Senior Production Manager - Wire & Cable, Lean Ops Leader

Index Search Group; DeKalb (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Index Search Group client is a well-established U.S. wire and cable manufacturer seeking a Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations at its DeKalb, Illinois facility. The role emphasizes safety, quality, and on-time delivery while driving continuous improvement on the production floor.

The position is hands-on, developing supervisors and hourly staff, solving operating problems, and driving measurable improvements in throughput, OEE, and labor efficiency in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of manufacturing leadership in a high-volume production environment.
• Experience managing production supervisors and hourly employees.
• Wire and cable manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience using operational KPIs to improve productivity, reduce waste, and strengthen performance.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations management, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production activities to achieve safety, quality, schedule, and delivery requirements.
• Develop production supervisors and hourly manufacturing employees.
• Monitor throughput, downtime, scrap, labor efficiency, productivity, and OEE.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement solutions to improve output and equipment utilization.
• Partner with Maintenance to strengthen preventive maintenance and quickly resolve equipment issues.
• Collaborate with Quality to ensure products meet customer specifications and internal standards.
• Coordinate with Planning and Scheduling to balance labor, capacity, inventory, and production priorities.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and root cause problem-solving.
• Support hiring, training, performance management, and employee development.
• Maintain a safe, clean, organized, and efficient manufacturing environment.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Team development

Lean manufacturing

Problem solving

Strong communication

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Job description

Index Search Group client is a well-established U.S. wire and cable manufacturer seeking a Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations at its DeKalb, Illinois facility. The role emphasizes safety, quality, and on-time delivery while driving continuous improvement on the production floor.

The position is hands-on, developing supervisors and hourly staff, solving operating problems, and driving measurable improvements in throughput, OEE, and labor efficiency in a fast-paced environment.