Operations Manager - 2nd Shift

The Operations Manager is responsible for the overall 2nd shift performance, safety, quality, delivery, and cost control of assigned manufacturing operations. This role provides strategic and hands-on leadership for Production while overseeing and coordinating key operational support functions, including Material Handling, Maintenance, and other resources that support manufacturing execution.

The Operations Manager owns second shift production planning, labor utilization, workflow, and continuous improvement while ensuring the necessary materials, equipment, staffing, and support resources are available to meet production requirements. This role partners closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Scheduling, Maintenance, and Operations leadership to drive safe, efficient, and reliable execution.

Hours of Operation:  Monday – Thursday 3:30 pm – 2:30 am

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead and oversee daily production activities to meet safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.

• Own daily, weekly, and long-term production plans for assigned manufacturing areas.

• Ensure production schedules are met while maintaining efficient workflow, throughput, and labor utilization.

• Monitor production KPIs, including labor efficiency, productivity, scrap, rework, downtime, and schedule attainment.

• Balance staffing, capacity, workflow, materials, equipment, and support resources to meet production demands.

• Identify operational constraints and implement corrective actions to improve production performance.

• Provide leadership and direction to Production Supervisors and Leads while maintaining accountability for team performance.

Operational Support Functions

• Provide oversight and coordination of Material Handling, Maintenance, and other assigned support functions to ensure production requirements are met.

• Ensure Material Handling teams provide timely movement, staging, and availability of materials needed to support production schedules.

• Partner with Supply Chain to address material shortages, inventory concerns, and production constraints.

• Work closely with Maintenance to ensure equipment, tools, and production areas are maintained and available to support operational needs.

• Prioritize maintenance needs based on production requirements and partner with Maintenance to minimize equipment downtime.

• Monitor recurring equipment or operational issues and support root-cause analysis and corrective actions.

• Ensure support functions are aligned with production priorities and effectively communicate issues that may impact safety, quality, or delivery.

• Coordinate resources across Production and support functions to resolve day-to-day operational challenges.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Production Supervisors, Leads, and assigned support-function leaders.

• Set clear expectations and hold leaders accountable for safety, quality, productivity, attendance, and performance.

• Support hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, promotions, corrective actions, and succession planning.

• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, engagement, and continuous improvement.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Champion a Safety First culture across Production and supporting operational areas.

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, HSE, company safety standards, and established work practices.

• Partner with Safety and Quality to investigate incidents, near misses, quality issues, and corrective actions.

• Ensure quality systems, inspections, and procedures are consistently followed and documented.

• Maintain safe, clean, organized, and efficient production and support areas.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Engineering on manufacturability, tooling, process improvements, technical issues, and production readiness.

• Partner with Supply Chain and Scheduling to ensure material availability and realistic production commitments.

• Work closely with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability and minimize downtime.

• Partner with Quality to address defects, rework, quality escapes, and process improvements.

• Communicate production performance, risks, resource needs, and improvement opportunities to Operations leadership.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and employee engagement.

• Analyze production and operational data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

• Standardize processes, work instructions, and best practices across Production and supporting functions.

• Support Lean manufacturing, waste reduction, 5S, and efficiency improvement initiatives.