PRODUCTION LINE MANAGER

Responsibilities: Production Planning & Execution Own the daily and weekly production schedule; sequence work orders to meet customer delivery commitments and contract milestones. Translate the master production schedule into actionable floor assignments, staffing, and station loading. Monitor real-time output against plan; identify bottlenecks, reallocate resources, and escalate delivery risk early. Coordinate with Planning, Supply Chain, and Engineering so materials, tooling, work instructions, and drawings are ready before a job hits the floor. Manage WIP, cycle times, and throughput to balance efficiency against delivery priorities. Provide direct, visible leadership on the floor — set the pace, remove obstacles, hold the team to standard. Supervise, coach, and developoperators/assemblers. Maintain a clean, ESD- and FOD-controlled environment appropriate to precision optical and electronic assembly. Continuous Improvement & Process Control Drive measurable improvement in throughput, yield, scrap/rework, labor efficiency, and on-time delivery. Optimize floor layout, workstation design, and material flow for precision assembly and test. Standardize and document processes; keep work instructions current as products and methods evolve. Reporting & Metrics Track and report output, yield, scrap/rework, efficiency, and safety; communicate status to leadership.

Qualifications: 5+ years of progressive manufacturing experience, including 3+ years leading and supervising production teams. Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Industrial Technology, or a related field — or an equivalent combination of education and hands-on manufacturing leadership experience.

Required Skills: Proven track record running a production floor to schedule, quality, and cost targets in a regulated or precision manufacturing environment. Working knowledge of a quality management system (AS9100 or ISO 9001) and disciplined documentation and traceability practices. Familiarity with Lean / continuous-improvement methods — 5S, standard work, Kaizen, structured root-cause problem solving. Proficiency with ERP/MES systems; ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, BOMs, and work instructions. Strong floor-level leadership: decisive and calm under schedule pressure, leads from the floor rather than the office. Data-driven problem solver with attention to detail and process discipline. Clear communicator who can align operators, engineers, and executives. Uncompromising on safety, quality, and compliance. Preferred Experience in defense, aerospace, electro-optics, precision optics, or electronics assembly. Hands-on exposure to ITAR/EAR-controlled programs and FAR/DFARS-governed contracts. Lean / Six Sigma certification (Green or Black Belt). Experience scaling production from low-rate initial production (LRIP) to full-rate production. Familiarity with ESD/FOD control, cleanroom or controlled-environment assembly, and precision test/calibration.