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Reed City, Michigan, United States
Onsite
Position Summary
The Manager, Operations II provides senior operational leadership for a large, complex manufacturing operation or serves as the primary operations leader for a smaller standalone facility. The role has expanded accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, workforce performance, capacity, and continuous improvement. At larger locations, this position leads a significant operation or value stream and reports to the Director, Operations. At smaller locations, the position provides overall site leadership and ensures alignment with broader business and Metals priorities. The Manager, Operations II serves as a customer-centric business leader who champions Total Quality Management, continuous improvement, clear communication, and disciplined execution. The role establishes role clarity, develops capable leaders, and creates a culture of ownership and accountability in which safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer commitments are understood and actively managed at every level.
Key Responsibilities
· Production Management:
o Oversee daily manufacturing operations to ensure timely and cost-effective production.
o Monitor production schedules, inventory levels, and workflow to meet customer demand.
· Team Leadership:
o Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline employees.
o Promote a positive work environment focused on teamwork, accountability, and performance.
· Quality & Compliance:
o Ensure products meet quality standards and regulatory requirements.
o Implement and maintain quality control systems and procedures.
· Safety & Environmental:
o Enforce safety policies and procedures to maintain a safe working environment.
o Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and company sustainability goals.
· Process Improvement:
o Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.
o Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other methodologies to drive operational excellence.
· Resource Management:
o Manage labor, equipment, and materials to optimize plant performance.
o Coordinate with maintenance to ensure equipment reliability and uptime.
o Use data and structured problem-solving to drive timely decisions, prioritize resources, and sustain improvements.
o Ensure teams understand what success looks like by the hour, shift, day, and week and can clearly identify priorities, abnormalities, owners, and recovery actions.
o Lead and sustain Daily Management, tier meetings, visual management, leader standard work, and escalation processes.
· Daily Management & Operating Discipline:
o Create a high-ownership culture in which operational leaders are accountable for safety, quality, delivery, cost, workforce performance, and continuous improvement results.
o Develop leaders who identify issues early, escalate appropriately, make sound decisions, and follow through on commitments.
o Establish clear expectations, decision rights, role clarity, and measurable accountability throughout the operation.
· Ownership & Accountability:
o Integrate quality performance, corrective actions, and customer feedback into Daily Management and tier accountability routines.
o Lead structured problem-solving and root-cause elimination to reduce variation, scrap, rework, COPQ, customer complaints, and repeat defects.
o Champion Total Quality Management principles by building quality into processes and emphasizing prevention over detection.
· Total Quality Management:
o Promote decision-making that considers the effect on customers and proactively addresses risks to quality, lead time, and On Time & Complete performance.
o Ensure operational priorities, capacity decisions, and improvement activities align with customer expectations and business commitments.
o Lead operations with a clear understanding that customer satisfaction, product quality, delivery reliability, and responsiveness are primary measures of success.
· Customer-Centric Leadership:
o Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) to senior leadership.
o Collaborate with cross-functional teams including supply chain, engineering, and quality assurance.
o Build effective cross-functional alignment across supply chain, engineering, maintenance, quality, EHS, HR, Finance, and commercial teams.
o Translate business strategy into actionable objectives and ensure responsibilities, decision rights, and performance expectations are understood.
o Communicate business priorities, customer commitments, operating results, and changes clearly, consistently, and at the appropriate level of the organization.
Experience & Skills
Work Environment/Travel Requirements· Frequent exposure to manufacturing environment.· Periods of office work on a computer and in team meetings.· Overnight travel requirements will be variable based on projects and business activities, expected up to 20%· Physical Requirementso Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments.o Lift up to 50 lbs. This job description outlines the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.
Our Benefits
We care about and invest in our employees. We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support their well-being and foster professional development. Here is a glimpse of what you can look forward to if you join our team.
Competitive Benefits Package for employees and their dependents (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability)
Incentive Plans
401(k) with employer contribution and match
Employee Stock Purchase Plan with employer match
Paid Time Off (Vacation and Sick Time)
Paid Holidays
Tuition Reimbursement Program
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Wellness Program
Training and Career Progression
Apogee and our brands are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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