Production/Quality Manager

Scope of Position

Our client is seeking an experienced Production & Quality Manager to join our plant leadership team and help drive manufacturing excellence across the operation. This role provides leadership for both production and quality, with responsibility for ensuring products are manufactured safely, efficiently, on time, and in accordance with customer and company quality standards. The Production & Quality Manager will lead teams, optimize manufacturing performance, strengthen quality systems, and champion continuous improvement initiatives that deliver sustainable results.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader who can balance the demands of production with an uncompromising commitment to safety, quality, customer satisfaction, and employee development.

Responsibilities

Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead day-to-day production activities to achieve objectives for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost.
• Execute production schedules and staffing plans to maximize labor efficiency, equipment utilization, product quality, and customer service.
• Monitor manufacturing performance and proactively address issues affecting throughput, efficiency, waste, downtime, or delivery.
• Manage workforce and temporary staffing requirements to achieve plant productivity and labor objectives.
• Partner with Maintenance to coordinate preventive maintenance activities and improve equipment reliability and uptime.
• Maintain appropriate levels of production supplies and support inventory management activities.
• Participate in physical inventories in accordance with company procedures.

Quality & Customer Excellence

• Champion a culture where quality is built into the manufacturing process, not simply inspected at the end.
• Ensure compliance with established quality systems, GMPs, sanitation requirements, customer specifications, certifications, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Translate customer requirements into clear manufacturing standards, process controls, inspection methods, and critical quality parameters.
• Develop, implement, and maintain SOPs, operating procedures, inspection processes, process controls, and quality systems.
• Lead customer complaint investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Oversee automatic inspection systems, process monitoring tools, and quality control systems to ensure consistent product performance.
• Conduct and support product trials, process validations, and R&D activities related to manufacturing and packaging performance.
• Partner with customers and internal teams to identify opportunities to reduce defects and continuously improve product quality and customer satisfaction.

Safety & Compliance

• Promote and enforce a safety-first culture across all production and quality activities.
• Ensure employees understand and follow established safety, health, quality, GMP, and company policies and procedures.
• Support safety programs, housekeeping initiatives, audits, sanitation standards, and corrective action programs.
• Ensure operational practices consistently meet company, customer, certification, and regulatory requirements.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop production and quality teams to build a high-performance, accountable workplace culture.
• Support hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, recognition, attendance management, and employee development.
• Establish clear expectations and hold teams accountable for safety, quality, productivity, and performance objectives.
• Identify employee development opportunities and strengthen leadership capabilities throughout the operation.
• Foster an environment of teamwork, open communication, problem-solving, and employee engagement.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, efficiency, waste reduction, and defect elimination.
• Use data, performance metrics, and structured problem-solving to identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
• Coordinate process improvement projects, CQI activities, regrind programs, housekeeping initiatives, and other operational priorities.
• Challenge existing processes and identify opportunities to improve manufacturing performance, product consistency, and overall plant effectiveness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Sales, Customer Service, Logistics, suppliers, and other functional teams to achieve operational and customer objectives.
• Communicate production results, quality performance, customer concerns, and key operating metrics to employees and plant leadership.
• Coordinate product trials, process changes, new requirements, and special manufacturing projects across functional teams.
• Lead or participate in special projects supporting plant, business unit, and company objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, production management, quality management, or a related environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and driving measurable improvements in manufacturing performance.
• Experience within packaging, containers, plastics, blow molding, injection molding, or a related high-volume manufacturing environment is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing quality systems, GMPs, process controls, corrective actions, and root-cause problem-solving.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Operational Excellence, or other continuous improvement methodologies is a plus.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with standard business and manufacturing systems.

You’ll thrive in this position if you:

• Lead from the floor and enjoy being actively engaged with employees and manufacturing operations.
• Develop people through coaching, clear expectations, feedback, and accountability.
• Own the results and take action when safety, quality, delivery, or productivity performance falls short.
• Solve problems at the root cause rather than relying on temporary fixes.
• Use data to make decisions and translate manufacturing metrics into meaningful actions.
• Communicate effectively with frontline employees, leadership, customers, suppliers, and cross-functional partners.
• Balance production and quality, understanding that sustainable manufacturing performance requires both.
• Remain organized and effective while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Bring a strong commitment to safety, customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

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