Production Manager

Our client, a global automotive manufacturer located in Wixom, MI, is seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations within a high-volume manufacturing environment. This is a high-visibility leadership role with a defined career progression path toward Plant Manager within the next three years.

• Drive operational excellence by leading department-wide environmental health and safety initiatives while ensuring full compliance with corporate and regulatory standards.
• Develop and execute departmental emergency preparedness procedures while supporting broader facility-wide contingency planning efforts.
• Promote a strong culture of workplace safety by proactively identifying risks and implementing preventative measures to minimize incidents.
• Investigate workplace incidents, evaluate root causes, and oversee corrective action plans focused on long-term operational improvements.
• Analyze operational performance metrics and present key business insights, project updates, and strategic recommendations to leadership teams and stakeholders.
• Identify skill gaps within the team and implement training initiatives to strengthen quality standards, compliance, and overall operational performance.
• Mentor frontline leadership on containment procedures and material disposition processes related to quality nonconformance issues.
• Oversee internal quality review processes, ensuring product concerns are escalated, addressed, and resolved through structured problem-solving methods.
• Manage rework authorization processes and implement safeguards to prevent defective product from reaching customers.
• Monitor customer quality performance indicators and lead corrective action initiatives to improve service levels and product reliability.
• Build a high-performance team environment focused on accountability, employee engagement, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead daily operational review meetings focused on identifying production challenges, resolving bottlenecks, and improving execution efficiency.
• Collaborate with senior leadership teams to communicate operational constraints and secure support required to meet business objectives.
• Align production schedules with available labor, materials, and maintenance resources to maximize throughput and operational efficiency.
• Evaluate delivery performance trends and implement process improvements to strengthen on-time delivery performance.
• Partner cross-functionally to communicate production risks, quality concerns, and operational challenges impacting customer commitments.
• Lead cost reduction and lean manufacturing initiatives focused on improving productivity, reducing waste, and increasing departmental efficiency.
• Develop workforce planning strategies to optimize staffing levels and improve labor utilization against production demands.
• Support budget planning activities and maintain cost controls to ensure department financial targets are achieved.
• Oversee workforce scheduling, payroll approvals, attendance management, and employee time-off coordination.
• Address employee relations matters in partnership with leadership and Human Resources to maintain a productive and compliant work environment.

• 8+ years of experience in automotive manufacturing within a high-volume production environment
• 4+ years of leadership experience managing production teams with a proven ability to develop supervisors and drive accountability
• Strong background in lean manufacturing, KPI management, labor planning, and operational excellence systems
• Excellent communication, leadership, and coaching skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization
• Experience in welding, metal stamping, or fabrication environments
• Hands‑on experience with SAP or other ERP/MRP systems

• Join a stable and growing global manufacturer with long-term customer partnerships
• Direct hire opportunity with day shift schedule and competitive benefits package
• Clear advancement path into Plant Manager within 3 years