Manager, Production Operations and Operational Excellence

A collective energy and ambition. A place where you can make a real difference.

We’re a company that genuinely cares about our people, our products, our consumers and the environment.

Our unique, informal culture champions courage, determination and collaboration. Knowing we have an open and supportive team means each of us has the freedom to take responsibility and ownership. We have a shared passion to work hard, innovate and push boundaries.

United by the belief that when we strive for growth, anything is possible. While we might not be the largest company in our industry, we believe we can have the biggest impact because: Together We Have the Power to Win.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:

Manager, Production Operations and Operational Excellence

Monday - Friday

The salary range for this position is $149,700 - $224,700 annually

New Hire Sign-on Bonus - $0

Come join our Victorville, CA facility where we manufacture A&H Laundry Detergent and A&H Cat Litter!

ROLE SUMMARY:

This position provides overall leadership for production operations and operational excellence in a lean manufacturing and distribution environment. The Manager plans, organizes, and directs manufacturing and maintenance activities to achieve plant objectives in safety, quality, productivity, delivery, cost, and housekeeping. The role leads daily production execution, develops the workforce, manages resources and budgets, and advances continuous improvement through Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. This position serves as a key link across plant leadership, operations, maintenance, engineering, quality, logistics, and other support functions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (*denotes essential job functions):

Promote a positive safety culture and ensure fair, consistent compliance with all plant safety policies, procedures, and applicable laws and regulations.

Lead daily production and maintenance activities to meet scheduling, customer, quality, cost, delivery, productivity, and housekeeping requirements.

Supervise the daily activities of professional and operations teams, establish operational objectives, and provide clear direction, coaching, and performance feedback.

Plan and coordinate staffing, materials, equipment, methods, and performance metrics to maintain an effective and flexible operation.

Ensure policies, practices, procedures, and operating standards are understood and consistently followed by employees and stakeholders.

Develop and implement solutions to complex operational problems using sound judgment, functional expertise, ingenuity, and innovation.

Drive Operational Excellence through Lean and Six Sigma methods, including 5S, TPS, SMED, Kaizen events, root cause analysis, audits, and waste elimination.

Review, develop, implement, and revise manufacturing processes and procedures to improve plant key performance indicators and sustain proven results across assigned areas.

Identify and champion opportunities to reduce defects, labor hours, downtime, and manufacturing cost while improving product quality, throughput, and reliability.

Evaluate and implement current technologies and manufacturing strategies that improve capacity utilization, operational efficiency, and production performance.

Lead employee engagement and continuous improvement activities; encourage ideas and recommendations that improve the work environment and eliminate waste.

Build team capability through effective meetings, consensus building, coaching, problem solving, audits, feedback, and leadership development.

Coordinate training, qualification, certification, and skill-development programs to improve operator effectiveness, flexibility, and technical capability.

Maintain a competent workforce through selection, onboarding, training, development, motivation, performance management, and succession planning.

Participate in hiring for hourly and professional positions and support employee processes from hiring through separation, including attendance, coaching, and discipline.

Prepare, manage, and control department budgets; compile operating statistics and anticipated expenses to support annual planning and capital requests.

Monitor operations reporting and ensure accurate, timely recording of attendance, performance, and other required administrative information.

Provide manufacturing process support, technical assistance, and training to operating and line maintenance departments as needed.

Manage related technical systems, technologies, machines, and equipment and support implementation of engineering changes and new programs.

Support industrialization and successful launches of new programs and initiatives.

Partner cross-functionally with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality Control, Packaging, Testing, Development, Logistics, Marketing, Research, and other support functions.

Participate in supplier activities, including insourcing, outsourcing, quality and delivery issue resolution, supplier visits, and audits.

Ensure appropriate supervision, training, and inspection to conform with Current Good Manufacturing Practices, FDA requirements, quality systems, and other applicable standards.

Identify capacity utilization constraints and support capital appropriation requests and resource allocation decisions to address operational needs.

Benchmark, develop, and execute operating plans that satisfy production requirements and focus resources on the issues with the greatest impact on plant performance.

Communicate operational methods, changes, schedules, performance expectations, and priorities clearly across the organization.

Foster positive employee relations through consistent policy application, timely communication, and respectful leadership practices.

Create and execute annual goals and objectives and conduct performance feedback sessions.

Serve as a consultant to management on major operational and continuous improvement matters and contribute to the development of new concepts, techniques, and standards.

Provide production support outside the assigned schedule or on weekends as business needs require.

Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

5+ years of relevant experience in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field from an accredited university.

Previous leadership experience supervising and developing teams in production operations, maintenance, skilled trades, or a related manufacturing function.

Working knowledge of production operations, including equipment, material flow, staffing, scheduling, and performance metrics.

Experience applying Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles in an operating environment.

Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and SAP.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Master's degree.

5-10 years of experience leading production operations, maintenance, skilled trades, or Operational Excellence activities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Experience with Lean Six Sigma, 5S, TPS, SMED, Kaizen, root cause analysis, and manufacturing KPI improvement.

Working knowledge of the SAP Maintenance Module.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build positive relationships at all levels of the organization.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely across multiple media.

Strong leadership capability as a team leader, builder, coach, and mentor.

Ability to identify complex problems, evaluate options, and implement practical, sustainable solutions.

Excellent organization, time management, prioritization, and attention to detail.

Ability to work effectively under pressure and adapt workforce plans and priorities in a fast-paced, d