Production Manager

SelectOne•Buffalo, NY

11d

About The Position

The Production Manager is accountable for the safe, on-time, and cost-effective production of transformers from entry onto the production floor through shipment and post-installation support. The role owns the weekly and monthly production schedule, production labor capacity and staffing, plant flow, and business-level reporting of production performance. The Production Manager leads Production Supervisors, who oversee Team Leads and production team members, and collaborates with Master Planning, Engineering, Procurement, Quality, Customer Support, and Sales to align components, information, and customer commitments with the schedule. The position drives a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement and reports to the VP Operations. The Production Manager oversees production progress, quality, safety, cost, and on-time completion; protects and recovers the production schedule; balances plant workloads and removes bottlenecks; and leads staffing, coaching, performance management, and succession planning. The role monitors and reports production output, schedule attainment, labor efficiency, overtime, downtime, scrap, rework, and budget-to-actual performance. It also leads structured problem solving and continuous improvement, enforces safety and quality requirements, coordinates customer visits and witness tests, supports warranty and post-installation investigations, and works cross-functionally to ensure drawings, bills of material, and components are available when needed. The position supports audits, inspections, and customer or regulatory requirements as applicable.

Requirements

At least 10–15 years of manufacturing experience, including at least 5 years in a plant, operations, or production management role leading supervisors.
Proven ability to manage production schedules, labor capacity, and staffing against demand and budget.
Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to lead through multiple levels of supervision.
Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement tools.
Experience coordinating with planning, engineering, procurement, quality, sales, and customer support functions.
Ability to interpret production schedules, technical drawings, and work instructions.
Proficiency in ERP or production scheduling systems and business reporting.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations Management, or a related field is preferred; equivalent qualifications are also referenced, but the statement is incomplete.
Experience in heavy manufacturing, electrical equipment, or transformer manufacturing is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own production of transformers from arrival on the production floor through shipment, with accountability for progress, quality, safety, cost, and on-time completion.
Manage and protect the weekly and monthly production schedule; identify, escalate, and recover deviations.
Manage the flow of units through the plant, balance work across departments, and remove bottlenecks to improve throughput and on-time delivery.
Lead, develop, and hold Production Supervisors accountable, and through them lead Team Leads and production team members, including performance management, coaching, and succession planning.
Own production hiring, resourcing, and staffing; determine resource requirements and manage labor capacity against demand and budgeted unit levels.
Prepare and deliver production reporting on output, schedule attainment, labor efficiency, overtime, downtime, scrap, rework, and budget-to-actual performance.
Identify and manage causes of production-floor downtime, working with Team Leads and Supervisors to resolve issues promptly and prevent recurrence.
Lead structured problem solving and continuous improvement using lean manufacturing, 6S, root cause analysis, and standard work.
Establish and enforce a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Maintain and enforce quality standards; ensure production and quality concerns are addressed promptly and standard work and work instructions are followed.
Set dates for customer visits and witness tests, coordinating plant readiness, test scheduling, and customer communication.
Work with Customer Support and Sales on warranty claims and post-installation challenges, supporting investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action.
Coordinate with Master Planning, Engineering Release, and Procurement to ensure drawings, bills of material, and components arrive in time to support the production schedule.
Support audits, inspections, and customer or regulatory requirements as applicable.