Director of Manufacturing

A Family of Brands•Perth Amboy, NJ

4d•Onsite

About The Position

As the Director of Manufacturing, you will lead daily operations and drives sustained performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Manufacturing Operations, this role partners with Quality, Maintenance, Engineering/Continuous Improvement, Supply Chain, Production Planning, and other support functions to achieve plant objectives. This leader is accountable for production performance, labor productivity, schedule attainment, manufacturing cost, capacity utilization, talent development, and continuous improvement. The role establishes disciplined shop-floor management, develops manufacturing leaders, and builds a culture of accountability, problem solving, teamwork, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business or related field required; equivalent education and significant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.
Minimum 7–10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including at least five years in manufacturing leadership.
Experience managing multi-shift manufacturing operations and leading managers and supervisors.
Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, structured problem solving, and performance management.
Experience using ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing data to manage performance and guide operational decisions.
Experience managing manufacturing budgets, labor productivity, cost reduction, and operational improvement programs.
Experience working within formal safety and quality management systems.

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent practical continuous improvement experience preferred.
MBA, advanced technical degree, or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead daily manufacturing operations to meet or exceed targets for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Productivity, and People.
Convert forecasts, demand, and business priorities into manufacturing plans, staffing models, capacity requirements, and execution priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop manufacturing managers, supervisors, and frontline leaders with clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards.
Maintain a disciplined daily management system with shift meetings, production reviews, KPI boards, escalation routines, and corrective-action follow-up.
Monitor manufacturing KPIs including safety performance, schedule attainment, output, labor efficiency, overtime, scrap, rework, downtime, productivity, and manufacturing cost.
Ensure production issues and performance gaps are quickly identified, root causes addressed, corrective actions assigned, and results sustained.
Partner with Quality to improve first-pass yield, reduce defects and rework, resolve customer concerns, and strengthen process controls.
Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, reduce unplanned downtime, strengthen preventive maintenance, and increase asset utilization.
Collaborate with Production Planning and Supply Chain to align schedules, material availability, inventory needs, and customer commitments.
Partner with Engineering and Continuous Improvement to improve productivity, capacity, material flow, ergonomics, quality, and manufacturing cost.
Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement through standard work, 5S/6S, visual management, problem solving, waste elimination, line balancing, and process optimization.
Increase output and capacity utilization while reducing labor hours, overtime, scrap, rework, downtime, and operational waste.
Establish, document, train, audit, and sustain standardized work processes and operating procedures.
Develop capacity and labor plans that support current demand, growth initiatives, new products, and changing customer requirements.
Use ERP systems and operational data to analyze performance, identify trends, set priorities, and drive factbased decisions.
Maintain daily, weekly, and monthly reporting that compares results to targets and highlights trends, gaps, and corrective actions.
Support the annual operating plan, manufacturing budget, capital requirements, productivity initiatives, and cost-reduction targets.
Manage manufacturing expenses within budget and deliver year-over-year improvements in labor productivity, conversion cost, scrap, and operational efficiency.
Champion safety by ensuring compliance with standards, participation in safety initiatives, and proactive risk identification and elimination.
Ensure manufacturing operations comply with company policies, regulatory requirements, quality systems, environmental requirements, and operating procedures.
Build succession plans and strengthen the leadership pipeline through coaching, performance management, cross-training, and talent development.
Partner with Human Resources to support hiring, onboarding, training, and retention of manufacturing employees and leaders.
Foster a culture where employees identify problems, recommend improvements, and engage in continuous improvement.
Perform other duties and lead special projects as assigned by the Sr. Director of Manufacturing Operations.