Production Manager

About the role

As a Production Manager at Nexans, you will report directly to the Plant Manager and oversee operations at both Trenton, Ontario facilities — Sidney Street and Riverside Drive. This role requires regular interaction with production areas, warehouse operations, office teams, suppliers, and logistics partners in a cable manufacturing plant environment.

Responsibilities

• Health, Safety & Environment: Ensure compliance with Nexans HSE policies, plant safety rules, and Canadian regulations; work with the Health & Safety Representative and Committee to identify hazards, reduce risks, and prevent workplace injuries; promote a strong safety culture through visible leadership, risk assessments, standard operating procedures, PPE, incident reporting, and HSE training.
• Production Performance & Flow: Lead Supervisors in achieving production, OTIF, efficiency, and budget targets; identify bottlenecks and opportunities to improve productivity, flow, and OEE; ensure production schedules align with S&OP, capacity, constraints, and customer priorities; establish, monitor, and communicate key production KPIs; develop and implement action plans to address production losses and improve performance.
• Quality & Continuous Improvement: Work with Supervisors, QA, Engineering, Schedulers, and Operators to identify production problems and initiate, implement, and sustain corrective and preventive actions; ensure high-quality products are produced in compliance with customer requirements, Nexans standards, and applicable certifications; identify and eliminate potential quality problems; lead and promote continuous improvement initiatives leveraging the Nexans SMP platform/Nexans Excellence Way (LEAN, 5S, Kaizen, standard work, visual management).
• Cost, Budget & Working Capital: Prioritize and control spending to meet the production budget (labor, overtime, consumables, maintenance within scope) while achieving output and quality targets; support optimization of inventory coverage and working capital by aligning production plans, changeovers, and batch sizes with planning and supply chain; monitor and manage manufacturing variances, yield, and scrap; contribute to the site cost-reduction roadmap.
• Organization, Housekeeping & 5S: Maintain a well-organized plant with strong housekeeping and 5S practices; work with Supervisors and Engineering to establish and improve machine output standards, standard work methods, and line balancing; promote visual management and disciplined adherence to standards on the shop floor.
• People Management & Leadership: Hire, train, coach, develop, and manage Production Supervisors; support Supervisors in developing and engaging hourly employees; hold regular meetings to review performance, coordinate activities, resolve issues, and communicate priorities; promote a positive, respectful, inclusive, and engaged workplace; ensure appropriate staffing, scheduling, and skills development; support performance management, talent reviews, training, and succession planning; communicate policies, procedures, performance, changes, and plant objectives clearly.
• Systems, SAP & Nexans Business Rules: Actively support SAP skill development and adherence in Production to prevent/reduce SAP errors and ensure accurate data for planning, inventory, and performance reporting; promote and support the application of Nexans Business Rules and Group standards; ensure production processes, data entry, and reporting comply with Nexans internal control framework, ethics and compliance rules, and local regulatory requirements.

Expected Results

• Improved safety performance and reduced workplace injuries.
• Production and OTIF targets achieved or exceeded.
• Improved OEE, productivity, labor efficiency, and production flow.
• Reduced bottlenecks, changeover times, scrap, WIP, and manufacturing variances.
• Improved quality and reduced internal and external non-conformities and customer complaints.
• Optimized inventory coverage and working capital.
• Measurable results from continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Strong employee engagement, development, and morale.
• Effective alignment between S&OP, production planning, and execution.
• Production capacity and yield effectively managed to support growth and profitability.

Requirements

• University degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3–5 years of management experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in wire, cable, or a related industry.
• Proven experience leading front-line supervisors and hourly production teams.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of wire and cable manufacturing processes, equipment, workflow, and constraints.
• Strong knowledge of industrial health and safety requirements.
• Understanding of production scheduling, materials management, costing, and product flow; S&OP experience is an asset.
• Experience with LEAN, 5S, OEE, Kaizen, and KPI-driven performance improvement.
• Working knowledge of SAP or a similar ERP system.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Skills

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, coaching, and influencing skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities, including root-cause analysis and decision-making.
• Ability to lead change, engage teams, and sustain continuous improvement.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at both shop-floor and management levels.
• High level of integrity and commitment to safety, quality, respect, and the Nexans Code of Ethics.