Job Title: Production Manager

Work Location: Washington County, Rhode Island

Summary:

The Production Manager is responsible for leading day-to-day production operations within a three-shift, batch chemical manufacturing environment, ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient execution of production plans. This role provides direct leadership to production personnel and serves as a key operational partner to Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance. The role is intended for a high-performing production leader who is ready to take the next step into manager-level responsibility or for an early-career production manager seeking a technically strong, hands-on leadership opportunity.

Responsibilities:

• Lead daily production activities to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Execute production schedules and adjust priorities in response to operational constraints.
• Identify production risks, troubleshoot issues, and drive timely resolution to minimize disruptions.
• Ensure consistent adherence to SOPs, batch records, and documentation requirements.
• Directly lead, coach, and develop production employees, reinforcing performance expectations and accountability.
• Support onboarding, training, qualification, and ongoing skill development of the production team.
• Address performance, attendance, and conduct matters in partnership with Human Resources.
• Foster a culture of safety, quality, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, EHS requirements, and internal quality systems.
• Support or lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.
• Promote consistent application of safety practices and risk awareness across the team.
• Participate in MOC, ECN, and related change management processes.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to improve process reliability, efficiency, and throughput.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Communicate production performance, challenges, and improvement opportunities to leadership.
• Contribute to cross-functional meetings and operational planning discussions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a related technical or engineering discipline strongly preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered for candidates who demonstrate extensive production leadership experience and a strong working knowledge of chemical processes, safety systems, and quality requirements.
• 7–10 years of manufacturing experience, including:
  • 5-7 years in a Production Supervisor role or
  • 1–3 years of direct people-manager experience in a production or operations environment.
• Demonstrated readiness for manager-level accountability, including independent decision-making, prioritization, and people leadership.
• Experience working in regulated manufacturing environments (chemical, semiconductor, GMP, or similar).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to lead front-line employees and collaborate cross-functionally.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Experience in batch chemical or microelectronics manufacturing.
• Continuous improvement experience (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent).
• Sound judgment and independent decision-making within established frameworks.
• Ability to balance day-to-day execution with longer-term operational thinking.
• Coaching and development mindset.
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills.
• Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced, safety-critical environment.

Published Category: Manufacturing & Technical Operations