periodic overlap into 1st shift/site leadership hours as needed.

Physical / Work Environment

This is an office-based role supporting manufacturing operations, requiring regular, recurring presence on the production floor to oversee 2nd shift activity, monitor operations, and engage directly with Team Leads and technicians.

WHY LUNA

Here's what you can expect:

• Competitive compensation & benefits: comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus a company-sponsored 401(k) with employer match
• Direct impact: you'll own production performance for an entire shift, your leadership will directly shape output, quality, and safety on the floor
• Growth trajectory: room to grow into broader P&L and strategic scope as the site evolves
• Collaborative team: you'll be part of a site leadership team that values expertise, initiative, and getting things done
• Southern California location: Chino, CA offers an affordable cost of living relative to the broader LA metro, with easy access to outdoor recreation, a diverse community, and all that Southern California has to offer

TRAVEL

This role is based on-site in Chino, CA. Travel is minimal, generally under 10%, primarily for occasional coordination with other Luna sites.

Luna Innovations is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Luna provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, genetic information, or veteran status. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training. Luna expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment or discrimination.