Production Manager

States Manufacturing LLC • Dayton, MN

17d

About The Position

The Production Manager oversees and improves an assigned product family or value stream. The role drives operational excellence by implementing lean manufacturing principles, optimizing production processes, reducing waste, improving quality, and meeting customer delivery expectations. The Production Manager works cross-functionally with production, quality, engineering, supply chain, and finance to support alignment and efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience for internal applicants.
• 7+ years of manufacturing experience, including leading cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated success implementing lean practices in high-mix, low-volume environments.
• Strong analytical, communication, and team-building abilities.
• Knowledge of lean tools, including Kanban, SMED, 5S, Kaizen, and A3.
• Ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing dashboards.

Nice To Haves

• ISO experience.
• Knowledge of ERP software and PDM software such as Vantage and SharePoint.
• Six Sigma Green Belt is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate activities within the assigned value stream, including daily operations, short- and long-term planning, and performance tracking; be accountable for production, delivery, cost, and quality targets.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Maintenance to support process flow and continuous improvement, remove bottlenecks, and align departments.
• Apply lean manufacturing principles to design, manage, and continuously improve the value stream; lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions; facilitate Kaizen events; champion standard work and performance reviews to reduce lead times, inventory, and non-value-added activity.
• Lead supervisors, operators, and support staff; foster accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement; ensure workforce planning, skills development, and employee engagement support long-term goals.
• Monitor and report KPIs including safety, throughput, first-pass yield, on-time delivery, inventory turns, and labor efficiency, using data to guide daily management and strategic planning.
• Participate in site-level planning and initiatives; translate business objectives into value stream plans and priorities to support scalable operations and operational excellence.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager