Production Manager

A. O. Smith seeks a Production Manager to lead on-site manufacturing operations for our water heater and treatment product lines in Milwaukee. In this performance-driven, safety-focused environment, you will own daily production execution, meeting safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets. Responsibilities include production planning, labor and equipment utilization, and driving lean and continuous improvement initiatives. You will lead and develop supervisors and operators, collaborate with engineering and supply chain, support new product introductions, and champion a culture of integrity, innovation, and problem-solving in a stable, global organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production operations for water heater and treatment product lines to meet safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets
• Develop and execute production plans, allocate labor and materials, and optimize equipment utilization across shifts
• Implement and sustain lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce waste
• Monitor KPIs, analyze performance data, and drive corrective actions to improve throughput and on-time delivery
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards, including company and regulatory requirements
• Collaborate with engineering, maintenance, supply chain, and quality teams to resolve production issues and support new product introductions
• Coach, develop, and performance-manage production supervisors and frontline operators
• Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and layout changes to improve capacity and productivity
• Drive a culture of problem-solving, accountability, and employee engagement on the manufacturing floor
• Maintain accurate production reporting, documentation, and standard work instructions

Required Skills

• Production planning and scheduling
• Lean manufacturing
• Continuous improvement/Kaizen
• Root cause analysis and problem-solving
• Manufacturing KPIs and data analysis
• ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or similar)
• People leadership and team development
• Quality systems and ISO standards
• Industrial safety and regulatory compliance
• Capacity planning and line balancing