Production Shift Leader – 3rd Shift

About the Role

Join the Röchling Automotive team at our Akron, OH location as a Production Shift Leader on 3rd shift. This role is ideal for a hands-on manufacturing leader who leads by example, develops employees, drives accountability, and maintains a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, and productivity.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct leadership and supervision to production employees, including operators, setters, forklift drivers, quality auditors, and other shift personnel.
• Ensure the execution of the daily production schedule while meeting safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets.
• Assign employees to work areas based on production requirements, qualifications, and staffing needs.
• Coordinate break coverage, overtime, and short-term workforce planning.
• Serve as the first level of escalation for employee, production, quality, and operational issues.
• Monitor key production KPIs, including OEE, productivity, scrap, quality, and safety performance, and drive appropriate improvement actions.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, EHS requirements, quality standards, and manufacturing procedures.
• Conduct effective shift handovers and maintain accurate production documentation and records.
• Maintain employee training matrices and coordinate required training and development activities.
• Coach employees, provide performance feedback, and support employee appraisal and development discussions.
• Promote and maintain 5S standards and a safe, clean, and organized production environment.
• Support KVP/Kaizen and continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, and efficiency.
• Coordinate short-term maintenance and quality activities to minimize downtime and production disruptions.
• Foster a positive team culture based on accountability, teamwork, communication, and continuous improvement.
• Support emergency response activities and act as an escalation point for urgent production or employee-related situations.

Requirements

• 5+ years of manufacturing, production, or operations experience.
• 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment.
• 2+ years of automotive manufacturing experience.
• Previous experience leading hourly employees in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment.
• Strong understanding of production processes, safety, quality standards, and manufacturing KPIs.
• Plastic injection molding experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in an automotive Tier 1 manufacturing environment preferred.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, KVP/Kaizen, continuous improvement, and layered audits is a plus.
• Experience with production reporting systems and manufacturing performance metrics.
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and remain organized in a fast-paced production environment.
• Technical manufacturing education, apprenticeship, or equivalent experience is a plus.
• Ability to work 3rd shift and provide overtime or weekend support as needed.

About Röchling Automotive

In the Automotive division, you will shape the mobility of tomorrow through system solutions in the areas of Battery Solutions, Structural Lightweight, Aerodynamics, and Propulsion. We protect the environment while improving the driving experience of millions of vehicles. The Röchling Group has been shaping industry worldwide for more than 200 years, transforming lives with customized plastics that reduce vehicle weight, enhance medication packaging, and improve industrial applications. Our workforce of 11,681 people is located in 83 locations across 25 countries.