Senior Production Manager

Rifle Paper Co.•Winter Park, FL

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Rifle Paper Co. is seeking a Senior Production Manager to oversee product development and production from initial concept through final delivery across a diverse portfolio of consumer products, categories, and supplier partners. The role manages domestic and international supplier relationships, complex seasonal production calendars, and product quality, cost, margin, and delivery expectations. It also directly manages a small team of Production professionals, providing day-to-day leadership, coaching, workload management, and performance oversight. The Senior Production Manager works closely with the Director of Production & Sourcing and partners across Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, Quality Control, and Logistics. The role leads product development and production activities, manages supplier performance and commercial negotiations, resolves production challenges, and improves processes and workflows. The position is based in Winter Park, Florida, and is hybrid: the ideal candidate is expected to work onsite at least three days a week, with additional in-office days sometimes required. Travel may be up to 25%, including domestic and international travel as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Product Development, Industrial Engineering, or a related field preferred.
At least 7 years of progressive experience in production, product development, sourcing, manufacturing, or a related consumer products function, including senior-level or team leadership experience.
Demonstrated experience directly managing and developing team members, including setting priorities, delegating responsibilities, providing coaching and feedback, conducting performance reviews, and supporting professional development.
Significant hands-on experience managing international manufacturing partners; experience across China and Southeast Asia is ideal.
Proven experience managing the full product lifecycle, from initial development and costing through sampling, approvals, testing, mass production, quality inspection, shipment, and final delivery.
Experience overseeing large seasonal assortments, multiple product categories, and concurrent development and production calendars in a retail or consumer products environment.
Strong understanding of product costing, landed costs, minimum order quantities, tooling, manufacturing lead times, supplier capacity, quality control, product testing, packaging, and international logistics.
Demonstrated success negotiating with suppliers to improve costs, quality, lead times, payment terms, production capacity, and overall performance.
Proven ability to resolve complex production challenges, manage escalations, assess business risks, and develop solutions that protect product launches and delivery commitments.
Experience partnering with Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, Quality Control, and Logistics to drive product execution and seasonal business objectives.
Experience improving production processes, critical path management, supplier performance metrics, and operational workflows.
Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate risks, trade-offs, recommendations, and business impacts to team members, suppliers, and senior leadership.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience with ERP, PLM, project management, or production tracking systems.
Experience within a design-led consumer products, lifestyle, home, stationery, gifting, accessories, or multi-category brand.
Experience working closely with Design and Merchandising teams on seasonal product development, with exposure to multiple product categories, materials, and manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

Lead product development and production for assigned product categories and supplier partners, from initial development and costing through sampling, approvals, testing, mass production, quality inspection, shipment, and final delivery.
Manage seasonal production calendars, critical paths, and purchase order execution to meet milestones and delivery commitments.
Monitor production progress, identify risks, and resolve delays, quality concerns, cost changes, and other issues that could affect product launches or business objectives.
Oversee product specifications, artwork approvals, packaging requirements, testing, and other production inputs in partnership with cross-functional teams.
Partner with Quality Control and Logistics to transition products from production through inspection and shipment.
Lead complex or high-priority production programs and serve as an escalation point for production challenges across the team.
Build and maintain relationships with domestic and international suppliers, including overseas manufacturing partners.
Hold suppliers accountable for product quality, cost, service, production timelines, and delivery performance.
Negotiate product and landed costs, minimum order quantities, tooling, lead times, payment terms, production capacity, and other commercial considerations.
Evaluate supplier capabilities, capacity, and performance to support seasonal demand, new product development, and long-term business needs.
Partner with Sourcing to assess new supplier opportunities and transition new products into production.
Identify opportunities to improve supplier performance, reduce costs, protect margins, shorten lead times, and increase production efficiency.
Collaborate with Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, Quality Control, and Logistics throughout the product lifecycle.
Communicate production status, timeline changes, cost implications, risks, and recommended solutions clearly and proactively to stakeholders.
Support seasonal planning by evaluating production feasibility, supplier capacity, manufacturing lead times, and potential risks.
Develop and improve production processes, critical path tracking, supplier scorecards, performance reporting, and cross-functional workflows.
Establish consistent production practices and recommend scalable solutions to strengthen team execution and support organizational growth.
Directly manage, mentor, and develop a small team of Production professionals, providing day-to-day guidance and support.
Establish team goals, priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations, and ensure accountability for milestones and deliverables.
Manage team workloads and resource allocation across seasonal calendars, supplier portfolios, and competing business priorities.
Provide ongoing coaching and feedback, conduct performance reviews, and support individual development and training.
Guide team members through complex production challenges, helping them evaluate risks, develop solutions, and make timely decisions.
Foster a collaborative, accountable, solutions-oriented team culture that encourages proactive problem-solving and knowledge sharing.
Partner with the Director of Production & Sourcing on team capacity planning, resource needs, and departmental priorities.