Production Manager (2nd Shift)

Sterling Engineering; Vernon Hills (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sterling Engineering in Vernon Hills, IL seeks an experienced Production Manager to lead a large 2nd Shift operation. You will oversee ~400 employees across six lines, guiding six Supervisors and improving efficiency, reliability, and performance.

The role requires hands-on floor leadership, strong cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality and HR, and a focus on continuous improvement. Training on 1st shift will precede the 2nd shift transition.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in progressive manufacturing or production leadership.
• Experience overseeing large-scale operations and multiple lines.
• Experience managing through supervisors rather than direct staffing.
• Background in scheduling, labor utilization, and KPI management.
• Lean/continuous improvement experience preferred.
• High-volume manufacturing experience; medical device experience not required.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for 2nd Shift manufacturing operations serving ~400 employees.
• Directly develop six Production Supervisors and ensure accountability across lines.
• Drive improvements in efficiency, reliability, and production performance.
• Set expectations and performance standards for supervisors and frontline leaders.
• Maintain a visible presence on the production floor and engage with teams.
• Monitor daily performance against schedules, goals, and customer demand.
• Identify bottlenecks, downtime, staffing and equipment issues; address root causes.
• Lead problem solving and corrective actions to improve reliability.
• Review KPIs and implement corrective actions when needed.
• Foster best-practice alignment across lines and sites.
• Optimize staffing and labor utilization per production needs.
• Coach Supervisors to strengthen leadership and accountability.
• Promote ownership, safety, quality, and continuous improvement culture.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, HR.
• Ensure smooth handoffs between 1st and 2nd Shift.
• Support employee engagement and development across the shift.

Skills

Leadership

Shift management

Operations leadership

Lean manufacturing

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Employee development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

Training: 3–6 weeks on 1st Shift before transitioning to 2nd Shift

Compensation: $115k-$120k base salary + 10% shift differential + 10% anual bonus

Expected 2nd Shift W-2: $140k+

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead a large-scale manufacturing operation on 2nd Shift. This position will oversee approximately 400 employees across six production lines, each supported by its own Production Supervisor.

This is an established manufacturing operation with the equipment, processes, and production infrastructure already in place. The primary focus of the role is to improve the efficiency, reliability, consistency, and overall performance of 2nd Shift.

The Production Manager will lead through a team of six supervisors, establish clear expectations and accountability, identify production constraints and inefficiencies, and work cross-functionally to eliminate barriers to performance. This is a highly visible, hands‑on leadership role requiring a strong presence on the manufacturing floor and the ability to make sound operational decisions throughout the shift.

The successful candidate will spend approximately 3–6 weeks training on 1st Shift to learn the operation, build relationships, understand current processes and performance expectations, and prepare for a successful transition to 2nd Shift.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and operational direction for 2nd Shift manufacturing operations supporting approximately 400 employees.
• Directly lead and develop six Production Supervisors, ensuring consistent leadership and accountability across all production lines.
• Drive improvements in 2nd Shift efficiency, productivity, reliability, labor utilization, and overall production performance.
• Establish clear expectations and performance standards for supervisors and frontline leadership.
• Maintain a highly visible presence on the production floor and actively engage with supervisors and production teams.
• Monitor daily production performance against schedules, output goals, labor requirements, quality expectations, and customer demand.
• Identify bottlenecks, downtime, staffing challenges, equipment issues, process inefficiencies, and other barriers to production.
• Lead structured problem‑solving and root‑cause analysis to address recurring production issues and improve reliability.
• Review production KPIs and develop corrective actions when performance falls below expectations.
• Improve consistency between production lines and ensure best practices are effectively implemented across the operation.
• Optimize staffing and labor utilization based on production requirements and changing priorities.
• Coach and develop Production Supervisors, helping them strengthen their leadership, communication, problem‑solving, and accountability skills.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, HR, and other functional teams to resolve operational issues and improve performance.
• Strengthen communication and handoffs between 1st and 2nd Shift to ensure continuity and consistent execution.
• Support employee engagement, retention, and development initiatives across the 2nd Shift workforce.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, safety requirements, quality systems, and established manufacturing procedures.
• Operate with a high degree of autonomy during 2nd Shift and make timely operational decisions with limited senior leadership presence.
• Communicate shift performance, issues, and improvement initiatives to plant leadership.

What We're Looking For

• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing or production leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale manufacturing operations and teams.
• Experience managing through supervisors and frontline leaders rather than directly managing the majority of employees.
• Experience leading multiple production lines, departments, or manufacturing areas simultaneously.
• Strong background in production management, labor utilization, scheduling, productivity, and operational execution.
• Proven ability to improve manufacturing efficiency, reliability, and production performance.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing KPIs and using data to identify and address performance gaps.
• Experience with root‑cause problem solving and continuous improvement.
• Strong floor leadership presence with the ability to build credibility and accountability throughout a large organization.
• Experience working cross‑functionally with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and HR.
• Strong communication, decision‑making, problem‑solving, and conflict‑resolution skills.
• Ability to work independently and make effective operational decisions with limited senior leadership oversight.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or operational excellence experience strongly preferred.
• High‑volume manufacturing experience preferred; medical device experience is not required.