Production Manager

Production Manager

Harper, Kansas

Purpose

The Production Manager Level I role is responsible for overseeing all aspects of manufacturing operations to ensure safety, quality, productivity, and especially on-time delivery to customer commitments. This role provides hands-on leadership to production teams, driving performance through effective scheduling, resource planning, and process optimization. The Production Manager ensures that all production activities meet internal goals and external delivery requirements while maintaining compliance with company and industry standards. The Production Manager will oversee daily production schedules and ensure that daily, weekly, monthly performance targets are achieved.

Education And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Operations Management, Engineering or related field preferred
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing or production management.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, materials, and equipment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing a team of production staff.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Knowledge of quality management systems, such as AS9100 or Six Sigma, is a plus.
• Familiarity with ERP systems and production planning software is a plus

Key Responsibilities

• Directly accountable for the Delivery and Quality performance for the division
• Plan, organize, and direct daily manufacturing operations to achieve delivery schedules and customer deadlines
• Monitor production output against master schedules and proactively address any risks to on-time delivery
• Drive schedule adherence and recovery actions when delivery performance is at risk
• Maintain visibility of order status and communicate delivery impacts to leadership and customer service teams
• Lead daily production meetings focused on delivery, quality, and throughput metrics
• Oversee daily/weekly staffing and resource allocation to meet fluctuating demand
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks that affect production flow and delivery performance
• Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs), including on-time delivery (OTD), throughput, and cycle time
• Develop corrective action plans to address schedule misses or delays
• Use data and root cause analysis to identify recurring production constraints
• Communicate delivery performance and improvement progress to management in regular operations reviews
• Supervise, coach, and develop production supervisors, team leads, and operators
• Promote accountability, teamwork, and problem-solving at all levels of the production organization
• Reinforce a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement

Tasks

• Lead daily production meetings to review schedule status, constraints, and delivery metrics
• Review production schedule and adjust priorities to meet customer requirements
• Coordinate with Supply Chain to resolve shortages or material delays
• Walk the production floor to verify schedule progress and remove roadblock
• Communicate potential delivery risks to customer service and leadership teams
• Monitor overtime, labor utilization, and equipment uptime to support schedule performance
• Lead cross-functional reviews of delivery performance, identifying trends and systemic issues
• Participate in customer or program reviews related to delivery performance and readiness
• Support strategic improvement projects targeting lead-time reduction and throughput increase