Area Manager, Oshawa Assembly

Job Description

Area Manager, Oshawa Assembly

Vacancy Status

Yes - This posting is for an existing vacancy within the organization and is open to new applications. (Backfill)

AI Disclosure

As part of the application process, Artificial Intelligence will be used in the hiring process for this role.

Onsite

This role is categorized as onsite. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Oshawa Assembly on a full-time basis.

Position summary

The Area Manager provides overall leadership for their assigned department operations in a truck assembly plant and is accountable for the safe, effective, and efficient production of high-quality trucks. This role leads salaried and hourly employees across multiple shifts, coordinates support from Manufacturing Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Materials, Industrial Engineering, Skilled Trades, and other plant functions, and drives performance against Safety, People, Quality, Responsiveness, Cost, and Environmental objectives.

The Area Manager creates a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous improvement, and employee involvement while ensuring that standardized work, GM operating requirements, quality systems, and labour-relations practices are consistently applied.

Key responsibilities

Safety and environmental leadership

Establish safety as the first priority through visible leadership, safety observations, incident review, corrective actions, and timely escalation of hazards.

Ensure compliance with applicable GM workplace safety systems, procedures, training, ergonomics requirements, emergency processes, and environmental standards.

Review safety performance, near misses, recordable incidents, and corrective actions; verify that countermeasures are implemented and sustained.

Promote a workplace where employees feel empowered to raise safety concerns and receive timely follow-up.

Production and operational performance

Lead day-to-day operations across assigned areas and shifts.

Deliver production plan, schedule attainment, throughput, first-time quality, downtime, scrap, labour utilization, and other plant performance targets.

Review prior-shift performance, end-of-shift reports, production systems, bottlenecks, missed hourly performance, and recovery plans.

Ensure staffing, manpower, vacation coverage, training, and escalation plans support business requirements.

Balance production requirements across truck models, options, configurations, and changing build mix while protecting safety, quality, and delivery.

Ensure adherence to standardized work, JES/SOS/TIS requirements, process controls, error-proofing, and operator certification.

Quality and customer focus

Own the department response to quality concerns, containment, defect prevention, and issue resolution.

Ensure compliance with Process Control Plans, Tool and Equipment requirements, Built-in Quality practices, Global Standard Inspection Process requirements, PFMEA/SFMEA controls, and layered audits.

Lead or sponsor structured problem solving to establish root cause, assign ownership, implement containment, and verify permanent corrective action.

Review warranty, customer, audit, and plant quality feedback and convert learnings into effective countermeasures and read-across actions.

Partner with Quality and Engineering to manage Engineering Work Orders, Temporary Work Orders, Plant Process Change Requests, and other controlled changes.

People leadership and labour relations

Lead, coach, and develop Shift Leaders, Group Leaders, Team Leaders, and other salaried employees

Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, complete performance and development activities, and build succession strength.

Support hiring, onboarding, training, qualification, recognition, attendance, and employee engagement activities.

Build a respectful, inclusive Workplace of Choice and maintain effective relationships with employees, union representatives, Human Resources, and Labour Relations.

Ensure leaders apply company policies, contractual requirements, and labour-relations practices consistently and fairly.

GMS, continuous improvement, and productivity

Lead General Manufacturing System implementation and sustainment within the area.

Use Business Plan Deployment, layered audits, bottleneck reviews, waste elimination, and continuous improvement methods to improve performance.

Identify opportunities to improve line balance, ergonomics, material presentation, equipment availability, quality, labour productivity, and operating cost

Establish and sustain standardized performance metrics, visual management, action tracking, and escalation routines.

Share best practices and lessons learned across shifts, departments, plants, and applicable launch or program teams.

Cross-functional and launch support

Serve as the department production voice in plant, program, launch, and cross-functional forums.

Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, Quality, Materials, Maintenance, Industrial Engineering, Facilities, and suppliers to resolve product, process, equipment, and material issues.

Support truck product launches, production trial runs, engineering tryouts, process validation builds, layout reviews, tool and equipment buyoffs, and launch readiness activities.

Ensure launch risks, open issues, countermeasures, manpower requirements, training needs, and build performance are visible and actively managed.

Coordinate implementation of approved product, tooling, material, and process changes without compromising safety, quality, or production continuity.

Financial and administrative accountability

Develop, monitor, and control the area budget, overtime, scrap, operating expenses, and approved improvement investments.

Review timekeeping, staffing, vacation coverage, expense, and other administrative requirements accurately and on time.

Maintain effective communication through daily huddles, staff meetings, performance reviews, escalation routines, and written updates.

Ensure required records, audits, training documentation, and action plans are complete and current.

Required qualifications

Demonstrated leadership experience in truck assembly, automotive manufacturing, vehicle assembly, or a comparable high-volume production environment.

Experience leading salaried and hourly employees, preferably across multiple shifts.

Strong knowledge of operations, including production systems, standardized work, quality processes, and manufacturing problem solving.

Demonstrated ability to achieve results through cross-functional leadership and influence.

Strong understanding of workplace safety, ergonomics, quality systems, continuous improvement, and labour-relations fundamentals.

Strong analytical, organizational, communication, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills.

Ability to work onsite in a plant environment and support off-shift, weekend, overtime, and launch requirements when needed.

Preferred qualifications

Successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, business, or a related discipline.

Experience with GM manufacturing systems, GMS, BIQ, Business Plan Deployment, PFMEA/SFMEA, structured problem solving, and launch processes.

Experience in Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Industrial Engineering, or related plant functions.

Experience managing budgets, productivity initiatives, capital projects, or major process changes.

Experience working with unionized manufacturing teams and labour-relations partners.

Success measures

Success in this role will be demonstrated through sustained improvement in:

Safety performance and closure of safety countermeasures

Employee engagement, development, attendance, and leadership capability

Production schedule attainment, throughput, downtime, and responsiveness

First-time qua