Production Manager

UPL•Kingstree, SC

13d

About The Position

The Production Manager directs supervisors and assigned personnel within the Production Department and leads daily manufacturing operations to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective production. The role is responsible for meeting customer demand, quality standards, and plant objectives through production plan execution, workforce management, process optimization, maintenance coordination, inventory accuracy, and continuous improvement. The Production Manager also leads or participates in plant special projects and cross-functional improvement teams. The position oversees production scheduling and process controls, workforce development and staffing, production safety and environmental performance, KPI monitoring and reporting, maintenance coordination, inventory and material management, and Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
At least five years of experience in an operations supervisory or management role in a manufacturing environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated excellence in collaboration, leadership, and team development.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Two or more years of experience in a chemical manufacturing environment.
Two or more years of experience with chemical processing and packaging equipment.
Two or more years of experience leading continuous improvement initiatives.
Two or more years of experience implementing Lean manufacturing concepts.

Responsibilities

Execute daily, weekly, and monthly production plans aligned with customer demand and plant objectives.
Collaborate with planners and schedulers to optimize production capacity and resource utilization.
Adjust production schedules in response to equipment breakdowns, material shortages, and priority changes.
Ensure raw materials, packaging, and labor resources are available to meet schedule requirements.
Drive schedule attainment while balancing safety, quality, cost, and service targets.
Lead and develop supervisors, operators, and shift teams across production operations.
Allocate manpower across production lines based on throughput and packaging requirements.
Manage staffing levels, including temporary labor, to achieve operational efficiency targets.
Approve timecards and oversee attendance, disciplinary actions, grievances, and performance reviews.
Train, coach, and develop the workforce to improve technical and leadership capabilities.
Oversee the safety and environmental performance of production staff and the production area.
Track and analyze production volume, throughput, MH/KL, Cost/KL, OEE/utilization, and schedule attainment.
Identify performance trends and improvement opportunities.
Prepare operational reports for the Plant Manager and manufacturing leadership.
Monitor departmental budgets, spending, and forecast performance.
Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance planning with the Maintenance Manager.
Support equipment shutdown planning and execution.
Coordinate contractors and maintenance vendors during repair and upgrade activities.
Ensure production equipment is operationally ready.
Align raw material and packaging inventory with production requirements.
Track material consumption against standards and investigate variances.
Support EOR, cycle count, and inventory accuracy initiatives.
Coordinate with the Logistics Department to support efficient material flow into and out of production.
Identify production bottlenecks, waste, and process inefficiencies.
Lead Lean and continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity and reduce costs.
Improve cycle times, labor efficiency, and throughput.
Support automation and process upgrade projects.
Lead or participate in plant special projects and cross-functional improvement teams.