Manager, Manufacturing Operations

Location: Arcola

Position Title:
Manager, Manufacturing Operations

Location:
Arcola

Starting Pay for position: $90K - $120K

JOIN OUR TEAM!

About Herff Jones:

Indianapolis-based Herff Jones is the leading provider of graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. Herff Jones' products include class rings and jewelry, caps and gowns, diplomas and announcements as well as motivation and recognition programs. Focused on building long-term relationships through a nationwide network of over 1,400 employees and sales partners, the professionals at Herff Jones have been helping elevate the student experience throughout the lifelong journey of education for more than 100 years.

For more information about Herff Jones, please visit

Your Opportunity:

The Herff Jones Cap & Gown Manufacturing team, based in Arcola, IL is looking for a Manufacturing Operations Manager to join our production department.

As the Manufacturing Operations Manager (Cap & Gown) you will be responsible for general supervision of all phases of manufacturing including production and quality control. You will also recruit/hire outstanding talent, train personnel, and manage facility/physical up-keep and capital improvements.

Here are the challenges that we want you to tackle.

What You'll Be Doing On A Daily Basis:

• Build a strong safety culture by elevating the operational safety standards, driving compliance, and maintaining a safe work environment for all employees.
• Lead daily manufacturing operations to ensure safety, quality, delivery, inventory, and cost objectives are achieved.
• Drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Improve manufacturing processes and workflows to increase efficiency, reduce waste, improve quality, and control operating costs.
• Monitor production performance, labor utilization, scrap trends, and operational KPIs to identify improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with quality teams to ensure product consistency and drive corrective actions when needed.
• Review and execute production schedules to support customer demand, inventory targets, and on-time delivery objectives.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and development of manufacturing personnel, including seasonal workforce planning.
• Analyze workforce requirements and allocate labor and equipment resources to meet operational goals.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, operating expenses, and capital improvement initiatives.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and oversee the flow of materials throughout the manufacturing process.
• Support facility upkeep, housekeeping standards, maintenance coordination, and facility security systems.
• Partner cross-functionally with Planning/Materials, Customer Service, and Sales teams to support operational and business objectives.
• Build strong supplier and supply chain partner relationships to improve operational performance and responsiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, employee engagement, and continuous improvement throughout the operation.

What You'll Bring to the Table:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience within a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Strong hands-on experience implementing Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement systems in a production environment.
• Demonstrated success driving measurable operational improvements in safety, quality, delivery, inventory, labor efficiency, and cost.
• Experience leading and facilitating Kaizen events, Gemba walks, root cause analysis, and structured problem-solving activities.
• Strong understanding and practical application of Lean tools and methodologies such as 5S, value stream mapping, standard work etc.
• Experience in labor planning, takt time, throughput analysis, OEE, and workflow optimization.
• Experience implementing and sustaining continuous improvement culture initiatives across manufacturing teams.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Power BI.

Physical Requirements:

• Daily activity includes but is not…