Operations Manager

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead production and continuous improvement initiatives in our automotive manufacturing plants in Toledo, Ohio.

• Drive a "Floor-First" culture by maintaining a strong presence on the production floor through daily Gemba walks, ensuring accountability for safety, quality, delivery, and production performance across high-mix manufacturing operations.
• Direct welding and assembly operations to ensure quality products are manufactured safely, efficiently, and in alignment with customer delivery requirements.
• Lead, develop, and support Production Supervisors, Team Leaders, and production personnel while fostering a high-performance, team-oriented culture.
• Review production schedules and operational demands to make decisions regarding staffing requirements, labor allocation, machine utilization, work procedures, and operational priorities while considering budgetary limitations and customer requirements.
• Develop, implement, and maintain production tracking systems and operational KPIs including OEE, First Time Through (FTT), scrap %, downtime, labor efficiency, productivity, and delivery performance to identify operational trends and improvement opportunities.
• Analyze production, quality, maintenance, and operational reports to identify issues related to machine inefficiency, downtime, quality concerns, training deficiencies, waste reduction, and cost improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Materials teams to quickly resolve production concerns, minimize downtime, and support customer shipping schedules.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives through Lean Manufacturing principles, visual management systems, Andon boards, 5S, standardized work, root-cause analysis, and waste reduction strategies.
• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, standardized work instructions, operational procedures, IATF 16949 requirements, ISO standards, and company policies.
• Champion a strong safety culture and maintain the authority to stop production if unsafe conditions or poor-quality conditions exist.
• Hire, train, evaluate, coach, and counsel hourly and salaried team members in accordance with positive employee relations practices while supporting workforce development and retention initiatives.
• Develop and maintain training matrices and cross‑training programs to improve workforce flexibility and operational readiness.
• Support new product launches, engineering changes, and customer program requirements by coordinating operational readiness and manufacturing support activities.
• Coordinate or recommend procedures for equipment maintenance, facility improvements, and machine replacement activities while supporting preventative maintenance initiatives and long-term equipment reliability.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to support operational improvements and equipment lifecycle planning using operational performance and reliability data such as MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure).
• Lead daily and weekly production meetings while ensuring effective communication across departments and shifts.
• Maintain clean and organized production environments through workplace organization and visual management standards.
• Ensure environmental practices and operational responsibilities are carried out in compliance with company and ISO 14001 environmental management requirements.
• Other tasks as directed by the Plant Manager.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, Industrial Technology, or equivalent experience (preferred).
• Minimum of 5-10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience in a fast-paced, high-volume automotive manufacturing environment (required).
• Previous experience within robotic welding and assembly operations in an OEM or Tier I/II automotive supplier environment (strongly preferred).
• Experience leading production teams within high-volume manufacturing operations (required).
• Demonstrated experience with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, problem-solving methodologies, and operational KPI management (required).
• Working knowledge of automotive quality systems including IATF 16949, ISO 9001, or other automotive quality systems (preferred).
• Knowledge of production processes, quality systems, maintenance coordination, labor planning, cost control, and manufacturing operations management (required).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint (required).

• Competitive pay
• Weekly pay
• PTO
• 9 paid holidays
• Full benefits

Primarily a 1st shift position, Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend coverage may be required.

$125,000 – $135,000 per year.