Production Manager

BIC•Milford, CT

39d•Onsite

About The Position

Join BIC World, a community of brands dedicated to creating ingeniously simple and joyful products that have been part of hearts and homes for over 75 years. We are committed to growing our iconic and innovative brands by reimagining everyday essentials in new, sustainable, and responsible ways. Our culture encourages a "roll up your sleeves and get the job done" mindset, ensuring self-starters, problem solvers, and innovative thinkers can truly thrive. At BIC World, you are empowered to take ownership of your career and use your unique perspective to make a meaningful, global impact on our mission. We are seeking an experienced and technically strong Production Manager to lead manufacturing operations across our 3-shift production environment. This role will provide leadership to production supervisors and departmental managers while overseeing a workforce of 100+ employees. The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of technical project leadership, manufacturing expertise, and operational leadership capability. This individual will be expected to lead complex industrial and capital projects while developing toward broader ownership of plant operations. The Production Manager will be responsible for driving performance across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and employee engagement while also leading significant technical initiatives involving manufacturing equipment, automation, process optimization, capacity, plant layout, and industrial transformation. This role is intended for a leader who can successfully operate at the intersection of engineering and operations, develop a high-performing manufacturing organization, and contribute to the long-term industrial strategy of the site.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, engineering, industrial project management, operations, or a related technical environment, ideally within high-volume manufacturing.
Significant experience leading complex technical or industrial projects from concept through implementation and production stabilization.
Demonstrated experience managing capital projects involving manufacturing equipment, automation, tooling, process changes, capacity expansion, line transfers, plant layout changes, and/or other significant industrial initiatives.
Strong project management capability, including project scoping, budgeting, CAPEX management, scheduling, risk management, supplier coordination, commissioning, and project governance.
Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes, equipment, automation, tooling, mechanical systems, and production technologies.
Experience analyzing and improving manufacturing performance using metrics such as OEE, scrap, downtime, throughput, labor efficiency, quality, delivery, and cost.
Demonstrated experience applying Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, 5S, structured problem solving, and/or related continuous improvement methodologies.
Experience evaluating plant layouts, production flows, equipment utilization, and capacity requirements.
Equipment Compliance: Demonstrated understanding of manufacturing equipment safety standards and Management of Change procedures.
Experience with Management of Change, Process Safety Management, Pre-Startup Safety Review, Risk Management Planning, or comparable industrial safety systems preferred.
Demonstrated leadership capability with the ability to influence and engage production, engineering, maintenance, quality, and other cross-functional teams.
Experience directly leading supervisors, technical teams, production teams, or manufacturing organizations preferred.
Demonstrated ability to transition between technical project leadership and broader operational decision-making.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, communication, and decision-making skills.
Strong shop-floor presence with a practical, hands-on approach to manufacturing leadership.
Experience working in a unionized manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline preferred; equivalent combination of education and significant technical manufacturing experience will be considered.
Master’s degree in engineering or a related technical field is a plus but not required.
Formal Lean, Six Sigma, or Project Management certification preferred.
Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

Successful candidates may come from a variety of manufacturing backgrounds, including Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Management, Technical Project Management, Industrialization, or Continuous Improvement.
The strongest candidate will combine deep technical and project-management capability with the leadership presence, business acumen, and people-management potential required to assume broader responsibility for manufacturing operations and future site leadership.

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day manufacturing operations across a 3-shift environment, providing direction and leadership to production supervisors, departmental managers, and a workforce of 100+ employees.
Establish clear performance expectations and develop, coach, and hold manufacturing leaders accountable for achieving operational objectives.
Drive performance across key manufacturing metrics, including safety, quality, delivery, productivity, labor efficiency, OEE, waste/scrap, downtime, and cost.
Lead major technical and industrial projects that improve manufacturing performance, capacity, safety, quality, reliability, and cost.
Manage complex projects through all phases, including feasibility assessment, project scoping, business case development, CAPEX planning, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, equipment sourcing, implementation, commissioning, qualification, ramp-up, and transition to production.
Lead or support projects involving equipment installation and modification, automation, robotics, tooling, production line changes, capacity expansion, plant layout, production flow, and industrial process improvement.
Define project requirements, layouts, production flows, resource needs, and implementation plans in partnership with Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, HSE, and other stakeholders.
Own or contribute to capital project business cases and actively monitor CAPEX and OPEX spending, project milestones, risks, and expected operational returns.
Analyze manufacturing performance data, equipment utilization, production constraints, OEE, scrap, downtime, and process capability to identify improvement opportunities and develop sustainable corrective actions.
Lead structured root-cause analysis and problem-solving efforts related to significant production, equipment, quality, safety, delivery, and efficiency issues.
Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, 5S, and other continuous improvement methodologies to eliminate waste, improve equipment reliability, increase capacity, and optimize manufacturing processes.
Evaluate plant layouts, equipment placement, material movement, production flow, and capacity requirements to improve efficiency and support future manufacturing needs.
Provide technical and operational leadership for the evaluation, implementation, and optimization of automated technologies, robotics, manufacturing equipment, tooling, and data-driven production systems.
Partner closely with Engineering and Maintenance to troubleshoot complex manufacturing and equipment issues and identify long-term technical solutions.
Ensure new and modified manufacturing equipment and processes meet applicable machine safety, regulatory, environmental, and company requirements.
Participate in and, where appropriate, oversee Management of Change, Pre-Startup Safety Review, equipment qualification, and other applicable safety and change-control processes.
Ensure business continuity during major production changes, equipment installations, transfers, or capacity projects through effective transition planning, inventory planning, training, and knowledge transfer.
Own the production budget and actively monitor and manage variances related to labor, materials, overhead, and other manufacturing costs.
Identify and implement cost-reduction and productivity initiatives without compromising safety, quality, product integrity, or customer service.
Effectively allocate labor, equipment, and other resources to optimize production capacity and meet business requirements.
Foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, technical problem-solving, and continuous improvement throughout the manufacturing organization.
Ensure products consistently meet or exceed established quality standards and customer expectations.
Maintain compliance with applicable health, safety, quality, regulatory, environmental, and company requirements.
Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Finance, Purchasing, HSE, and other teams to achieve plant and business objectives.
Promote strong employee relations and effective leadership practices within a unionized manufacturing environment.
Prepare, analyze, and present manufacturing performance, project status, operational results, improvement initiatives, capital requirements, and business needs to senior management.
Support the development and execution of the site's broader manufacturing and industrial strategy.
Stay current on manufacturing technologies, automation, industrial best practices, and continuous improvement concepts that may enhance plant performance.