Production Manager (Manufacturing)

About the Role

Children's Factory is seeking a hands-on Production Manager with strong experience leading people and performance across multiple production lines. The position is focused on daily production-floor leadership: coordinating labor and resources, keeping multiple lines on schedule, developing frontline teams, resolving operational issues, and delivering results across safety, quality, output, cost, and efficiency. The ideal candidate has spent several years in a manufacturing or production environment and has at least two years of direct responsibility for leading multiple production lines.

The Production Manager helps turn production goals and financial objectives into clear daily priorities for the floor. Your leadership will directly influence whether teams have the direction, staffing, resources, and accountability needed to meet production commitments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate daily operations across multiple production lines.
• Set clear expectations for production employees and hold teams accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Plan labor and resources to support production schedules, adjusting staffing and priorities as conditions change.
• Maintain a visible presence on the production floor and respond quickly to operational issues.
• Monitor output, scrap, downtime, and labor-efficiency metrics, then take action to improve performance.
• Train, coach, and develop production employees and frontline leaders.
• Reinforce safety policies, conduct daily safety checks, and support incident investigations and corrective actions.
• Partner with Quality to address nonconforming products and maintain established standards.
• Coordinate with Maintenance to resolve equipment issues and reduce downtime.
• Support practical continuous-improvement efforts, including 5S, lean practices, standard work, waste reduction, and process improvement.
• Translate financial and business objectives into actionable production plans.
• Communicate production performance, priorities, risks, and issues to management and cross-functional partners.
• Maintain accurate production records and prepare required reports.
• Promote teamwork, accountability, ownership, and urgency throughout the production operation.

Requirements

• 3–5 years of experience in a manufacturing or production environment.
• At least two years of direct experience leading multiple production lines.
• Demonstrated success supervising, coaching, and developing production employees.
• Understanding of how to balance labor, schedules, equipment, quality, and production priorities in a fast-paced operation.
• Ability to use production metrics to identify problems, improve performance, and hold teams accountable.
• Comfortable making real-time decisions on the floor and following through on commitments.
• Experience with lean manufacturing principles and continuous-improvement methods.
• Understanding of safety regulations, quality-control standards, and the importance of consistent compliance.
• Clear communication with frontline employees, leadership, and cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and experience using manufacturing or ERP systems.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or Technology, or a related field.

Benefits

• 12 Paid Holidays, including Christmas Eve and the Day After Thanksgiving.
• Generous PTO accrual.
• Paid Parental Leave.
• Volunteer Time Off.
• Generous 401(k) company match.
• Educational Assistance with tuition reimbursement.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage starting the first of the month following your date of hire.

About Us

At Children's Factory, we create inspired spaces for imagination and learning. For over 40 years, we've been a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-quality products for child development centers, preschools, and elementary education. We provide grown-ups with the products and resources kids need to inspire imagination, build confidence, and develop lifelong learning skills. We do more than just make great products—we make a positive impact on the lives of the children and educators who use them. Each member of our team plays a pivotal role in helping children worldwide thrive and discover their full potential.