Plant Leader, Cooking Appliances & Lean Ops

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Manufacturing Manager, Cooking

The Manufacturing Manager, Cooking is responsible for overseeing and managing operations of the cooking facility, ensuring efficient production, maintaining high-quality standards, and meeting production goals. This role involves strategic planning, process improvement, budget management, and team leadership to achieve operational excellence and support the company’s growth objectives.

This is a hands-on plant leadership role in a discrete manufacturing environment that produces residential cooking appliances (ranges, ovens, cooktops, and related products). Core processes include sheet-metal fabrication, welding, finishing, sub-assembly, final assembly, and product test. The manager spends significant time on the production floor and is accountable for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDC) results.

Strategy, Planning, and Capacity

• Develop and implement manufacturing strategies aligned with company goals.
• Plan production needs and capacity, including labor, equipment, and material requirements, based on the provided forecast.
• Build contingency plans for demand swings, material shortages, and equipment constraints.
• Support new-product introduction: process capability, work instructions, tooling, staffing, and production ramp.

Daily Operations and Delivery

• Oversee manufacturing from incoming material readiness through finished-product release, within the defined scope of the role.
• Own schedule attainment, line balance, changeovers, and throughput on a high-mix product portfolio.
• Ensure efficient, cost-effective production while protecting quality and safety standards.
• Escalate shortages, quality holds, and equipment issues quickly and drive recovery plans.

Quality and Product Integrity

• Drive first-pass yield, scrap and rework reduction, and containment when defects occur.
• Partner with Quality on in-process inspection, end-of-line test, audit readiness, and customer or field issues.
• Support compliance with applicable product-safety and certification requirements for gas and electric cooking appliances.
• Lead or sponsor root-cause analysis and lasting corrective action (8D, 5-Why, or equivalent).

Continuous Improvement and Technology

• Implement and sustain lean manufacturing and continuous-improvement practices (standard work, 5S, visual management, kaizen, SMED, poka-yoke).
• Use production data to find waste in labor, material, downtime, and flow, then close the gap.
• Evaluate and implement process technology and automation that improve safety, quality, or productivity, with a clear business case.
• Stay current with manufacturing methods relevant to appliance and metal-fabrication operations and adopt proven practices.
• Lead, mentor, and develop managers, supervisors, and production staff; build bench strength for key roles and skilled trades.
• Set clear expectations, run daily tier or stand-up meetings, and coach supervisors through Gemba rather than managing only from the office.
• Conduct performance evaluations; provide feedback, training, and accountability.
• Own staffing models, skills matrices, cross-training, attendance, and overtime discipline.
• Foster a respectful, collaborative plant culture where safety and quality are not traded for output.

Cost, Inventory, and Resource

• Develop and manage the manufacturing budget, including labor, materials, supplies, and equipment-related expense.
• Optimize resource utilization and partner with Supply Chain and Warehouse to keep inventory at the right level without starving the line.
• Control overtime, scrap, and premium freight; explain variances and correct the drivers.
• Partner with Maintenance on preventive maintenance, downtime reduction, and capital justifications.

Safety, Health, and Environment

• Ensure a safe working…