Production Manager - 1st Shift

Production Manager - 1st Shift: Port Washington, WI

Position Title: Production Manager

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business or Manufacturing.

Experience: Minimum of 3 years of progressive leadership experience within a high-speed manufacturing environment.

Location: Port Washington, WI.

Job Type: Full-Time.

Shift: 1st shift

Remote: No. On-site in Port Washington, WI.

Salary: Commensurate with experience: $75K-$95K, plus benefits.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, 401K and PTO.

Relocation: Not offered.

Sponsorship: Not available

The Production Manager is responsible for leading and optimizing daily manufacturing operations to ensure the safe, efficient, and consistent delivery of high-quality products. This position oversees production activities within a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment and plays a key role in coordinating production with warehouse operations to support inventory accuracy, throughput, and customer fulfillment.

The Production Manager provides hands‑on leadership, develops production talent, drives operational excellence, and partners with cross‑functional teams to improve productivity, quality, safety, and overall business performance. Success in this role requires the ability to balance people leadership with operational discipline while effectively managing multiple products, changing priorities, and demanding production schedules.

The successful candidate will:

• Maintain a visible, engaged, and hands‑on presence throughout the production floor.
• Lead by example and establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, and performance.
• Build high‑performing teams through coaching, development, accountability, and recognition.
• Make sound, timely decisions in a fast‑paced and results‑oriented environment.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Effectively balance employee engagement and development with strong operational discipline.
• Foster teamwork, professionalism, accountability, and open communication across the organization.

• Direct daily production activities within a high-volume, multi-product manufacturing environment.
• Ensure production schedules, output requirements, quality standards, and customer expectations are consistently achieved.
• Coordinate closely with warehouse operations to optimize material flow, inventory accuracy, production throughput, and order fulfillment.
• Establish and maintain effective staffing plans based on production requirements, workforce availability, and changing customer demand.
• Deploy labor efficiently to maximize productivity and support production objectives.
• Monitor production performance against established standards, identify gaps, and implement corrective actions.
• Analyze operational data and performance metrics to identify opportunities for improved efficiency, cost control, and waste reduction.
• Optimize line utilization, labor efficiency, material usage, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Support new product introductions, production trials, process validations, and customer-related activities as required.
• Partner with planning, quality, maintenance, warehouse, and other functional teams to resolve operational challenges and maintain production continuity.

• Establish and reinforce a strong safety culture throughout the manufacturing operation.
• Ensure employees follow established safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Promote a proactive approach to identifying and addressing workplace hazards.
• Maintain high standards for product quality and ensure compliance with applicable specifications, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Address quality issues promptly and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Promote a culture in which safety and quality are viewed as shared responsibilities across the organization.

• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and front‑line production leaders.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable for achieving operational goals.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, training, and performance…