The Manager, Manufacturing Operations, leads daily production activities and continuous improvement initiatives at our Camden, SC water heater plant. This is key role and is someone who oversees hourly team members and Team Leaders, ensuring safe, high-quality, and efficient operations aligned with plant objectives. The manager drives performance in safety, quality, delivery, and cost while fostering a culture of accountability and engagement.
PositionManager, Manufacturing Operations
LocationUSA, Camden, SC
How You'll Create PossibilitiesManufacturing Operations:- Supports the Business Leader by overseeing daily operations and driving continuous improvement across an assigned production area.
- Directly manages hourly production team members, including Team Leaders.
- Owns operational performance for safety, quality, delivery and cost. Aligns area goals with plant-wide objectives.
- Leads daily start-up of production area. Ensure proper staffing, adjusts for absenteeism and reviews daily production plans with Team Leaders.
- Ensures production line boards are completed accurately and used for performance tracking, issue identification and shift-to-shift communication.
- Maintains strong technical understanding of operations and follows escalation protocols to address abnormalities and corrective actions.
- Acts as first responder for production issues, facilitating proper escalation and resolution.
- Enforces Lean Manufacturing principles and escalation processes under the Appliance Production System.
- Participates in daily production meetings, communicating key issues to leadership and cascades necessary information to Team Leaders.
- Oversees implementation of standardized work and coaches Team Leaders to ensure process stability and adherence.
- Ensures Job Instruction methods and cross-training matrices are followed to maintain skill depth and consistency.
- Maintains 5S standards to ensure a safe, organized and efficient work environment.
Continuous Improvement:- Leads teams in aggressive response to inefficiencies. Drives root cause analysis and sustainable countermeasures.
- Supports the Business Leader in managing cross-functional teams (PIEs, Team Leaders, KPOs and other lean resources) to identify and reduce waste.
- Serves as first responder within the escalation process to resolve operational issues.
- Participates in department reviews, helps prioritize open items and ensures timely closure with accountability.
- Leads and champions Kaizen Events; ensure countermeasures are implemented effectively.
- Uses tools such as Yamazumi charts to plan and execute work area rebalancing.
Leadership & Administration:- Partners with HR to ensure fair, consistent and timely administration of all employee relations matters.
- Manages staffing levels, job postings, timecards and pay accuracy.
- Oversees overtime needs, compliance with overtime guidelines and posting of overtime schedules.
- Issues timely, well-documented discipline and supports HR in completing prompt, thorough investigations when needed.
- Communicates company updates, process changes and other written communications promptly and clearly.
Quality:- Enforces all quality standards and processes.
- Monitors' daily quality performance leads to problem-solving and escalates unresolved issues.
- Ensures Team Leaders embed quality standards into Standardized Work.
- Partners cross-functionally with engineering and quality teams to resolve and prevent issues.
- Tracks and reduces scrap through analysis and preventive action.
- Drives improvement in First Pass Yield and Service Call Rate (SCR) through proactive problem-solving and collaboration.
Safety:- Promotes a proactive safety culture and ensures compliance with all PPE, safety rules and procedures.
- Leads and owns accident investigations within 24 hours, identifies root causes and implements corrective actions.
- Maintains the department safety action list and ensures timely closure of corrective actions from incidents and ergonomic assessments.
- Drives accountability for safe behaviors through daily engagement and visible leadership presence on the floor.
What You'll Bring to Our Team- 5+ years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, including supplier management and project implementation
- Demonstrated technical acumen across supply chain functions such as manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, materials, quality, procurement, and fulfillment and/or be a GE Appliances Supply Chain Development Program, GearUp or Production Connection graduate.
- BS/BA degree preferred, ideally in engineering, supply chain management or business.
- Six Sigma certification preferred, with strong knowledge of Lean, DMAIC, workout and other change mechanisms.
- Demonstrated accomplishments showing results-driven methodology, analytical methods, schedule achievement, teamwork.
- Prior Lean Manufacturing implementation experience.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills with the ability to influence and engage others effectively.
Working Conditions:- Working conditions are normal for both an office and manufacturing environment.
- Work may involve lifting materials and products up to 25 pounds.
- Working in the manufacturing environment requires the use of safety equipment to include but not limited to: safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, work shoes/boots.
