Production Manager

A B Outdoor Furniture and Accessories | West Fork, Arkansas

Full-Time | On-Site

A B Outdoor Furniture and Accessories is looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead our manufacturing team and help build the next generation of our manufacturing operation.

We are a growing American manufacturer of custom outdoor furniture and accessories serving the pool, spa, and leisure industries. As we continue evolving from a traditional craft-oriented shop into a more scalable manufacturing operation, we are looking for a strong people leader and hands-on manufacturing professional who can help us preserve great craftsmanship while introducing the structure, accountability, processes, and technology needed for our next stage of growth.

This is not simply a production scheduling or floor-supervision position. The Production Manager will report directly to the President and have ownership of the people, processes, and execution of our manufacturing operation.

The right person will be a true player-coach
—someone who earns credibility on the manufacturing floor, develops people, solves problems, embraces technology, and takes ownership of results.

• Lead the day-to-day execution of A&B's manufacturing operation, including safety, quality, productivity, staffing, and schedule attainment
  .
• Translate weekly production requirements into realistic daily plans, labor assignments, priorities, and measurable production goals.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable Manufacturing Leads, Generalists, and other production employees.
• Build a manufacturing culture centered on communication, teamwork, accountability, continuous learning, and respect
  .
• Develop employee capabilities through training, cross-training, skills assessment, and clear performance expectations.
• Monitor planned versus actual production output
  , identify root causes behind misses, and implement corrective actions.
• Balance labor and workflow based on employee capability, product complexity, equipment availability, and production priorities.
• Work with experienced craftspeople to capture manufacturing knowledge and transition it into repeatable processes and standard work
  .
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering resources to improve build methods, tooling, fixtures, jigs, CNC utilization, work instructions, and manufacturability.
• Identify improvements that reduce waste, improve quality, increase throughput, and lower manufacturing costs.
• Use production data, dashboards, digital drawings, ERP/planning information, CNC technology, and other tools to improve decision-making and execution.
• Participate in recruiting, onboarding, employee development, performance management, and workforce planning.
• Maintain a safe, organized, clean, and disciplined manufacturing environment.
• Develop an operation capable of delivering consistent, realistic, and predictable output without dependence on any single employee's knowledge.

Our philosophy for scaling A&B is simple:

People: Build and develop a capable team and create clear accountability.

Process: Give good people repeatable systems and clear expectations that allow them to succeed.

Technology: Use data, CAD, CNC, automation, and manufacturing technology to make those people and processes increasingly productive and scalable.

The Production Manager will be the leader responsible for bringing those three elements together on our manufacturing floor.

• Demonstrated leadership experience in manufacturing, fabrication, woodworking, assembly, or a similar production environment.
• Proven ability to lead and develop people—not simply supervise tasks.
• Strong understanding of production workflow, labor planning, quality, safety, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Hands-on mechanical/manufacturing aptitude and credibility in a production environment.
• Ability to establish expectations, measure performance, coach employees, and hold a team accountable for results.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, continuous improvement, standard work, or similar disciplines preferred.
• Comfortable using technology, production data, KPIs,…