Production leader

Hike Medical Co•Peoria, IL

13h•Onsite

About The Position

Hike Medical is scaling rapidly and building a modern medical manufacturing operation designed for speed, quality, and leverage. We are on a clear path toward $30M+ in ARR, and manufacturing is a critical driver of that growth. Soleforge is not a legacy factory — it’s a platform. We are investing heavily in AI-enabled automation, data-driven operations, and disciplined execution to support a fast-moving revenue engine. This role exists because growth demands it. We’re hiring a hands-on production leader to own manufacturing execution at Soleforge. This person is accountable for people, performance, and systems — and for ensuring manufacturing can scale in lockstep with revenue. You will lead the floor, define and run KPIs, and help operationalize automation and AI-driven workflows as we increase volume and complexity. This is an in-person, high-ownership role for someone who wants to build, not maintain.

Requirements

5+ years in manufacturing or production leadership
Proven experience managing people in a production environment
Strong command of operational KPIs and execution discipline
Experience implementing or scaling automation in manufacturing
Comfortable operating in a fast-growth, high-accountability environment
Hands-on mindset — present on the floor, not just in meetings
Clear communicator who can drive performance without burning teams out

Nice To Haves

Medical device or regulated manufacturing experience
Experience with AI-enabled manufacturing tools or advanced automation
Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement background
Experience scaling operations alongside rapid revenue growth

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the production team with clear expectations and accountability
Own staffing, onboarding, training, and performance management
Build a culture that values urgency, quality, and continuous improvement
Act as the on-site operational leader at Soleforge
Own day-to-day production performance: throughput, quality, safety, and efficiency
Ensure manufacturing capacity and reliability support aggressive revenue growth
Translate demand signals into executable production plans
Identify constraints early and solve them before they impact customers
Define, implement, and own production KPIs tied directly to business outcomes
Build dashboards and reporting that drive action, not vanity metrics
Run daily and weekly operating cadences to review performance and resolve issues
Use data to prioritize work and hold teams accountable
Oversee implementation and adoption of automation on the manufacturing floor
Partner with engineering on AI-driven tools, process automation, and system upgrades
Ensure automation improves throughput, quality, and operator effectiveness
Help design manufacturing systems that scale cleanly as volume grows