Sewing Department Manager - Multi-Site

SureWerx; Dartmouth (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

SureWerx seeks a Sewing Department Manager to lead multi-site sewing operations at North Dartmouth, MA and Sellersville, PA. You will drive production schedules, ensure quality and safety, and standardize processes across locations.

This hands-on leadership role requires regular travel and close collaboration with supervisors, planning, and cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in sewing/manufacturing leadership, strong scheduling, and ERP/MRP proficiency, with a focus on

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in sewing, apparel, PPE, textile, or related manufacturing operations.
• 3+ years of supervisory or management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading sewing operators and supervisors.
• Strong understanding of industrial sewing processes, equipment, materials, and quality requirements.
• Experience managing production schedules and meeting customer delivery requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for sewing operations at both North Dartmouth and Sellersville.
• Establish consistent operating standards and expectations across both locations.
• Coordinate production priorities based on customer requirements, capacity, staffing, equipment, and delivery commitments.
• Monitor daily production performance and take corrective action when needed.
• Develop and maintain standard work instructions and sewing processes.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and operators at both sites.
• Monitor productivity, efficiency, labor utilization, overtime, scrap, and rework.
• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to ensure equipment is properly maintained.

Skills

Sewing leadership

Multi-site management

Production planning

Team development

Lean manufacturing

Education

Associate's or bachelor's degree

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

SureWerx is a leading manufacturer of innovative safety, tool and equipment products and solutions. Since 1957, we've been trusted to keep all who use our products safe in even the most challenging environments. Today, our growing family of world-leading brands serves customers and partners across the U.S., Canada and Europe.

At SureWerx, you'll have the opportunity to challenge yourself in a supportive, growth-oriented culture of industry leaders. You’ll help chart our future as we continue to expand into new products, services and markets. And we’ll invest in your career development, enabling you to grow and succeed.

We are seeking a Sewing Department Manager (Multi-Site) who will report to the Director of Manufacturing & Operations and will be responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and development of sewing operations across two manufacturing locations: Oberon in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and ASC in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.

This position will provide hands‑on leadership to ensure both facilities consistently meet production schedules, quality requirements, safety standards, customer expectations, and operational goals. The manager will establish and standardize best practices across both locations while recognizing and addressing the unique needs of each operation.

The successful candidate will be a strong manufacturing leader with experience managing sewing operations, developing people, improving processes, and coordinating production across multiple work centers and locations.

This is a multi-site, in-person leadership role that requires regular travel between our manufacturing facilities in North Dartmouth, MA, and Sellersville, PA. The position will require a hands‑on presence on the production floor and close collaboration with supervisors, employees, and cross‑functional teams at both locations.

Key Responsibilities:

Multi‑Site Sewing Operations

• Provide overall leadership and direction for sewing operations at both North Dartmouth and Sellersville.
• Establish consistent operating standards, processes, and expectations across both locations.
• Coordinate production priorities between the two facilities based on customer requirements, capacity, staffing, equipment, and delivery commitments.
• Monitor daily production performance and take corrective action when schedules or performance targets are at risk.
• Ensure adequate staffing, equipment, materials, and resources are available to support production requirements.
• Develop and maintain standard work instructions and sewing processes.
• Identify opportunities to balance production between the two facilities when appropriate.
• Maintain regular communication with leadership, production planning, engineering, quality, materials, and other supporting functions.

Production Management

• Manage daily, weekly, and monthly production activities to meet established schedules and customer delivery requirements.
• Review production plans and communicate priorities clearly to supervisors and sewing operators.
• Monitor productivity, efficiency, labor utilization, overtime, scrap, rework, and production output.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement actions to improve throughput and capacity.
• Establish appropriate production metrics and KPIs for the sewing departments.
• Ensure production data is accurately captured in the company's ERP/MRP systems.
• Participate in capacity planning and support production forecasting for both facilities.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Sewing Supervisors, Leads, and sewing employees at both locations.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable.
• Develop cross‑training programs to improve workforce flexibility and coverage.
• Identify training needs and coordinate appropriate technical and leadership development.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning for sewing positions.
• Build a culture of teamwork, accountability, respect, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
• Maintain effective communication with employees and address workplace concerns promptly and professionally.

Quality

• Ensure all sewn products meet established specifications, workmanship standards, and customer requirements.
• Work closely with Quality and Engineering to identify and resolve quality issues.
• Establish and maintain sewing quality standards and inspection processes.
• Monitor first‑piece, in‑process, and final inspection requirements as appropriate.
• Analyze recurring defects, rework, and customer complaints and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure employees are properly trained in product specifications, sewing methods, and quality requirements.

Safety

• Maintain a strong safety culture across both sewing operations.
• Ensure employees follow all company safety policies, procedures, PPE requirements, and machine‑safety standards.
• Conduct and participate in regular safety observations, Gemba walks, and employee safety discussions.
• Ensure sewing equipment, workstations, and tools are maintained and used safely.
• Partner with the Health & Safety team to investigate incidents and implement corrective actions.
• Promote proactive reporting of hazards, near misses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous‑improvement initiatives within the sewing departments.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve labor efficiency, increase throughput, and reduce defects.
• Utilize tools such as 5S, standard work, visual management, root‑cause analysis, and process mapping.
• Evaluate sewing methods, workstation layouts, equipment, tooling, and material flow.
• Develop and implement improvements that can be standardized across both locations.
• Share successful processes and best practices between North Dartmouth and Sellersville.

Equipment & Maintenance

• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to ensure sewing machines and related equipment are properly maintained.
• Identify equipment needs, replacement requirements, and opportunities for automation or process improvement.
• Ensure sewing equipment is properly set up and available to meet production requirements.
• Support troubleshooting of equipment and process issues.
• Coordinate with Materials, Planning, and Warehouse teams to ensure required fabrics, trims, thread, components, and other materials are available when needed.
• Identify material shortages or production constraints that may impact customer delivery.
• Ensure production teams have the correct BOMs, work instructions, specifications, and materials before beginning production.
• Support new‑product introductions and process changes by ensuring sewing operations are prepared for production.
• Partner with Engineering and Product Development during the introduction of new products.
• Establish sewing processes, labor requirements, equipment needs, and standard work for new products.
• Support BOM and routing development and ensure production processes are properly documented.
• Standardize sewing methods, terminology, documentation, and best practices across both facilities whenever practical.
• Provide manufacturing feedback during product development to improve manufacturability and production efficiency.

Communication & Reporting

• Provide regular updates to the Director of Manufacturing & Operations regarding production performance, staffing, quality, safety, capacity, and improvement activities.
• Communicate risks and potential delivery issues proactively.
• Maintain effective communication between the North Dartmouth and Sellersville teams.
• Prepare and review departmental KPIs and performance reports.
• Participate in production, operations, and cross‑functional meetings as required.

Key Performance Indicators

The Sewing Department Manager will be responsible for monitoring and improving performance in areas including:

• On‑time production completion
• Production output
• Sewing productivity
• Quality defects and rework
• Scrap
• Overtime
• Employee attendance and retention
• Safety performance
• Training and cross‑training
• Capacity utilization

Requirements and Skills:

• 5+ years of experience in sewing, apparel, PPE, textile, or related manufacturing operations.
• 3+ years of supervisory or management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading sewing operators and supervisors.
• Strong understanding of industrial sewing processes, equipment, materials, and quality requirements.
• Experience managing production schedules and meeting customer delivery requirements.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to read and understand technical specifications, work instructions, BOMs, and production documentation.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Willingness and ability to regularly travel between North Dartmouth, MA and Sellersville, PA.

Preferred:

• Experience in PPE, protective apparel, safety garments, uniforms, or technical textiles.
• Experience managing multiple manufacturing locations.
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma experience.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience with new product introduction and process development.
• Experience developing standardized work and sewing processes.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.
• Associate's or bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Operations, Textile, Engineering, Business, or a related field.

The Sewing Department Manager is expected to:

• Lead by example and maintain a visible presence on the production floor.
• Develop strong relationships with employees and supervisors at both locations.
• Make decisions based on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.
• Communicate expectations clearly and consistently.
• Address problems proactively rather than allowing issues to elevate.
• Promote accountability while maintaining a respectful and positive work environment.
• Develop people and build a strong internal leadership pipeline.
• Maintain consistency between the two locations while allowing appropriate flexibility for local operating conditions.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Position requires movement throughout the manufacturing facility, occasional lifting up to 50 pounds, and work in various environmental conditions including moderate noise levels and proximity to moving machinery. Safety protocols and appropriate PPE must be followed at all times. SureWerx is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at SureWerx are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, Strategic, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. SureWerx will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

SureWerx is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at SureWerx are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, Strategic, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. SureWerx will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Applicants must have valid authorization to work in the United States for any employer and must not require, now or in the future, visa sponsorship or visa transfer.

WE STRIVE TO THE BEST GLOBAL LEAD IN SAFETY INNOVATION.

BE SMART. BE SAFE. BE SURE.

WE STRIVE TO THE BEST GLOBAL LEAD IN SAFETY INNOVATION.