DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING

The Director of Manufacturing is responsible for overseeing all manufacturing, assembly, quality assurance, warehouse, and inventory-related operations to ensure customer orders are delivered accurately, on time, and in alignment with company objectives. This role provides strategic and hands-on leadership for manufacturing processes, inventory management, production planning, continuous improvement initiatives, and cross-functional operational support.

This position plays a critical role in balancing customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, inventory investment, and long-term manufacturing capability.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Direct all manufacturing, assembly, quality assurance, warehouse, shipping, and material management operations to ensure customer orders are delivered accurately, on time, and in accordance with company objectives.
• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for production planning, scheduling, inventory management, workforce allocation, and operational performance.
• Conduct regular shop floor walkthroughs to monitor productivity, identify issues, engage employees, and maintain operational efficiency.
• Ensure personnel, equipment, materials, and other resources are available to meet production requirements and customer delivery commitments.
• Establish and maintain manufacturing standards, best practices, standard operating procedures, work schedules, and operational controls.
• Lead production activities to ensure products are assembled, tested, and shipped according to customer, contractual, and quality requirements.
• Manage inventory investment by maintaining appropriate inventory levels, monitoring material availability, conducting slow-moving and obsolete inventory analyses, and providing recommendations for material utilization and valuation.
• Support material planning activities, including end-of-life component strategies, last-time-buy decisions, and make-versus-buy analyses for new and existing products.
• Partner with Engineering throughout product design and implementation to improve manufacturability, product traceability, bills of material, part numbering conventions, and production.
• Participate in Material Review Board (MRB) activities and assess the manufacturing, scheduling, inventory, and cost impacts of product changes and new product introductions.
• Maintain labor estimates, manufacturing costs, delivery capabilities, and product costing information to support pricing decisions, quotations, and profitability analysis.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Purchasing, and Program Management to validate bills of material, evaluate manufacturing capabilities, and support quoting and audit requirements.
• Lead investigations into product defects, manufacturing issues, defective material trends, returns, and RMAs, including root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive process improvement efforts focused on quality, efficiency, cost reduction, inventory optimization, defect prevention, and operational effectiveness.
• Serve as the manufacturing subject matter expert for the Visual ERP system, including report development, data analysis, operational support, and process enhancements.
• Develop and maintain SQL queries, reports, spreadsheets, and analytical tools to support manufacturing decisions, operational visibility, inventory management, and audit activities.
• Prepare and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual reports related to production performance, inventory levels, shipping metrics, cost analyses, inventory turns, service orders, RMAs, and other key operational indicators.
• Attend and contribute to operational review meetings by providing manufacturing performance data, inventory analysis, cost information, and recommendations for improvement.
• Support internal and external audits, including annual inventory audits, by coordinating inventory reviews, researching discrepancies, maintaining documentation, and providing required reports and data.
• Ensure manufacturing activities comply with company quality standards while maintaining inventory accuracy, product traceability, and operational controls.
• Monitor shipment performance, investigate shipping discrepancies and carrier charges, identify process improvement opportunities, and work directly with carrier representatives to improve service and reduce costs.
• Coordinate with Customer Service and other departments to prioritize critical customer orders and ensure customer delivery commitments are met.
• Provide leadership, coaching, performance management, training, and development for manufacturing and material handling personnel, including promoting cross-training and continuous learning.
• Manage employee staffing, scheduling, timekeeping, paid time off requests, performance evaluations, goal setting, and workforce development activities.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and safety-conscious work environment by building strong employee relationships, resolving conflicts, recognizing achievements, and supporting employee engagement initiatives.
• Provide manufacturing expertise and interdepartmental support related to order entry, requisitions, inventory management, shipping, quality processes, and operational problem-solving.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality Assurance, Purchasing, Accounting, Marketing, Customer Service, and other stakeholders to support company objectives and strategic initiatives.
• Establish accountability for safety, quality, productivity, customer service, inventory management, and overall operational performance.

 REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including responsibility for production operations, inventory management, quality systems, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing manufacturing strategies, policies, processes, and systems that improve operational performance, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.
• Experience managing production planning, inventory control, workforce development, and overall manufacturing performance within a manufacturing or assembly environment.
• Proven leadership experience with a track record of developing teams, improving employee performance, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, systems, compliance requirements, and operational best practices.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and collaborating effectively with Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Accounting, Customer Service, and other business functions.
• Strong business acumen, including experience managing budgets, analyzing operational metrics, and making data-driven business decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex operational challenges, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective actions and process improvements.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities with the capacity to manage multiple priorities and meet critical deadlines.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on operational leadership in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.

• Experience in electronics manufacturing, industrial equipment manufacturing, or a similar technical manufacturing environment, preferred.
• Experience with Visual ERP or comparable manufacturing ERP systems, preferred.
• Working knowledge of SQL queries, reporting tools, database applications, and manufacturing analytics, preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement certifications or training, preferred.
• Experience supporting external audits, inventory valuation activities, and regulatory or audit compliance requirements, preferred.
• Technical knowledge of manufacturing materials, components, fabrication methods, and assembly processes, preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Access, Adobe applications, FrontRange, or similar business systems, preferred.

• Ability to regularly walk manufacturing, assembly, warehouse, and inventory areas.
• Ability to perform occasional lifting as required.
• Willingness to provide periodic support outside normal business hours to address operational priorities, customer commitments, or production-related issues.

CLOSING DATE:  8/31/26

Syntech job descriptions are meant as summarizations only. They do not necessarily reflect all duties and responsibilities of a position.

Syntech is a drug and alcohol-free work environment and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran)