Production Manager

ITW • Waterbury, CT

3d • Onsite

About The Position

ITW Drawform, a $150M USD Division within Illinois Tool Works’ Automotive Segment, is seeking a Production Manager for its facility in Waterbury, Connecticut. This role is responsible for the management of Manufacturing, Assembly, Material Handling, Quality, and Maintenance. The objective is to lead efforts in preparing, starting up, and optimizing a three 8-hour shift manufacturing process, while building alliances and gaining buy-in from existing team members. The Production Manager will apply modern and applicable automation and manufacturing systems to optimize production schedules, quality, and cost objectives in a safe manner.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business or a related field.
• 4 to 6 years of relevant experience.
• Prior production supervision experience.
• Ability to read & analyze data and use this information to make decisions.
• Understanding of production/inventory control.
• Ability to influence outcomes, utilizing effective communication skills across functions and at senior levels.
• Excellent leadership skills, as evidenced by a track record of hiring, retaining, developing, and motivating top-tier Operations talent.
• Sound administrative and managerial skills.
• Conflict Management, analytical, and diplomacy skills.
• Self-starter and a team player.
• Continuous improvement techniques with manufacturing processes and capabilities.
• Excellent problem-solving, written and verbal communication, and presentation/facilitation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products and ERP systems.
• Ability to influence others and gain buy-in from highly tenured teams.
• Comfortable with complex projects and challenging customers.

Nice To Haves

• Prior facility start-up or expansion experience.
• Automation experience.
• Metal stamping and washing experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an efficient safety program according to company standards, upholding a safe work environment with a focus on 5S and an injury/accident-free workplace.
• Improve operational performance by identifying, prioritizing, and assisting in the implementation of improvement projects or system enhancements that result in efficiency, quality, and/or cost savings.
• Contribute operations information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; prepare and complete action plans; implement production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolve problems; complete audits; identify trends.
• Collaborate closely with scheduling, planning, maintenance, and engineering to ensure equipment and facility readiness.
• Forecast requirements, prepare an annual budget, schedule expenditures, analyze variances, and initiate corrective actions.
• Analyze and improve organizational process and workflow, employee and space requirements, and equipment layout; implement changes to follow the Model Factory concept.
• Work closely with the inventory manager and team to perform analysis of inventory and ensure effective utilization, purchasing of the right equipment, and maintaining solid inventory data.
• Partner with the plant manager, peers, and human resources to ensure production needs are consistently met and appropriate MRD inventory levels are maintained.
• Be responsible for product quality and communicating customer expectations to the team.
• Develop and implement internal procedures and documentation to support manufacturing operations.
• Effectively manage the team by setting clear goals, monitoring KPIs, maintaining accountability, and creating risk mitigation plans as necessary.
• Identify training and development needs of staff and initiate appropriate programs.
• Support business growth by implementing necessary changes to product/production to enter new markets or grow existing product volumes.
• Challenge the status quo, embrace technology, put forward creative ideas, champion and implement process improvements, gather the ideas of others, and demonstrate good judgment about ideas which will work.
• Support cultural improvements and programs that are sustainable and employee engagement driven.
• Translate strategy into organization structure and governance models; diagnose, design, deliver, and deploy organization design initiatives.
• Conduct regular audits of the organizational structure and recommend changes to make the organization more efficient.

Benefits

• Equal opportunity employer
• Value unique perspectives, experiences and ideas
• Create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential
• Commitment to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees
• Consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

What This Job Offers

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