Production Manager

Deneen Pottery•Saint Paul, MN

2h•Onsite

About The Position

Deneen Pottery is a family-owned, handmade pottery company that has been making custom ceramic mugs and drinkware in St. Paul for over 50 years. They operate a real manufacturing environment with clear output expectations and a culture built on accountability, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement. The company is investing in its leadership structure and people, and is seeking a Production Manager to lead the production floor with care and consistency. This role represents a significant leadership opportunity, as the Production Manager will be the single accountable leader for daily execution across five interconnected production departments: Pottery, Handles and Medallions, Pressing and Molds, Finishing, and Shipping, overseeing a team of approximately 70 people. The position requires a strong daily presence on the floor, focusing on developing leaders, ensuring accountability, and maintaining production flow with clarity and follow-through. The Production Manager is a member of the Leadership Team, working alongside the Visionary/Integrator, CFO, and Customer Success, and collaborates closely with the Technical Operations Leader on scheduling, ERP, glaze, facilities, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements

Led a production team of 70 or more people through department-level leaders.
Proven track record of building accountability without destroying culture.
3+ years leading a production team in manufacturing or a skilled trades environment.
Experience in food production, skilled manufacturing, or similar environments.
Strong people leadership, demonstrating the ability to build trust while holding the line.
A leader development mindset, coaching others to lead effectively.
High floor presence, being most effective when close to the work.
A direct accountability instinct, addressing issues early rather than avoiding them.
Steady judgment under pressure, remaining calm, clear, and decisive when it matters.
Ability to reinforce standard work and ensure changes are implemented and sustained.
Ability to drive continuous improvement using Lean principles, practical problem solving, and strong follow-up.
Ability to help create systems that improve consistency, throughput, and labor effectiveness.
Ability to keep the operation moving through disciplined habits, not heroics.
Ability to build trust and accountability with department leaders.
Ability to train leaders to lead people better, not just manage tasks.
Ability to reinforce culture consistently through clarity, follow-through, and example.
Ability to hold on to strong performers by giving them support, feedback, and growth.
Ability to address poor fit and low performance directly and early.
Ability to coach others and raise the standard of leadership across the floor.
Strong instinct for culture fit, accountability, and team health.
Comfortable addressing tough people issues directly and respectfully.
Ability to manage multiple departments through leaders.
Good judgment under pressure and strong communication follow-through.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Hmong.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, hold accountable, and develop the five production department leaders, reinforcing expectations, improving communication, and helping employees become great contributors and leaders over time.
Work closely with Production Leaders and HR on hiring, onboarding, corrective action, performance documentation, and separations.
Coach department leaders to lead their own people effectively, rather than solving all problems themselves.
Conduct and ensure all employees have consistent 1:1s, performance reviews, and annual wage reviews.
Strengthen follow-through and accountability consistently across the operation.
Model Deneen Pottery values and hold others accountable to them daily.
Own day-to-day production flow and follow-through across all production departments.
Partner closely with the Technical Operations Leader to stay aligned on the current production schedule, order priority, and ERP accuracy.
Integrate continuous improvement initiatives into daily floor execution.
Keep work moving across departments in alignment with daily priorities and schedule.
Create and maintain a strong daily leadership rhythm, including daily huddles, standard work, and issue escalation.
Lead and participate in weekly Level 10 meetings and other operating cadences.
Remove obstacles that prevent leaders and teams from executing well.
Follow through on issues, decisions, and commitments until they are fully resolved.
Lead the production leaders collaboratively to ensure work is sequenced correctly and moves at pace across departments.
Help departments stay aligned around priorities, labor needs, and execution standards.
Identify flow problems early with production leaders and resolve them before they impact ship dates.
Maintain strong production flow, ensuring customer ship dates are met.
Own plant-wide visibility and follow-through on production materials ordering and work-in-process (WIP).
Ensure material readiness is maintained consistently across production and escalate shortages or risks before they disrupt flow.
Ensure people and product problems are identified early, addressed quickly, and escalated when needed.
When quality issues affect customer orders, work directly with Customer Success and the Technical Operations Leader to determine remake needs, communicate production timelines, and resolve the issue with clarity and speed.
Own the floor-side response to quality problems, including investigation, correction, and follow-through.
Oversee product quality across the operation and drive follow-through on rework reduction.
Maintain strong floor presence while reinforcing culture, developing people, protecting standards, retaining strong talent, and addressing employees who are not a fit for expectations or culture.
Bring HR in early on performance and culture issues, escalating problems before they grow.
Identify strong performers and help retain, encourage, and grow them.
Address poor fit and low performance directly, respectfully, and early.
Represent production on the Leadership Team, providing honest visibility on output, people, pace, and operational health.
Participate in Level 10 meetings and other leadership cadences with the Visionary/Integrator, CFO, and Customer Success.
Bring production data and operational input that supports company-level decisions, financial planning, and customer commitments.
Follow through on company-wide decisions and priorities so they are implemented on the floor.
Own materials management, including raw material readiness, inventory discipline, vendor coordination, and related follow-up.
Lead the daily coordination needed to keep operations moving smoothly across departments.
Step into an operation with established people, routines, and history, and lead with steadiness and clarity.
Build trust while raising expectations.
Help reset and strengthen accountability where needed.
Bring structure and calm during periods of transition, growth, and change.