Sewing Manager

Polywood•Roxboro, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

POLYWOOD is seeking a hands-on Sewing Manager to lead its industrial sewing operation in Roxboro, North Carolina. The manager owns the department’s people, equipment, schedule, output, and product quality, and is accountable for meeting safety, quality, production, and delivery goals. The department has fewer than 30 team members, including sewing operators, pathfinders, and general production staff. The role reports to the Director of Manufacturing | Sewing and works closely with Cutting, Planning, Maintenance, Quality, Purchasing, and HR. The Sewing Manager leads and develops department employees, plans staffing and assignments, monitors production metrics, maintains sewn-product quality, and drives continuous improvement. The role also takes a lead part in creating the sewing training program, supporting new product launches, and ensuring a safe and ergonomic production floor. It is based on the production floor and is full-time and on-site.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in an industrial sewing or sewn-products manufacturing environment.
At least 3 years leading production teams as a supervisor or manager.
Hands-on industrial sewing equipment experience, including operating, setting up, adjusting, and troubleshooting machines.
Strong knowledge of stitch types, needles, threads, and heavy-duty fabrics.
A proven record of achieving production and quality goals through people.
Comfort with production planning, metrics, and Excel or Google Sheets.
Ability to read specifications, patterns, and work instructions and teach others to do the same.
A calm, steady presence on the floor and ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
High school diploma or equivalent.
Ability to regularly stand and walk and lift up to 50 pounds as needed.
Flexibility to support multiple shifts and occasional overtime during peak season.

Nice To Haves

Experience building or leading a training program for production team members.
Experience with outdoor, marine, automotive, upholstery, or furniture textiles.
Experience with automated sewing or computerized cutting equipment.
Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Responsibilities

Lead daily sewing operations to meet safety, quality, output, and on-time delivery goals.
Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, leads, and sewing operators; build a culture of accountability and respect.
Plan staffing, schedules, and work assignments to meet demand, including seasonal peaks.
Own quality for sewn products, including seam strength, stitch consistency, pattern accuracy, and finished appearance.
Partner with Maintenance to keep industrial sewing equipment running and drive preventive maintenance.
Work with Cutting, Planning, and Purchasing to ensure fabric, thread, and other materials flow to the line.
Track and improve efficiency, units per labor hour, first-pass yield, scrap, downtime, attendance, turnover, and labor cost.
Drive continuous improvement through standard work, line balancing, and root-cause problem solving.
Help develop the sewing training program, including work instructions, operator skills matrices, and cross-training.
Champion safety and ergonomics on the production floor.
Own hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and department attendance in partnership with HR.
Support new product launches by partnering on samples, patterns, specifications, and first runs.