Production Unit Leader

About the Role

This position requires a high degree of decision-making authority in conjunction with the Senior Manager, Global Workshop Operations and Area Management Team. The role involves leading daily workshop operations, driving financial performance, and fostering a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement. The position has direct reports.

Responsibilities

• Own the workshop operating budget and financial performance, delivering business targets including revenue, product margin, profitability, absorption, and indirect cost performance.
• Monitor operational and financial KPIs and implement corrective actions.
• Lead initiatives that improve productivity, profitability, and cost competitiveness.
• Develop forecasts, capacity plans, and investment recommendations.
• Prepare monthly operational, financial, quality, and HSE reports.
• Identify cost reduction opportunities while maintaining safety and quality.
• Lead daily workshop operations to achieve production, delivery, quality, and financial objectives.
• Manage production schedules, capacity, labor, equipment, and subcontracting.
• Establish long-term operational strategies and drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Optimize throughput, equipment utilization, logistics, and material flow.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with HSE policies and regulations.
• Lead safety observations, investigations, and corrective actions; maintain safe equipment and facilities.
• Maintain responsibility for workshop quality performance, leading root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Reduce scrap, rework, and Cost of Poor Quality; drive First-Time-Right performance.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen, standardize best practices, and improve productivity through process optimization.
• Ensure effective ERP and production planning system utilization; promote data accuracy and reporting.
• Support operational decisions through analytics.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and employees; conduct performance management and succession planning.
• Build an accountable, engaged, high-performing team.
• Partner with Sales, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Quality; maintain strong customer relationships.
• Support business development and procurement planning.

Key Performance Indicators

• Financial: Revenue, Product Margin, Profitability, Absorption, Indirect Cost.
• Operations: OTD, Productivity, Capacity Utilization, Throughput, Schedule Adherence.
• Quality: COPQ, Scrap, Rework, Customer Complaints, First-Time-Right.
• HSE: LTIR, Near Misses, Safety Observations, Compliance.
• People: Engagement, Training, Workforce Stability, Succession.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing or industrial operations leadership experience.
• Strong financial and business acumen.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of ERP systems, production planning, quality systems, and HSE.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Skills

• Strategic Leadership
• Operational Excellence
• Financial Acumen
• Lean Manufacturing
• Customer Focus
• Decision Making
• Talent Development
• Change Leadership
• Continuous Improvement
• Collaboration

Benefits

• Generous wage and benefits package.
• Pension plan.
• 401k with company match.

Employment is contingent upon a background check and pre-employment physical and drug screen.