Production Manager Operations Cincinnati, OH

At 1872 AI, we are transforming industrial manufacturing in the United States by building AI-native factories capable of lights-out production—from CAD to finished part with minimal human input. Our initial focus targets the energy and infrastructure sectors—power generation, grid infrastructure, and compute facilities—where critical supply chain bottlenecks in steel fabrication are limiting growth.

You'll run day-to-day production at our first factory in Cincinnati, the plant where we're proving out how an AI-native steel fabrication shop should run. Reporting directly to our Head of Operations, you'll lead both first and second shift through a strong Fabrication Lead on each, turning the plan into safe, on-time, right-the-first-time skids and frames for energy and datacenter customers. Our floor runs on software: work orders, instructions, and time tracking live in our own factory system, AI agents help plan and report, and robotic weld cells from cutting-edge robotics OEMs set the pace.

Your job is to make that system work on the floor every shift, then make it better.

• Primary Interfaces: Head of Operations, Fabrication Leads (1st and 2nd shift), Manufacturing Engineers, Robotic Fabrication Techs, robotics OEM partners, our software and automation team, and suppliers and service partners
• Key Metrics: Safety, customer quality, first-pass yield, on-time delivery, robotic cell utilization, throughput, and labor hours per part
• Key Systems/Tools: Our in-house factory software (work orders, routings, and time tracking), AI tools and agents, robotic and manual welding, cutting and material handling equipment (cranes and forklifts), and inspection and measuring tools

• Lead Through Your Leads: Run the daily standup and the handoff between shifts with both Fabrication Leads. Set clear priorities, hold the standard, and develop your leads rather than doing their jobs.
• Plan and Deliver: Own the daily and weekly production plan and on-time delivery against customer commitments. Make sure each shift starts with ready, kitted work. Call schedule risks early, with facts and a proposed fix.
• Keep the Robot Fed: Pace the floor to our robotic weld cell, keeping it loaded and turning parts quickly so the cell, not staffing or material, sets our throughput.
• Quality and Inspection: Make sure work instructions, weld procedures, and inspection steps are followed and recorded on every shift. Stop the line when something's wrong, contain problems fast, and drive root cause and corrective action with engineering.
• Safety and EHS: Set the safety culture on both shifts, from shift-start talks, PPE, hot work, and housekeeping to safe crane and forklift use. Own our safety programs, training, and incident follow-up.
• Hiring and Training: Own hiring decisions for the production team. Onboard, train, and qualify technicians, and staff both shifts as we grow.
• Maintenance and Facilities: Keep equipment and the building ready to run. Coordinate preventive maintenance, repairs, and service vendors, and give floor input on new equipment.
• Labor Cost and Unit Economics: Own an operating budget and the labor hours and cost per part. Use the data to decide where to improve, what to automate, and what to make versus buy.
• Make the Data Real: Keep the factory system an accurate picture of the floor: work orders, step completions, and time tracking. Trust the data and challenge it.
• Write It Down: Turn how we run into standard work, checklists, and procedures. What you build here becomes the template for every 1872 factory after it.
• Partner With Engineering: Work hand-in-hand with our manufacturing engineers. They design how a part should be built (process, weld procedures, fixtures, work instructions, and…