Manufacturing Training Manager

Southern States, LLC•Hampton, GA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Training Manager coordinates, delivers, and documents training for manufacturing employees to ensure they have the knowledge, skills, and qualifications to perform their jobs safely, efficiently, and in accordance with quality and production standards. This hands-on role serves as the primary training resource on the manufacturing floor and partners with Production Supervisors, Team Leaders, Quality, EHS, Engineering, Maintenance, and Human Resources to support onboarding, job-specific qualification, cross-training, refresher training, and continuous improvement. The role translates procedures and technical requirements into practical instruction at employees’ workstations. The position supports manufacturing facilities in Hampton and Griffin, Georgia, and requires regular on-site presence at both locations. Scheduling flexibility is required to support training across multiple shifts, including early morning, evening, or off-shift hours as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field; an equivalent combination of education, technical training, and relevant experience may be considered.
Three or more years of experience in manufacturing, production, assembly, machining, fabrication, or a similar industrial environment.
Demonstrated experience training, coaching, mentoring, or leading manufacturing employees in roles such as Manufacturing Trainer, Training Coordinator, Lead Operator, Team Leader, or Production Lead.
Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining training matrices, qualification systems, visual work instructions, one-point lessons, or structured on-the-job training programs.
Working knowledge of safety, quality, and production practices.
Ability to read and understand work instructions, SOPs, drawings, specifications, and other documentation applicable to assigned operations.
Ability to clearly demonstrate manufacturing processes and provide constructive coaching and feedback.
Strong verbal and written communication, organizational, recordkeeping, and follow-up skills.
Basic proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Ability to work effectively with employees at all organizational levels and support training across assigned production schedules.
Regular on-site presence at manufacturing facilities in Hampton and Griffin, Georgia.
Scheduling flexibility to support multiple shifts, including early morning, evening, or off-shift hours as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an ISO-certified or similarly regulated manufacturing environment.
Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, 5S, standardized work, Kaizen, and continuous improvement principles.
OSHA, Train-the-Trainer, technical training, or other relevant training credentials.

Responsibilities

Partner with HR, Training & Development, Operations, EHS, Quality, Engineering, and subject matter experts to assess manufacturing training needs and develop, deliver, and evaluate programs for onboarding, job proficiency, safety, compliance, quality, and performance.
Work with supervisors and team leads to identify skill gaps contributing to productivity losses, scrap, rework, downtime, or safety concerns while maintaining training and qualification standards.
Develop structured on-the-job training programs, instructional materials, visual work instructions, one-point lessons, and practical skill assessments with functional experts; ensure technical content is reviewed and approved by appropriate content owners.
Coordinate and conduct manufacturing-floor training for new and existing employees, maintaining schedules that support production and consistent instruction across shifts.
Lead production-floor onboarding and coordinate Day One and Week One onboarding activities with Human Resources.
Provide hands-on instruction in machine operation, assembly and production processes, material handling, inspection, documentation, and other assigned tasks within the manager’s qualifications; engage qualified subject matter experts when needed.
Adapt instruction to employees’ experience and learning needs, demonstrate tasks, provide constructive coaching, and reinforce standardized work.
Use current, approved work instructions, SOPs, JSAs, drawings, and quality specifications; report outdated, unclear, or incomplete materials to the responsible content owner.
Reinforce PPE, machine safety, housekeeping, and emergency procedures; incorporate quality standards, inspection requirements, defect awareness, and accurate documentation into instruction.
Coordinate structured cross-training to improve workforce flexibility and critical-position coverage, and work with supervisors on individual training and development plans.
Coordinate training for new equipment and new or revised manufacturing processes before employees begin affected work.
Provide refresher or remedial training when performance issues, quality concerns, safety incidents, process deviations, or procedure changes identify training needs.
Maintain a strong floor presence, observe assigned tasks, coach employees, and answer questions about manufacturing processes and work requirements.
Immediately communicate unsafe practices, quality risks, or significant deviations from standard work to the appropriate supervisor or manager.
Conduct or coordinate practical skill assessments and document competency before recommending employees for independent work; coordinate qualification approval with production management and designated technical owners.
Maintain accurate employee training records, skills matrices, qualification matrices, and cross-training matrices; track required training, completion, demonstrated competency, and renewal requirements.
Monitor upcoming and overdue training or qualifications, communicate skill gaps to supervisors, and follow through on completion plans.
Keep training records current and available for internal, customer, or regulatory audits; protect employee information and follow record-retention and access requirements.
Provide management updates on training completion, qualification status, skill coverage, and training effectiveness; participate in production, safety, quality, and employee development meetings.
Participate in Lean manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement initiatives; document and share best practices and recommend improvements to training delivery and effectiveness.
Perform other duties as assigned.