Production Manager

About the job Production Manager

The Production Manager, Heavy Steel Fabrication, 2nd Shift is a manufacturing leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence, throughput, and safety across multiple departments in a heavy steel fabrication environment. This Production Manager position focuses on lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, labor planning, and fabrication efficiency while leading cross functional teams to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives. The role requires strong engineering acumen, experience in structural steel fabrication or heavy manufacturing, and the ability to manage complex production processes on a 2nd shift schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage multiple production departments within a heavy steel fabrication facility, ensuring safe and efficient operations across assigned shifts
• Drive lean manufacturing initiatives, including 5S, waste reduction, Kaizen events, and continuous improvement programs to increase throughput and operational efficiency
• Collaborate with Production Scheduling to execute manufacturing schedules and proactively identify capacity gaps, bottlenecks, and process constraints
• Plan and allocate labor resources to optimize productivity, minimize downtime, and meet fabrication and delivery deadlines
• Monitor and improve key performance indicators such as safety, quality, on time delivery, scrap reduction, and cost control
• Ensure teams operate within established fabrication plans, welding procedures, and quality standards, while implementing process improvements as needed
• Maintain compliance with Environmental Health and Safety regulations, enforce EHS policies, and promote a strong safety culture on the production floor
• Coach, mentor, and develop area leads and production supervisors, conducting performance evaluations and supporting employee development
• Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, onboarding, training, performance management, and employee relations matters
• Maintain accurate production documentation, reporting metrics, and operational records to support manufacturing performance analysis

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree or Associate degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience
• Proven experience in heavy steel fabrication, structural steel manufacturing, or industrial manufacturing environments
• Strong background in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and process optimization
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing operational improvement programs that increase efficiency and throughput
• Knowledge of production planning, capacity planning, labor management, and manufacturing cost control
• Experience leading production teams, supervisors, and hourly employees in a fast paced fabrication setting
• Solid understanding of welding processes, fabrication workflows, and quality control in a heavy manufacturing environment
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem solving skills with the ability to manage complex operations
• Excellent communication skills and leadership ability, with experience in coaching and performance management

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma, such as Green Belt or Black Belt
• Experience in multi shift manufacturing operations with cross shift communication and coordination
• Familiarity with ERP systems, production scheduling software, and manufacturing performance reporting tools
• Knowledge of financial metrics, budgeting, and cost analysis within a manufacturing environment
• Experience leading safety initiatives and behavior based safety programs in an industrial setting