Production Manager - Control Panel Manufacturing

SUMMARY

The Production Manager leads day-to-day production for a single, dedicated data center BMS/EPMS panel program. Reporting to the Director of Operations, this role owns the program's build schedule, shop capacity, throughput, quality, and safety, turning the program's release schedule into finished, tested, and shipped panels on time. The Production Manager leads the program's Foreman, Trainer, and panel technicians, works alongside the QA/QC team and Material Managers to meet quality targets and ship dates, and is the production point of contact for the program Project Manager and customer.

This position requires strong leadership, hands-on knowledge of panel building and repeat production, and excellent planning, communication, and organizational skills.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Convert the program's release schedule and customer forecast into a weekly and daily production plan.
• Own the program's critical path build schedule and ensure panels ship on committed dates.
• Balance labor, floor space, and material availability to meet program throughput targets.
• Plan capacity ahead of known volume changes; raise labor, space, or equipment shortfalls to the Director of Operations early.
• Coordinate with Shipping & Receiving on outbound shipments and delivery dates.
• Own program status in Smartsheet (panel tracker, build status, quality log) and make sure it is updated daily.

• Work with the Material Managers to ensure all parts and material for the program are accounted for.
• Communicate upcoming build needs to the Material Managers so technicians have the parts they need to keep building.
• Keep the program's staged material and build areas organized on the shop floor.
• Verify with the Material Managers that kitting is complete and correct before panels are released to the floor:
  • BOM
  • Enclosure
  • Labels
  • Drawings
  • Work Orders
• Share the build plan and schedule changes with the Material Managers so material can be staged ahead of scheduled builds.
• Stay informed on open orders and long-lead items that could affect the build schedule.
• Identify missing parts, shortages, and damaged material on the floor and report them to the Material Managers and Project Manager for resolution.
• Flag low consumables (wire, ferrules, labels, wire duct, DIN rail, hardware) to the Material Managers before they impact production.

• Ensure safety is a top priority; enforce shop safety procedures, PPE, and housekeeping.
• Lead, schedule, and direct the program Foreman, Trainer, and panel technicians.
• Run daily morning planning huddles and attend weekly Panel Shop leadership meetings.
• Set clear daily and weekly production goals and hold the team accountable to them.
• Monitor staffing needs; lead recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding for program positions.
• Provide performance feedback and conduct reviews; work with HR on performance or attendance issues as needed.
• Foster team morale, collaboration, and professional development.

• Establish and maintain standard work for the program's repeat panel types, including build sequences, labor-hour targets, and workstation layouts.
• Track and report key production metrics:
  • Panels completed vs. plan
  • Actual vs. estimated labor hours per panel
  • First-pass yield and rework hours
  • On-time shipment
• Identify bottlenecks and reduce lost time from waiting on parts, rework, and material handling.
• Manage tooling and equipment required for production.

• Ensure panels are built to approved drawings, BOMs, program specifications, UL 508A, and applicable codes.
• Work with the QA/QC Foreman and QA/QC team to meet program quality targets:
  • Targeted…