Assistant Production Manager

Assistant Production Supervisor

Summary 

This is hybrid leadership and engineering role that assists in directing daily production activities while designing and improving the systems, processes, layouts, and standards needed to support a growing manufacturing facility. The Assistant Production Manager assists in leading frontline employees, delivers safe and reliable daily execution, and applies industrial engineering, Lean, and data-analysis methods to increase capacity, productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness. The position balances immediate operational priorities with scalable process development, equipment and capital planning, and longer-term continuous improvement.

Qualification Requirements 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Essential Functions  

• Lead daily production activities, including staffing, work assignments, schedule execution, shift handoffs, and escalation of operational issues.
• Supervise, coach, develop, and hold production employees and team leads accountable for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, attendance, and workplace standards.
• Monitor production performance using labor, output, downtime, scrap, rework, quality, and on-time delivery metrics; take timely corrective action when results are off plan.
• Establish and improve standard work, labor standards, work instructions, process controls, line balancing, and visual management systems.
• Conduct time studies, capacity analysis, workflow analysis, bottleneck identification, and staffing-model reviews to support current demand and future growth.
• Design and optimize manufacturing layouts, material flow, work cells, storage locations, and ergonomic work methods to improve safety, quality, throughput, and space utilization.
• Lead structured problem solving, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions for safety incidents, quality issues, downtime, missed targets, and recurring process failures.
• Plan and lead Lean and continuous improvement activities using methods such as 5S, value-stream mapping, kaizen, waste reduction, mistake proofing, and daily management.
• Partner with Planning, Quality, Maintenance, Warehouse, Engineering, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Operations to resolve constraints and support production readiness.
• Support new product introductions, process changes, equipment installations, process validation, and production ramp-up, ensuring employees are trained and documentation is current.
• Develop cost-benefit analyses, business cases, and implementation plans for equipment, automation, tooling, headcount, and capital expenditures; track results after implementation.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance priorities and equipment-reliability actions with Maintenance while minimizing disruption to production schedules.
• Promote a proactive safety culture, address hazards, support risk assessments, and ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, PPE requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Prepare and present clear operational updates, improvement recommendations, project status, and performance trends to production employees and leadership.
• Facilitate daily production meetings and floor-level team meetings focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, staffing, constraints, and action-item follow-through.
• Use Microsoft Office, ERP/MRP, production, and data-visualization systems to analyze performance, maintain documentation, and support annual headcount and capital planning.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities 

The Assistant Production Manager assists the Production Manager in supervising production team leads, operators, and material handlers. The role assigns and monitors work, builds staffing and training plans, provides routine coaching and performance feedback.  This role assists with performance evaluations, managing attendance and scheduling, addresses employee-relations matters in partnership with Human Resources, and develops employee capability as processes and production volumes grow. The position is also accountable for ensuring engineering improvements are practical, understood, sustained on the floor, and reflected in standard work and performance expectations.

Minimum Qualifications  

• Four to six years of progressive experience in manufacturing, production operations, industrial engineering, process engineering, or continuous improvement.
• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience leading or supervising production employees in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with production scheduling, labor planning, line balancing, standard work, capacity analysis, process improvement, quality systems, and safety requirements.
• Experience supporting facility growth, production ramp-up, layout changes, equipment implementation, capital planning, or new product/process introduction preferred.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing and structured problem-solving methods; Lean, Six Sigma, or related certification preferred.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and respond to production needs across shifts or occasional weekends as business conditions require.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Strong working knowledge of manufacturing operations, production control, safety practices, quality standards, material flow, and frontline people leadership.
• Ability to move effectively between hands-on floor supervision and engineering analysis, project work, and leadership presentations.
• Proficiency in time studies, work measurement, capacity modeling, line balancing, facility and cell layout, process mapping, standard work, and productivity analysis.
• Strong analytical, root-cause problem-solving, decision-making, project-management, and change-management skills.
• Ability to interpret production reports, drawings, specifications, bills of material, routings, inventory information, and operational metrics.
• Ability to develop practical solutions that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, employee capability, and scalability without disrupting customer commitments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to set expectations, coach employees, facilitate cross-functional work, and present recommendations to leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ERP/MRP systems; experience with CAD/layout software, data visualization, statistical analysis, or manufacturing execution systems preferred.

 Physical Demands

This role requires regular presence on the manufacturing floor and the ability to stand and walk for extended periods, bend, reach, and move safely around production equipment and material-handling activity. The employee must be able to use computers and measurement tools, read labels, drawings, and screens accurately, and wear required personal protective equipment. The role may occasionally require lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling items up to 50 pounds, with assistance or mechanical support used when appropriate.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a growing manufacturing and warehouse environment that may include machinery noise, material-handling equipment, loading areas, and seasonal temperature variation. The position divides time between the production floor and an office or workstation setting and requires frequent interaction with employees, support functions, vendors, and leadership. Strict adherence to safety procedures, PPE, housekeeping, and equipment requirements is essential. Normal operations are Monday through Friday; however, the schedule may vary by shift, project, production ramp-up, installation, or business need, and occasional weekend work may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.