Sr. Production Manager - Assembly

NWI Aerostructures; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

NWI Aerostructures in Nashville, TN seeks a Senior Production Manager, Assembly to lead the Assembly operations for aircraft structural components. You will direct production, quality, delivery, and cost, ensuring performance aligns with customer commitments and business goals.

This hands-on leader will manage a multi-shift team of about 100 and partner with Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Maintenance, and Finance to drive continuous improvement, cost reduction, and on-time shipments in a

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience; aerospace or complex assembly environments preferred.
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or equivalent; advanced degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide direction and performance management for Assembly operations.
• Lead supervisors and frontline teams to meet production schedules, delivery targets, and customer requirements while ensuring safety, quality, regulatory and AS9100 standards.

Skills

Hands-On Leader

Cross-Functional Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Problem Solving

Communication

Team Building

Union Environment Experience

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Advanced degree (MBA/MS)

Job description

Location: Nashville, TN

Job Id:419

# of Openings:1

Location: Nashville, TN
Company: NWI Nashville, LLC
Status: Full-time, on-site

The Senior Production Manager, Assembly will serve in a key leadership role overseeing the manufacture and delivery of aircraft structural components. This leader will drive execution across production, quality, delivery, and cost, ensuring that manufacturing performance aligns with customer commitments and broader business objectives.

This is a hands-on leadership opportunity for an engineer who thrives on the production floor, builds credibility with frontline teams, and partners cross-functionally to drive operational execution, continuous improvement, cost reduction, quality enhancement, and production efficiency within a growing and evolving manufacturing environment.

Organization

The Senior Production Manager, Assembly will report to the Senior Director of Operations and lead the Assembly function, overseeing a multi-shift team of approximately 100 employees through five direct Supervisor reports. This role operates within a vertically integrated manufacturing environment, partnering closely with Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, HR, and Finance to achieve performance objectives.

Location

The Senior Production Manager of Assembly will be based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Execution

• Provide overall direction, coordination, and performance management for Assembly operations.
• Lead supervisors and frontline teams to consistently achieve production schedules, shipment targets, and customer requirements while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, regulatory, and AS9100 standards.
• Demonstrated strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels both within and outside the organization.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and drive key performance indicators across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality.
• Investigate production variances and inefficiencies, implementing corrective actions to improve outcomes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Production Control, and other support functions to resolve issues and improve throughput.
• Leverage internal resources to drive alignment and execution across manufacturing objectives.
• Support customer-facing activities and ensure service expectations are consistently met.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build, develop, and motivate a high-performing production team, fostering accountability and engagement.
• Establish a positive culture that provides accountability within a team-oriented work environment focused on results and continuous improvement.
• Address employee relations matters, resolve issues, and reinforce company policies and procedures.
• Lead team to develop a continuous improvement culture

Operational Planning & Reporting

• Support the development and management of departmental budgets.
• Prepare and present performance reports to senior leadership.
• Implement policies and procedures to ensure consistent and scalable operations.

First Year Expected Outcomes

Build Credibility & Ownership

• Build trust and credibility with frontline teams and leadership through a visible, hands-on presence on the production floor while developing a deep understanding of assembly operations and assuming full ownership of team performance.

Deliver Performance Against KPIs

• Drive operational excellence by ensuring consistent achievement of schedule, cost, quality, and safety targets while improving predictability and execution across production schedules and customer commitments.

Strengthen Team Capability & Accountability

• Assess and develop team capabilities by understanding individual strengths and growth opportunities while fostering a culture of accountability, ownership, and high performance aligned with business objectives.

Drive Operational Improvement

• Lead targeted continuous improvement initiatives to streamline processes, improve operational efficiency, and resolve root causes of production challenges, including supply chain constraints and process variability.

The Experience You’ll Need to Succeed

Manufacturing Leadership Experience

• Bachelor Science, Engineering degree or equivalent with 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience; aerospace or complex assembly environments strongly preferred. Advanced degree is a plus.

Operational & Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of manufacturing/assembly performance metrics, Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma principles, with demonstrated ability to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost outcomes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with Quality Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Maintenance, Inventory Control, Human Resources and Finance to meet objectives.

Union Environment Experience

• Experience leading within a unionized manufacturing environment is preferred.

Who You Are

Hands-On, Floor-Oriented Leader: You lead from the front- visible, engaged, and comfortable operating directly alongside production teams to drive results.

Operationally Driven & Results-Oriented: You bring a disciplined approach to execution, with a focus on delivering measurable improvements in performance and efficiency.

Pragmatic Problem Solver: You navigate complexity with a practical mindset, identifying root causes and implementing sustainable solutions.

Entrepreneurial & Adaptable: You thrive in dynamic environments, willing to wear multiple hats and take ownership in a growing and evolving organization.

Strong Communicator & Team Builder: You build trust across all levels of the organization, fostering alignment, accountability, and a shared commitment to success.

NWI Aerostructures provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.