Production Manager

About the role

Lead the floor. Develop strong teams. Drive measurable results.

Dakotaland Manufacturing is seeking a Production Manager to lead machining, fabrication, assembly, and logistics operations. Reporting to the Plant Manager, you will turn customer demand into clear production plans, remove obstacles, strengthen frontline leadership, and improve performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production across machining, fabrication, assembly, and logistics.
• Build and manage schedules that meet customer commitments and inventory goals.
• Monitor throughput, work-in-process, downtime, staffing, and bottlenecks.
• Drive ISO 9001 compliance, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Lead Lean initiatives, including Kaizen, 5S, SMED, and value-stream mapping.
• Improve OEE, setup time, scrap, rework, uptime, and on-time delivery.
• Coach and develop supervisors and shop-floor teams.
• Strengthen accountability, cross-training, succession planning, and employee engagement.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Purchasing, and Program Management.
• Support new product introductions, production changes, and customer updates.
• Oversee preventive maintenance, tooling needs, and equipment reliability.
• Lead daily and weekly performance reviews to resolve issues and maintain focus.

What Success Looks Like

• Create measurable improvement in safety performance.
• Increase on-time delivery.
• Improve equipment uptime and OEE.
• Reduce scrap and rework.
• Decrease setup and changeover time.
• Optimize material flow and inventory accuracy.
• Enhance employee engagement and retention.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Five or more years of manufacturing experience.
• Two or more years in a supervisory or management role.
• Strong knowledge of machining and fabrication.
• Experience with ISO 9001, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Proven success leading Lean or Kaizen initiatives.
• Proficiency with ERP or MRP systems and production scheduling.
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience in aerospace, automotive, medical-device, or heavy-equipment manufacturing.
• Knowledge of AWS or ASME welding standards.
• Familiarity with CNC programming.
• Exposure to automation and robotics.

Position Details

• Employment Type: Full-time
• Classification: Exempt
• Reports To: Plant Manager

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dakotaland Manufacturing is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.