Manufacturing Operations Manager in Columbiana

Job Description Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to direct day-to-day plant operations, lead a large production workforce, and uphold an uncompromised culture of workplace safety and operational excellence. In this role, you will be responsible for driving high-volume throughput, optimizing resource allocation, managing department budgets, and implementing continuous improvement strategies to meet critical business objectives. The ideal candidate blends strategic financial acumen with hands-on shop-floor leadership to build high-performing teams and resilient processes.

• Executive Leadership & Team Development: Oversee multi-shift production departments, shift supervisors, and large direct/indirect workforce teams. Build a culture of accountability, continuous learning, clear communication, and professional development across all operational levels.
• Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Act as the primary champion for health, safety, and environmental (EHS) performance. Lead safety programs, ensure strict adherence to OSHA and environmental regulations, drive near-miss reporting, and integrate proactive engineered safety controls throughout the facility.
• Operational Performance & Execution: Accountable for meeting or exceeding plant key performance indicators (KPIs), including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), on-time delivery, scrap reduction, first-pass quality yield, and total unit cost.
• Strategic Planning & Financial Management: Partner with senior site executive leadership to manage operational budgets, forecast labor and resource requirements, track operational expenditures, and maximize labor efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Collaborate closely with Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, EHS, and Engineering departments to eliminate production bottlenecks, coordinate planned downtime, execute capital expenditure (Cap Ex) projects, and ensure rapid resolution of operational disruptions.
• Continuous Improvement (Lean/Six Sigma): Lead facility-wide Lean initiatives, root-cause problem-solving events (Kaizen), standard work implementation, and automation efforts to reduce non-quality losses and optimize inventory flow.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field required.
  Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent advanced degree is strongly .
• Experience: 8–12+ years of progressive leadership experience in a heavy manufacturing, continuous processing, industrial production, or high-volume assembly environment.
• People Leadership: Proven track record of managing large production teams (100+ direct/indirect employees) across multiple shifts, with demonstrated success in workforce development, union relations (if applicable), and organizational change management.
• Advanced EHS Knowledge: Deep technical expertise in industrial safety management systems, root-cause safety incident investigation, ergonomic design, and regulatory compliance protocols.
• Lean & Business Acumen: Demonstrated mastery of P&L oversight, operational budgeting, material flow, capacity planning, and structured Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma methodologies (Black Belt or Green Belt ).
• Technical & Analytical Proficiency: Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and modern data analytics dashboards to drive operational decision-making.

• High Accountability: Takes full ownership of operational outcomes, safety results, and team performance.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to connect high-level organizational goals to daily floor-level execution and tactical planning.
• Crisis Leadership: Calm under pressure with strong conflict-resolution skills and the ability to make clear decisions during rapid plant outages or high-stress operational challenges.
• Persuasive Communication: Capable of engaging effectively with shop-floor operators, union stewards, engineering specialists, and executive leadership alike.

• Competitive base salary with an executive performance-based annual bonus structure
• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans
• 401(k) retirement plan with aggressive company match and immediate vesting
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and company-paid holidays
• Executive professional development and tuition assistance programs