Production Manager I

TekniPlex•Van Wert, OH

1d•$118,000•Onsite

About The Position

TekniPlex is seeking a Production Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of an assigned manufacturing department. This role is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, productivity, and employee engagement. The Production Manager will drive operational results through effective leadership, process discipline, continuous improvement, and the development of high-performing teams. This position provides leadership to Supervisors, Team Leads, and production employees, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence. The role involves working cross-functionally with various departments to meet production targets and support the site's operational readiness and long-term growth objectives. The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader passionate about developing people, solving problems, and driving continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related field is preferred; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will be considered.
7+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience in a high-volume production environment.
Minimum of 3 years leading supervisors and frontline production teams.
Demonstrated experience improving safety, productivity, quality, and employee engagement.
Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational excellence principles.
Experience managing production metrics including OEE, throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, and downtime.
Proven leadership skills with the ability to coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing startups or facility expansions.
Experience within packaging, molded fiber, paper, pulp, plastics, food manufacturing, or other continuous manufacturing environments.
Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent continuous improvement experience.
Experience with ERP and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
Working knowledge of preventive maintenance, reliability, and production planning processes.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Champion a culture where safety is the first priority and every employee is accountable for maintaining a safe work environment.
Ensure compliance with all company safety policies, OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, and food safety or customer standards as applicable.
Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and proactive risk reduction initiatives.
Own departmental performance and drive corrective actions to achieve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People objectives.
Drive daily production execution while monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), including Safety, Quality, OEE, Yield, Scrap, Downtime, Throughput, and Labor Efficiency.
Develop action plans to address production challenges and improve overall operational performance.
Ensure production schedules are executed while maintaining customer service expectations.
Coordinate resources across shifts to maximize equipment utilization and productivity.
Lead, coach, and develop Production Supervisors, Team Leads, and hourly employees.
Establish clear performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and performance management.
Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, employee engagement, and continuous learning.
Support hiring, onboarding, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development initiatives.
Promote effective communication across shifts and departments.
Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives focused on waste elimination, process optimization, and standardization.
Lead root cause analysis and corrective action efforts using structured problem-solving methodologies.
Identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, efficiency, labor utilization, and manufacturing costs.
Support new equipment installations, process improvements, and production startup activities.
Partner closely with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability and minimize downtime.
Collaborate with Engineering on process improvements, capital projects, and operational readiness initiatives.
Work with Quality to ensure compliance with customer specifications and drive continuous quality improvements.
Coordinate with Planning and Supply Chain to meet production schedules and customer demand.
Partner with Human Resources to support employee relations, engagement, training, and workforce development.
Drive the department's Operational Excellence journey by embedding Lean principles, visual management, leader standard work, structured problem solving, and a culture of continuous improvement into daily operations.
Manage departmental labor, overtime, and operating expenses.
Monitor production metrics and implement corrective actions to achieve business objectives.
Support annual operating plans, productivity initiatives, and cost reduction efforts.
Drive a culture of ownership and operational discipline that delivers sustainable business results.