Assistant Production Manager

DE JONG DUKE LLC•Allen Park, MI

1d•$70,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The Assistant Production Manager supports production operations in a medium-sized light assembly facility and reports directly to the Operations Manager. The role supervises 10–30 employees, helping ensure operations are efficient, safe, and cost-effective and meet production schedules, organizational goals, and customer requirements. As a key leader on the production floor, the Assistant Production Manager provides hands-on guidance, maintains shift continuity, and promotes team accountability. The position requires flexibility to supervise day, night, or weekend shifts as needed. Local travel is required at greater than 5%, and international travel is limited. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time.

Requirements

High school diploma.
At least 2 years of manufacturing or production experience.
Experience coordinating projects across multiple departments.
Understanding of Lean manufacturing principles.
Proven track record of supervising teams and managing conflict effectively.
Proficiency with ERP software and Microsoft Office.
Proficient time-management skills.
Ability to lift up to 40 pounds.
Ability to walk the production floor, warehouse, or other supplier operations.
Ability to perform some physical work for annual physical inventory counting.
Flexibility to supervise day, night, or weekend shifts as needed.
Local travel of greater than 5% is required; international travel is limited.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree encouraged.

Responsibilities

Directly supervise 10–30 employees across assigned shifts, including assigning tasks, supporting hiring and onboarding, coaching performance, and coordinating disciplinary actions with HR.
Lead daily production activities across multiple shifts to meet output targets and quality standards.
Monitor production metrics, including output rates, labor efficiency, downtime, scrap, and capacity utilization, and escalate issues to the Operations Manager as needed.
Enforce quality standards and compliance with internal procedures and customer specifications; document and initiate corrective and preventive actions for defects, scrap, and rework.
Conduct one-on-ones, team meetings, and shift briefings to communicate goals, recognize performance, and address concerns.
Participate in and support continuous improvement initiatives, including Lean, 5S, waste reduction, and process optimization.
Identify and communicate operational bottlenecks, implement immediate solutions, and escalate systemic issues to the Operations Manager when necessary.
Conduct safety observations and incident investigations, complete corrective follow-ups, and promote a proactive safety culture.
Support management of shift-level operating costs, including labor hours, overtime, and material usage, and flag variances and inefficiencies to the Operations Manager.
Train direct reports on updated standard operating procedures and ensure consistent adherence to safe tool use.
Document and verbally transfer production status, open issues, and priorities during shift changes.
Address production delays, quality issues, employee concerns, and shipment discrepancies, escalating matters to the Operations Manager when necessary.