Job Summary
To provide day-to-day leadership and management of production operations and supply chain activities for the facility. The Production Manager is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective production while maintaining product quality, customer service levels, inventory accuracy, and timely availability of raw materials and finished products.
The Production Manager will work closely with the Plant Manager, Supply Chain, Quality, Maintenance, Customer Service, Transportation, and other departments to ensure the facility meets production requirements and company objectives.
Key Responsibilities and Authority
Production Leadership
Provide leadership and direction to production employees, ensuring policies, procedures, safety requirements, and quality standards are followed.
Manage daily production activities to meet customer demand while maximizing labor, equipment, and plant efficiency.
Develop and manage production schedules in coordination with customer requirements, inventory levels, raw material availability, and transportation needs.
Monitor production performance, downtime, labor utilization, yields, and other key performance indicators.
Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce costs, minimize downtime, and improve overall plant performance.
Ensure products are manufactured according to established formulas, specifications, quality standards, and customer requirements.
Safety and Quality
Serve as a safety leader and champion for the facility, ensuring World Class Safety standards are met.
Ensure employees receive appropriate safety training and that safety procedures and policies are consistently followed.
Identify safety concerns and work with the Plant Manager and appropriate departments to develop and implement corrective actions.
Promote a strong safety culture and hold employees accountable for safe work practices.
Support quality programs and ensure products meet company and customer quality standards.
Assist in investigating and resolving customer complaints, non-conformances, and production-related quality issues.
Supply Chain Management
Coordinate production requirements with raw material availability, inventory levels, customer demand, and transportation schedules.
Monitor raw material and packaging inventories to ensure adequate supplies are available to support production.
Work with Supply Chain and Purchasing to identify material needs and prevent production interruptions due to shortages.
Assist with purchasing decisions and coordinate the timing of raw material deliveries based on production requirements and available storage capacity.
Monitor inventory levels and support company inventory-turn and working-capital objectives.
Help maintain accurate inventory records and investigate inventory variances.
Coordinate finished-product inventory requirements to ensure products are available for customer orders and shipments.
Work with Customer Service, Supply Chain, and Transportation to prioritize production and shipments based on customer needs.
Assist with managing freight, transportation, and logistics issues that impact plant operations or customer service.
Identify opportunities to improve supply chain efficiency, reduce freight costs, improve inventory utilization, and minimize obsolete or excess inventory.
Production Planning and Scheduling
Manage the facility's daily and weekly production schedule in coordination with customer demand and supply chain requirements.
Adjust production schedules as needed based on changing customer requirements, raw material availability, equipment downtime, staffing, and transportation needs.
Ensure production priorities are clearly communicated to employees and supporting departments.
Maintain appropriate finished-goods inventory levels while avoiding unnecessary production and excess inventory.
Coordinate with other Hubbard/Akralos facilities when production needs to be transferred or supported by another location.
Inventory Management
Maintain accountability for accurate raw material, packaging, work-in-process, and finished-product inventories.
Participate in physical inventory counts and investigate discrepancies.
Monitor inventory aging, excess inventory, and obsolete materials.
Work with Supply Chain and Finance to identify and resolve inventory variances.
Ensure proper storage, handling, identification, and rotation of materials and finished products.
Support inventory-control initiatives and company working-capital goals.
Employee Leadership and Development
Assist with hiring, training, coaching, performance management, and development of production employees.
Establish clear expectations and hold employees accountable for performance, attendance, safety, quality, and productivity.
Develop cross-training plans to provide adequate staffing flexibility.
Conduct performance assessments and provide regular feedback to employees.
Work with the Plant Manager and Human Resources regarding employee relations and appropriate discipline.
Ensure staffing levels are appropriate to meet production and customer requirements.
Maintenance and Facility Coordination
Work closely with Maintenance to prioritize equipment repairs and preventative maintenance activities based on production needs.
Communicate equipment issues and production impacts to the Plant Manager.
Help identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
Maintain plant facilities in good working order and ensure housekeeping standards are consistently maintained.
Support environmental, regulatory, and compliance requirements applicable to plant operations.
Continuous Improvement
Support company objectives and initiatives including inventory-turn goals, benchmarking, LEAN manufacturing, productivity improvements, and cost-reduction initiatives.
Identify opportunities to improve processes, eliminate waste, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
Use production, inventory, labor, and financial data to identify trends and develop improvement opportunities.
Lead or participate in continuous-improvement projects as assigned.
Financial and Cost Management
Monitor production costs, labor utilization, overtime, material usage, and other operating expenses.
Assist the Plant Manager with developing and managing the facility's operating budget.
Identify opportunities to reduce operating costs without compromising safety, quality, or customer service.
Authorize expenditures within established company guidelines and approval limits.
Assist with capital expenditure projects, including researching options, developing project justification, obtaining quotes, and implementing approved projects.
Communication and Coordination
Maintain open communication with the Plant Manager and other departments regarding production, supply chain, inventory, staffing, quality, safety, and customer service.
Communicate production constraints or supply issues that may impact customer service.
Participate in production, supply chain, safety, quality, and operational meetings as required.
Provide accurate and timely reporting of production and supply chain performance.
Coordinate with other company locations when production, inventory, transportation, or supply chain support is required.
Qualifications
Education Level:Associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
Experience Level:3–5 years of manufacturing, feed manufacturing, production, operations, or supply chain experience, with supervisory or management experience preferred.
Computer Skills:Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and ERP/MRP systems. Ability to learn and effectively use company production, inventory, scheduling, and supply chain systems.
Policy Level:Responsible for following and enforcing company policies and procedures.
Other Requirements:
Strong leadership and communication skills.
Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Ability to analyze production, inventory, labor, and financial information.
Ability to work effectively with Production, Supply Chain, Quality, Maintenance, Customer Service, Transportation, and other departments.
Understanding of inventory management, production scheduling, and supply chain principles.
Ability to work flexible hours as needed to support plant operations.
Commitment to safety, quality, productivity, and customer service.