US Training Manager - Operations & Production

WireCo WorldGroup•Leawood, KS

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The US Training Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and continuously improving a standardized onboarding, training and workforce development strategy for hourly and production team members across WireCo’s U.S. operations. The role is also responsible for enterprise-wise performance management processes for all team members. The US Training Manager partners closely with Plant Managers, Operations Leaders, Human Resources, Safety, and Quality to ensure employees are effectively onboarded and trained, such that they are confident in their responsibilities and qualified to perform the work required to support safe and reliable operations. The US Training Manager candidate must exhibit and proactively motivate others in the behaviors of the WireCo Business System (WBS): Teamwork - welcomes an environment of inclusiveness and healthy debate that reflects our team’s strength Accountable – celebrates our successes, learn from failures, avoid excuses, and own the outcomes of our efforts Self-Aware – demonstrates an understanding of our strengths and needs, considering how our actions impact others Noble Intent – acts in the interests of others, approaching our work with integrity to ensure the best outcome Determined – takes initiative, share ideas and find solutions to win and achieve our goals Transparent – promotes open and honest communication and constructive feedback for clarity and truth Curious – seeks knowledge and outside input to test our way of thinking, challenging the status quo

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Business, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field and 5+ years of relevant experience; or 8+ years of equivalent progressive experience in manufacturing training, operations, or workforce development in lieu of a degree.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing training, onboarding, or workforce capability programs in a manufacturing, distribution, or similarly operational environment.
Experience working directly with production employees, frontline supervisors, and plant leadership.
Strong understanding of adult learning principles, structured on-the-job training, skills development, and employee qualification processes.
Demonstrated ability to develop practical training tools, standard work, assessments, and/or qualification programs.
Demonstrated ability to drive and design, global performance management processes.
Ability to influence leaders, drive change, and establish accountability without direct authority.
Strong project management, organizational, facilitation, written and presentation skills.
Ability to analyze training and workforce data and translate findings into actionable improvements.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading training or workforce development programs across multiple manufacturing or distribution locations.
Experience implementing structured on-the-job training, train-the-trainer, skills matrices, or employee certification programs.
Experience with Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, Training Within Industry (TWI), or similar operational excellence methodologies.
Experience utilizing a Learning Management System (LMS) or similar platform .
Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and continuously improve a standardized 30-60-90 day onboarding framework inclusive of onboarding checklists, qualification standards, job training guides, leader tools, and employee learning plans
Establish clear learning milestones, proficiency expectations, and accountability at each stage of the new-hire experience from Day 1 through 90.
Ensure new employees receive consistent, role-appropriate training in safety, quality, operational processes, equipment, and performance expectations.
Partner with stakeholders to ensure onboarding standards are consistently executed
Establish mechanisms for gathering feedback and incorporating insights into program improvements.
Measure onboarding effectiveness through retention, time-to-proficiency, training completion, employee feedback, and early performance indicators.
Partner with HR and Operations to understand turnover trends and early-tenure attrition drivers, and identify onboarding interventions that improve the employee experience and retention.
Develop and maintain skills and cross-training matrices for critical production roles, and establish consistent qualification, certification, and skill-validation standards for hourly team members.
Establish structured cross-training pathways that increase workforce flexibility, strengthen operational resilience, and reduce single-point-of-failure dependencies on critical production processes.
Partner with Operations to identify current and future skill gaps and critical-role vulnerabilities, building bench strength and visibility to workforce capability at the site and U.S. operations level.
Support employee development by creating visible pathways for employees to expand skills, qualifications, and career opportunities.
Develop and maintain practical, role-based training curricula, standard work, job instruction guides, assessments, and qualification materials.
Translate complex operational processes into clear, simple, and effective learning tools
Establish common training standards while allowing appropriate flexibility for site-specific equipment, processes, and customer requirements.
Implement and manager train-the-trainer programming at each location.
Establish expectations and qualification criteria for employees serving as trainers.
Utilize visual, hands-on, demonstration-based, and practical learning methods appropriate for manufacturing and distribution environments.
Ensure training materials remain current as processes, equipment, products, and standards change.
Ensure training is delivered in both English and Spanish
Partner with Safety and Quality leaders to ensure training reinforces critical standards, safe work practices, and quality requirements.
Identify training-related contributors to safety, quality, or operational performance gaps and partner with site leadership on corrective actions.
Support the implementation of new equipment, processes, products, and operational changes through effective employee training and qualification.
Establish a consistent training scorecard and reporting cadence across U.S. operations.
Develop baseline performance measures, set improvement targets, and communicate progress
Monitor key measures including: 30-, 60-, and 90-day new-hire retention, Time to proficiency by role, Training and qualification completion, Cross-training and skill coverage by role/site, Percentage of critical roles with adequately trained coverage, Trainer capability and certification, Safety and quality trends associated with employee proficiency, Employee and leader feedback on training effectiveness
Conduct periodic assessments of site training execution and identify opportunities to improve consistency and effectiveness.
Use performance data, employee feedback, operational results, and best practices to continuously improve the U.S. training system.