Production Manager

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance

Production Manager

Location: Bellefonte, PA (on-site) | Type: Direct hire, full-time

About the Opportunity
A specialty piezoceramic manufacturer serving defense, medical, and industrial customers is hiring a Production Manager to own scheduling, planning, and floor execution. This is a high-visibility role in a small, vertically integrated plant — you'll be close to the product, close to leadership, and positioned to shape how the operation runs rather than inherit a rigid system.

What You'll Do

• Own daily production execution across [ceramic processing, machining, electroding, poling, test, and assembly] to hit schedule, quality, and cost targets
• Build and maintain the production schedule; balance capacity, labor, and material availability against customer commitments and on-time delivery goals
• Drive production planning and materials flow in coordination with purchasing, sales, and engineering
• Apply Lean manufacturing principles — value stream mapping, 5S, standard work, waste reduction — to improve throughput, yield, and cycle time
• Supervise, develop, and schedule [production supervisors and hourly staff]; own training, cross-training, and performance management
• Establish and track production KPIs (OTD, yield, scrap, labor efficiency, WIP); report performance to leadership
• Partner with Quality to maintain ISO 9001:2015 compliance, support corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement
• Champion a safe work environment and enforce safety standards in a technical manufacturing setting
• Work with engineering on new product introduction, capacity planning, and process capability

What You Need

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field [equivalent experience considered]
• 5+ years in production supervision or management within a low-volume/high-mix manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated command of Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodology
• Hands-on production scheduling and capacity planning experience; ERP/MRP proficiency
• Proven people leadership — hiring, developing, and holding a floor team accountable
• Data-driven approach to KPIs and problem solving
• Comfortable in a technical process environment where product quality depends on tight process control

Nice to Have

• Background in ceramics, electronic components, or another process-driven manufacturing environment
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
• Experience in an ISO 9001-certified operation
• Familiarity with defense or medical device manufacturing requirements