Operations Manager

Millwork Recruiting Source is seeking an experienced Operations Manager for a premier manufacturer of MDF wood components and powder-coated products serving the office furniture and retail fixture industries.

This position provides an opportunity to lead a two-shift manufacturing operation that includes wood-parts production and powder coating. The Operations Manager will be responsible for developing employees, strengthening operational processes and creating a positive shop-floor culture centered on employee engagement, pride in workmanship and accountability.

The ideal candidate will be a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable working closely with supervisors and production employees. This individual should understand the dynamics of a smaller or midsized manufacturing company and know how to balance leadership, production demands, safety, quality and continuous improvement.

• Provide day-to-day leadership for two-shift wood-parts manufacturing and powder-coating operations.
• Develop production employees through coaching, mentoring and consistent performance expectations.
• Build and implement a structured shop-employee onboarding and training program.
• Establish clear expectations for productivity, quality, safety, attendance and accountability.
• Create a positive workplace culture that promotes employee engagement, teamwork and pride in workmanship.
• Evaluate production workflows and identify opportunities to improve throughput, efficiency and overall operating performance.
• Monitor production schedules, labor requirements, capacity and workflow to ensure customer commitments are met.
• Partner with company leadership to establish operational objectives and measure progress against key performance indicators.
• Use the company’s ERP system to manage production information, scheduling, inventory and operational reporting.
• Improve the accuracy, consistency and adoption of ERP-related processes throughout the operation.
• Review and interpret CAD part drawings, specifications and other production documentation.
• Ensure products are manufactured according to customer requirements, quality standards and established specifications.
• Promote a proactive safety culture and ensure compliance with company policies and applicable regulations.
• Investigate production, quality and safety concerns and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Work collaboratively with engineering, production, quality, maintenance, scheduling and other internal departments.
• Support continuous-improvement initiatives throughout the manufacturing operation.
• Communicate operational priorities, company expectations and performance results clearly across both shifts.
• Ensure the facility, equipment and production areas are maintained in an organized, professional and production-ready condition.

• At least five years of successful manufacturing leadership experience within the wood-products or wood-component manufacturing industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading, coaching and developing production employees and frontline supervisors.
• Proven ability to improve employee engagement, performance and accountability.
• Experience creating or strengthening production-employee training programs.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, production planning, workflow and labor management.
• Experience using an ERP system within a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to read and interpret CAD part drawings for production.
• Practical knowledge of workplace safety, quality systems and continuous improvement.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational and decision-making abilities.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work onsite and maintain a visible presence across the manufacturing operation.
• Willingness to work occasional additional hours based on production needs.

• Epicor ERP experience.
• Powder-coating or industrial finishing experience.
• Experience managing multiple manufacturing processes or departments.
• Leadership experience within a smaller or midsized manufacturing company.
• Experience supporting office furniture, retail fixture or related component manufacturing.
• Familiarity with key performance indicators, capacity planning and operational reporting.

• A hands-on and approachable leader who is comfortable spending time on the production floor.
• A team developer who can recognize potential and help employees grow into greater responsibilities.
• Consistent and fair when establishing expectations and…