The Production Manager is responsible for daily operations within the ACHES production area, driving a culture of safety, quality, delivery, and cost excellence. This role oversees scheduling, staffing, and performance of the ACHES shop and uses Lean and continuous improvement methods to increase throughput, stabilize processes, reduce waste, and enhance customer satisfaction. The Operations Managers partners with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and HR to meet production goals and support long-term capability development.

This position will be located at all three of our locations in Tulsa, OK on a rotating schedule.

5615 South 129th East Avenue

3515 Dawson Road

5500 East Independence Street

Schedule: Full-time, on-site; typical Monday-Friday

What Will You Do?

Key Responsibilities
Shop Operations & Leadership
• Lead daily operations for the Air cooled Heat Exchangers (ACHES) shop: staffing, floor coverage, production scheduling and on-time delivery
• Achieve direct operating expense targets for the department and manage a profitable operation by minimizing manufacturing variances
• Ensure safe work practices and compliance with EHS and regulatory standards; lead safety huddles and near miss reviews and incident investigations
• Maintain standard work, work instructions, and visual management systems; ensure operators are properly trained
• Track and report KPIs (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People) through tiered daily management (Tier 1-3)
• Partner with Planning/Supply Chain to ensure material availability and communicate capacity constraints
• Lead root cause investigations for defects, delays, and downtime; drive corrective and preventive actions
• Develop and train supervisors and coordinators through increased responsibilities and career focused courses and stretch assignments

Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence
• Implement Lean tools such as 5S, Standard Work, Visual Management, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, Kanban, SMED, and Poka Yoke
• Lead waste elimination efforts across motion, waiting, overproduction, inventory, defects, transport, and over processing
• Facilitate Kaizen events and rapid improvement workshops with documentation of charter, baseline, and results
• Drive OEE improvement by partnering with Maintenance on preventive and predictive maintenance needs
• Use data to identify bottlenecks, establish takt time, optimize line balance, and improve flow
• Build continuous improvement capability across the team through training and coaching

Quality & Customer Experience
• Partner with Quality to improve process capability (Cp/Cpk), reduce defect rates, and strengthen first pass yield
• Ensure adherence to customer specifications through layered process audits and mistake proofing
• Connect employee engagement and shop performance metrics to customer outcomes

People & Capability Development
• Recruit, onboard, and develop ACHES shop team members; maintain skill matrices and cross training plans
• Recognize and reward behaviors that support safety, quality, and operational excellence
• Provide performance coaching and corrective action when necessary; maintain a high accountability culture

Systems, Compliance & Reporting
• Maintain accurate ERP/MES production records, including labor, WIP, scrap, and rework
• Prepare weekly and monthly production and performance reports with action plans
• Ensure OSHA and company EHS compliance; participate in audits and customer visits

Your Physical Work Environment Will Require...

Work Environment & Physical Requirements
• Regular time spent on the shop floor with exposure to noise and machinery
• Ability to stand, walk, and lift up to 50 lbs
• PPE required (glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hat, vest)
• Primarily first shift with occasional off shift support

This position is classified as safety sensitive. Due to the use of heavy machinery, power tools, and exposure to potentially hazardous conditions, the role requires heightened awareness and adherence to all safety protocols. Employees must be able to perform duties in a manner that ensures their own safety and the safety of others in the workplace

Your Experience Should Be...

Required Qualifications
• Experience: 5-8+ years in manufacturing operations; 3+ years leading a production area in fabrication/assembly environments.
• Lean/CI Experience: Measurable success applying Lean tools and leading improvement events.
• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with fabrication/assembly processes such as sheet metal, welding, machining, and testing.
• Leadership: Strong coaching, communication, conflict resolution, and change management skills.
• Data & Systems: Proficient with Excel/Sheets and ERP/MES systems (JDE, SAP, Oracle, Epicor).
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field - or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt
• Experience implementing TPM and SMED
• Knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, or similar QMS
• Experience with EHS programs
• Experience managing a cost center or production budget

Core Competencies
• Safety & Quality Orientation
• Operational Excellence / Standard Work Discipline
• Problem Solving (PDCA, A3, RCA tools)
• Strong Communication Skills
• Talent Development & Coaching
• Customer Focus
• Adaptability & Resilience

Key Performance Indicators
• Safety: TRIR, near miss closure, audit results, 5S sustainment
• Quality: FPY, scrap/rework, warranty returns, process capability
• Delivery: OTD, schedule adherence, lead time, WIP levels
• Cost: Productivity, OEE, changeover time, overtime, material usage variance
• People: Engagement, skill matrix coverage, training completion, turnover
• Improvement Impact: Kaizen success rate, validated cost savings, sustained improvements

Our Benefits Package...

Chart provides a comprehensive offering of benefits to full-time employees including medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401k with an employer match, disability and life insurance benefits.