Manager, Manufacturing Operations

GE Appliances, a Haier company•Decatur, AL

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Manufacturing Operations is a frontline leader responsible for overseeing a manufacturing area within a value stream. The manager leads, coaches, and develops Team Leaders and hourly production employees to achieve high performance and continuous improvement in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale. The position supports the value stream Business Leader by directing daily operations and improvement activities, aligning area metrics with department and value stream goals, and organizing resources to meet production needs. The role oversees production start-up, staffing, daily plans, line boards, escalation processes, standardized work, Job Instruction, and 5S. It leads continuous improvement and problem solving, including root-cause analysis, kaizen events, waste reduction, and work-area rebalancing. The manager also provides day-to-day leadership and direction, coordinates staffing and overtime, maintains timecards and employee records, and partners with Human Resources on policy administration and employee investigations. The manager is accountable for product quality and area safety performance. This includes ensuring quality processes and standards are followed, resolving or escalating defects and scrap issues, supporting improvements in First Pass Yield and Service Call Rate, promoting safety compliance, and investigating accidents and tracking corrective actions. The role is based in Decatur, Alabama, and involves working in both office and manufacturing environments. The position may require lifting materials and products up to 25 pounds and using safety equipment such as safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, and work shoes or boots. GE Appliances describes its workplace as flexible, with work arrangements developed with the employee’s leader to balance individual, team, and organizational needs. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer or school sponsorship.

Requirements

Leadership experience and/or technical acumen within supply chain or a related functional area, such as manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, materials, quality, procurement, or fulfillment.
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree; engineering, supply chain management, or business is ideally suited.
Five years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, supplier management, and project implementation.
Demonstrated accomplishments using a results-driven methodology, analytical methods, schedule achievement, and teamwork.
Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing.
Strong verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and leadership-influencing skills.
Legal authorization to work in the United States at the time of hire, maintainable without current or future employer or school sponsorship.
Ability to work in office and manufacturing environments; the work may involve lifting materials and products up to 25 pounds and using required safety equipment.

Nice To Haves

Six Sigma certification.
Strong knowledge of Lean, DMAIC, workout, and other change mechanisms.
A degree in engineering, supply chain management, or business.

Responsibilities

Lead operational and improvement activities for an assigned production area in support of the value stream Business Leader.
Lead, coach, and develop Team Leaders and hourly production employees.
Manage area performance and improvement in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale; align metrics with department and value stream goals.
Oversee daily production start-up, staffing, absenteeism management, and review of the daily plan with Team Leaders.
Ensure production line boards are completed and used to identify issues, resolve problems, and communicate information across shifts and to management.
Maintain technical knowledge of operations and follow escalation processes to respond to abnormalities and recommend corrective actions.
Act as a first responder for production-area issues and facilitate escalation to the appropriate level.
Ensure Lean manufacturing practices and the Appliance Production System escalation process are followed.
Attend daily production meetings, lead Team Leader and escalation meetings, and communicate key issues to leadership.
Deploy and maintain standardized work, coach employees on its use, and ensure process stability.
Review and verify Job Instruction forms and cross-training matrices; ensure Team Leaders deliver the four-step method effectively.
Ensure 5S standards are met in the assigned area.
Promote the Appliance Production System and drive continuous improvement and waste reduction.
Lead problem solving and root-cause identification; engage relevant escalation team members to resolve production problems.
Support cross-functional improvement work with Business Leaders, PIEs, Team Leaders, Kaizen Promotion Officers, and other Lean resources.
Participate in department issue reviews, prioritize and assign action items, track them to closure, and follow up with stakeholders.
Champion kaizen events and ensure countermeasures are implemented on manufacturing lines.
Participate in planning and executing work-area rebalancing using Yamazumi charts.
Partner with Human Resources on consistent administration of policies, work rules, processes, and employee investigations.
Manage line staffing, employee allocation, job postings, daily timecards, pay coding, leave types, and overtime calculations.
Identify overtime needs, arrange overtime support when applicable, apply overtime guidelines, and maintain accurate overtime lists.
Lead disciplinary investigations and actions as appropriate, maintain supporting documentation, and ensure attendance discipline is issued consistently and promptly.
Distribute written communications in a timely manner.
Ensure products are defect-free and made to specification, and ensure quality processes and standards are followed.
Monitor quality issues and drive their resolution or escalation; ensure quality standards are included in standardized work.
Work cross-functionally to address production-line quality issues and use scrap data to resolve issues and prevent future scrap.
Partner with Plant Quality and Engineering to improve First Pass Yield and Service Call Rate metrics.
Own safety performance and metrics for the production area; promote safety culture and compliance with safety rules and procedures.
Lead accident investigations, identify root causes, log and close investigations, and drive corrective actions.
Manage safety action items, including corrective actions arising from near misses, accident reports, and ergonomic assessments.