Manufacturing Manager

LaFrance Corp•Sarasota, FL

17d•$70,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

LaFrance Corp is seeking a Manufacturing Manager to lead daily production operations across its Sarasota Frameplate building, including injection molding and downstream finishing activities such as hot stamping, screen printing, painting, and assembly. The role is accountable for safe operations, on-time delivery, product quality, and production cost performance. The Manufacturing Manager leads production supervisors and employees, coordinates schedules and resources, and develops the systems and team capabilities needed for consistent results. A strong injection molding background is required to provide technical guidance, support troubleshooting, and develop the molding team. This is an active, floor-focused leadership position supported by shared Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Human Resources teams. LaFrance Corp's Sarasota facility manufactures, warehouses, and distributes on-product branding solutions for customers across North America and around the world. The company describes its work environment as casual, team-oriented, and professional, and notes its commitment to developing employees and promoting from within when possible.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience in plastic injection molding, including practical knowledge of processing, common defects, equipment, materials, and troubleshooting.
Prior experience supervising or leading a manufacturing team, with responsibility for production performance and employee development.
Ability to coordinate schedules, staffing, equipment, and materials across multiple production activities.
Experience using production data to identify problems, establish priorities, and verify improvements.
Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
Ability to work effectively with production employees, supervisors, technical teams, and management.
Working proficiency with spreadsheets and manufacturing production or inventory systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading supervisors, team leads, or multiple production areas.
Experience improving scrap, downtime, changeover time, labor efficiency, or on-time delivery.
Familiarity with structured problem solving, Lean manufacturing, and standardized work.
Technical training in injection molding, manufacturing, or a related field; equivalent practical experience is valued.

Responsibilities

Own daily production performance across Frameplate, meeting established delivery, quality, cost, and safety targets.
Coordinate production schedules, staffing, equipment, and materials to meet customer requirements and prepare for upcoming orders.
Monitor output, scrap, downtime, labor efficiency, and overtime; identify performance gaps and drive corrective actions.
Anticipate production constraints and escalate risks early enough to prevent disruptions.
Provide practical technical guidance on injection molding processes, equipment, materials, and tooling.
Support systematic troubleshooting of molding defects, process instability, and production interruptions with Quality, Engineering, and Maintenance.
Coach and develop the molding supervisor and production team, strengthening troubleshooting skills and process discipline.
Ensure approved process parameters, work instructions, and quality requirements are understood and consistently followed.
Establish clear expectations, assign responsibilities, and hold supervisors and employees accountable for results.
Plan labor assignments and cross-training to provide effective coverage and reduce dependence on individual employees.
Address performance and attendance concerns promptly and consistently, with HR support.
Build a team culture centered on ownership, communication, cooperation, and continuous improvement.
Establish and maintain a daily management routine with visible performance measures, clear priorities, assigned actions, and follow-through.
Coordinate with Maintenance on equipment condition, repair priorities, and production availability.
Maintain visibility to raw materials, work in process, and finished goods to support production flow and accurate inventory transactions.
Confirm personnel, equipment, materials, documentation, and capacity are ready before new or revised jobs enter routine production.
Identify and implement improvements that reduce waste, improve flow, increase productivity, and prevent recurring problems.
Maintain safe, clean, and organized work areas and ensure identified hazards are promptly addressed.