Manufacturing Operations Manager

L.L.Bean • Brunswick, ME

4d

About The Position

The Operations Manager provides overall leadership and accountability for executing the manufacturing operating plan. The role ensures employee safety and delivery of high-quality products that meet customer, service, cost, and business expectations. It leads manufacturing management and support functions to ensure the organization has the people, processes, equipment, materials, capacity, and capabilities needed for current and future business needs, while meeting production, quality, delivery, cost, workforce, and capacity objectives.

The manager leads operations and organizational development, including staffing and succession planning, performance management, leader coaching, employee engagement, and equitable application of company policies. The position is accountable for manufacturing safety, production quality and customer service, operating costs and budgets, manufacturing strategy and business planning, continuous improvement, and coordination of internal and external manufacturing capacity. It works cross-functionally with internal teams and external manufacturing resources to address risks, improve operational performance, and support changing business needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related technical discipline.
• 6–10 years of progressively responsible manufacturing experience, including increasing levels of leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-shift manufacturing operations, production teams, and front-line leaders or supervisors.
• Experience managing manufacturing safety, quality, productivity, labor utilization, cost, delivery, capacity, and employee performance.
• Experience developing leaders, building succession plans, and improving organizational capability.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, Maintenance, Human Resources, Finance, and Product teams.
• Strong leadership and people-management skills, including employee engagement, accountability, coaching, and talent development.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including interpreting manufacturing data and translating it into action.
• Knowledge of manufacturing KPIs, including safety, quality, cost, delivery, productivity, efficiency, labor performance, capacity, and schedule attainment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.
• Strong project- and change-management skills, including managing multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strategic thinking and ability to connect daily operational decisions to longer-term manufacturing and business objectives.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to lead through other leaders and establish expectations and accountability throughout the manufacturing organization.
• Ability to create a culture focused on safety, quality, continuous improvement, employee engagement, and operational excellence.
• Ability to balance competing priorities involving people, production, cost, quality, delivery, and customer requirements.
• Ability to analyze operational performance, identify trends and gaps, determine root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Ability to make timely, fact-based decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Ability to maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor and build credibility with employees and leaders.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree.
• Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Project Management, or Operations Management.
• Equivalent combination of relevant technical education and significant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of the manufacturing operating plan in coordination with product development, engineering, production planning and scheduling, and external manufacturing resources.
• Set operating priorities and align staffing, materials, equipment, capacity, outside contracting, and facility requirements.
• Direct manufacturing assistant managers and functional support teams in resolving operational issues and meeting business objectives.
• Identify risks to the manufacturing business plan and develop mitigation and corrective-action plans.
• Create a motivating, accountable, performance-focused manufacturing environment and evaluate staffing, leadership capacity, and job responsibilities.
• Contribute to workforce and succession planning for critical manufacturing positions.
• Make or approve employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, transfers, development actions, and terminations, in accordance with company practices.
• Set performance expectations for direct reports and ensure consistent performance management throughout the organization.
• Coach and develop leaders, strengthen leadership capability, and promote communication, teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement.
• Ensure consistent and equitable application of company policies, compensation practices, and employment procedures; partner with Human Resources on complex employee and organizational issues.
• Oversee manufacturing safety performance and build a strong safety culture; ensure compliance with applicable safety requirements, including OSHA/VPP regulations and company policies.
• Integrate safety considerations into production processes, equipment decisions, facility changes, training, staffing, and daily operating practices.
• Ensure products meet established specifications and quality standards and maintain production capacity and schedules to support demand, inventory, and service expectations.
• Control manufacturing operating costs, achieve financial objectives, and develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets.
• Monitor financial and operational performance and take corrective action when results deviate from business plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing asset and capability utilization, including suitable third-party programs or external business opportunities.
• Help develop the manufacturing organization’s strategic direction and translate strategy into annual and multi-year priorities, resource requirements, and measurable objectives.
• Evaluate capabilities, capacity, technologies, workforce needs, and external manufacturing alternatives to inform future strategies and decisions about capacity expansion, new capabilities, and manufacturing footprint.
• Identify opportunities to improve flexibility, productivity, quality, cost competitiveness, and responsiveness to changing business requirements.
• Establish a culture of continuous improvement and lead efforts to improve productivity, quality, throughput, labor utilization, cost, material flow, equipment effectiveness, and operational reliability.
• Ensure root-cause problem solving and corrective-action processes address recurring operational issues, and encourage employee-led process, equipment, work-method, and workplace-organization improvements.
• Use operational performance information to identify trends, prioritize improvement opportunities, and drive accountability.
• Evaluate external capacity and coordinate internal and external manufacturing capabilities to respond flexibly to changing demand.

Benefits

• Benefits package with programs and perks designed to support health and financial goals.
• Programs and perks intended to support work-life balance and time to recharge outdoors.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager