Production Manager BEST Engineered Surface Technologies

LLC - 1.6

Rumford, RI Job Details Full-time 1 day ago Benefits AD&D insurance Paid holidays Disability insurance Health insurance Dental insurance Paid time off Employee assistance program Vision insurance 401(k) matching Opportunities for advancement Life insurance Qualifications Customer communication Staff supervision Teamwork Personal protective equipment (PPE) use Manufacturing facility experience Team development Hiring Managing manufacturing teams Production scheduling Process management Manufacturing company experience Cross-functional communication Full Job Description Become a part of a dedicated team that prides itself on its ability to quickly respond to customer demands and the rapid turnaround of production jobs. In a job-shop environment, our clients require us to deliver quality parts on time from all of our metal finishing operations. We are looking for an Operations & Production Manager to add to our growing team.

Position Summary:

The Operations & Production Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day production and operational activities of our Teknicote facility. This position ensures that production schedules, quality requirements, safety standards, staffing needs, and customer delivery commitments are consistently met. The Operations & Production Manager works closely with all departments to maintain efficient and reliable operations. You are the "Floor General" for this facility. This is not a desk job. This position sets the pace for the entire organization, requiring you to be physically present on the production floor roughly 90% of your time. You must deeply understand the critical value of hands-on production, as every completed part directly drives our facility's profitability and commercial success.

Shift Schedule:

5:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. daily, including some weeks as production needs dictate

Job Responsibilities:

Operational & Production Leadership Manage day-to-day production activities and labor for 5 surface treatment work centers. Ensure production schedules are executed effectively to meet customer requirements and on-time delivery commitments. Monitor and manage production performance to operate within productivity, labor utilization, scrap, rework, and other operational metrics. Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce waste, minimize downtime, and improve throughput. Develop and maintain staffing plans and work assignments to support production requirements. Coordinate daily priorities with supervisors, leads, and production employees. Ensure employees follow established work instructions, procedures, quality requirements, and safety practices. Support the introduction of new products and customer requirements into production by coordinating with Engineering, Quality, and other appropriate departments. Assist with troubleshooting production issues and coating defects and participate in root cause analysis and corrective actions. Ensure production processes are consistently followed and properly documented. Monitor production materials, supplies, and consumables to support uninterrupted operations. Assist with controlling production-related expenses and identifying opportunities for cost reduction. Provide regular updates to leadership regarding production performance, staffing, equipment, and operational issues. Process Execution & Culture Accountability Establish, maintain, and follow standardized operational work practices. Hold employees and production leaders accountable for following established processes and meeting daily operational expectations. Take decisive action to address production delays, quality issues, safety concerns, and performance deficiencies.

Drive Cultural Performance:

Demonstrate the capability to manage underperforming staff and execute necessary personnel changes to protect the company culture and improve process efficiencies. Equipment & Facilities Maintenance Coordinate with Maintenance to ensure production equipment, spray systems, curing ovens, wash systems, compressors, and other supporting equipment are maintained and available for production. Monitor preventive maintenance activities and report equipment issues that may impact production. Coordinate production downtime and equipment repairs with Maintenance to minimize disruption to operations. Identify equipment or facility issues that affect safety, quality, productivity, or production schedules and escalate as appropriate. Assist with equipment upgrades, process improvements, and facility projects as assigned. Ensure production areas are maintained in an organized, clean, and efficient manner. Environmental Health & Safety Promote a safe work environment and ensure employees follow company safety policies and procedures. Ensure production employees receive required safety training and understand applicable work practices. Conduct or participate in safety inspections, investigations, and corrective actions as needed. Ensure employees properly handle, store, and use paints, coatings, solvents, chemicals, hazardous materials, and waste. Work with the appropriate company personnel to address OSHA, EPA, environmental, and hazardous-material requirements. Immediately report safety, environmental, or compliance concerns to the appropriate leadership. Support emergency preparedness and response procedures. Maintain a clean and organized production environment consistent with company safety and housekeeping standards. Quality & Customer Requirements Ensure production activities are performed in accordance with customer specifications, work instructions, and established quality requirements. Work closely with Quality to address production-related quality issues, customer complaints, nonconformances, and corrective actions. Support compliance with applicable ISO 9001, AS9100, customer, and internal quality requirements. Ensure employees understand and follow applicable quality procedures and process controls. Assist with customer audits and production-related customer inquiries as requested. Support efforts to improve first-pass yield, reduce scrap and rework, and improve overall product quality. Shipping, Receiving & Production Matters Coordinate with Shipping & Receiving to ensure production materials and finished products move efficiently through the facility. Monitor material availability and communicate potential shortages that could impact production. Work with Purchasing and Inventory personnel to support production requirements. Assist with maintaining appropriate levels of production materials, consumables, and supplies. Ensure completed production orders are properly prepared for shipment according to established procedures. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Engineering to support process improvements, production trials, new products, and manufacturing capabilities. Partner with Quality to resolve production issues and maintain compliance with quality requirements. Coordinate with Human Resources regarding staffing, recruiting, training, employee relations, performance management, and attendance issues. Communicate production requirements and operational concerns to senior leadership. Work with Business Development and Customer Service as needed to support production schedules and customer commitments. Coordinate with Maintenance regarding equipment reliability, repairs, and preventive maintenance. Work with Purchasing and Inventory personnel to ensure materials are available to support production schedules. Team Leadership & Employee Development Lead, coach, and develop production employees and supervisors/leads within the assigned area. Establish daily work priorities and ensure employees understand production expectations. Monitor employee performance, attendance, productivity, and adherence to company policies. Provide coaching and feedback to employees and address performance concerns in coordination with Human Resources. Assist with recruiting, onboarding, training, and cross-training of production employees. Promote teamwork, accountability, communication, and employee engagement. Ensure employees are properly trained on equipment, processes, work instructions, quality requirements, and safety procedures. Recognize employee performance and encourage continuous development. Continuous Improvement Identify and implement opportunities to improve production processes, workflow, productivity, and efficiency. Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement principles as appropriate. Analyze production data and trends to identify opportunities for improvement. Participate in improvement projects focused on reducing waste, downtime, scrap, rework, and production costs. Encourage employee involvement in identifying and implementing process improvements. Compliance & Values Ensure operations are conducted in accordance with company policies, procedures, work instructions, and applicable regulatory requirements. Support compliance with ITAR, export control requirements, environmental regulations, OSHA requirements, and customer-specific requirements as applicable. Escalate significant compliance concerns to the appropriate leadership or functional department. Exemplify and embrace our BEST values. Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

What Success Looks Like:

In this role, you will be successful when: Production schedules are consistently achieved. Customer delivery commitments are met. Labor is appropriately staffed and efficiently utilized. Production bottlenecks are identified and addressed quickly. Scrap, rework, and downtime are reduced. Quality requirements are consistently followed. Supervisors and employees understand expectations and are held accountable. Equipment and materials are available when needed. Safety and compliance requirements are consistently followed. The production floor is organized, disciplined, and operating with a sense of urgency. The team is engaged, productive, and continuously improving. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): The success of the Operations & Production Manager will be measured by the following metrics:

Throughput & Efficiency:

Parts completed per hour (PPH) and labor utilization rates. On-Time Delivery (OTD): 100% adherence to customer delivery commitments and production schedules.

Quality & Waste:

First-pass yield (FPY) percentages, total scrap rates, and rework costs.

Facility Safety:

Zero-incident safety record and 100% completion rates for mandatory safety training.

Operational Discipline:

Adherence to standardized processes and facility organization/housekeeping standards.

What We're Looking For:

Required / Preferred Experience Proven leadership experience in a fast-paced manufacturing or industrial production environment. Experience managing production teams, supervisors, leads, or multiple manufacturing functions. Strong understanding of production scheduling, staffing, labor utilization, and operational performance. Demonstrated ability to hold employees accountable while maintaining a productive and respectful work environment. Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills. Ability to work effectively across Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, HR, Purchasing, and other departments. Strong communication, organizational, and leadership skills. Ability to work comfortably in a highly visible, hands-on production role.

Highly Preferred:

5+ years of experience in an industrial coating environment. Experience with liquid coating, powder coating, masking, curing, or chemical processing. Experience with metal finishing or surface treatment operations. Knowledge of ISO 9001 and/or AS9100 environments. Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methodologies. Experience working with OSHA, environmental, chemical-handling, or hazardous-material requirements.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment:

This is a hands-on manufacturing leadership position. The Operations & Production Manager will spend approximately 90% of their time on the production floor and must be comfortable working in an active industrial environment. Ability to stand and walk throughout the facility for extended periods. Ability to move safely through active manufacturing and production areas. Ability to remain active and visible on the production floor throughout a 10-hour shift. Comfortable working in an industrial plant that may be hot during summer months and cold during winter months. Comfortable working around industrial coatings, chemicals, solvents, equipment, curing ovens, spray systems, and other manufacturing processes. Ability and willingness to wear all required PPE. Ability to comply with safety requirements appropriate to industrial liquid/powder coating, masking, curing, and chemical-processing areas. Schedule This is an onsite position. Monday-Friday, 5:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. This position requires flexibility to work occasional weekends when production demands require additional coverage. Why BEST? Growing company with opportunities for advancement Competitive compensation Weekly pay Robust and reasonably affordable benefits package Generous paid time off 9 company-paid holidays 401(k) plan with employer matching and immediate 100% vesting on employer contributions $100 expense reimbursement for steel-toed safety shoes 100% company-paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Basic Life, and AD&D insurance Opportunities for professional growth and development BEST Engineered Surface Technologies and its divisions are Equal Opportunity Employers. We are committed to providing a workplace that is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Benefits:

401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person