Manufacturing Operations Manager Jobs in Palmyra, PA

Woodstream is the largest independent pest & animal control platform in North America, offering innovative brands with industry-leading efficacy and safety.

Ready to make an impact in a fast-paced manufacturing environment? Your next opportunity starts here—apply today! 

We have an immediate opening for a Production Manager in Lititz, PA!

At Woodstream, our values drive everything we do:

• Consumer is the Boss – We are committed to listening to and understanding our customers’ needs!
• Invent the Future – Challenge the status quo: Think boldly and creatively!
• Execution is Everything – We are committed to deliver with excellence, speed, and accuracy.
• Collaborate Confidently – We trust, respect, and empower each other to win together.
• Play to Win – We’re bold, ambitious, and relentless in our pursuit of success.

Benefits of Working for Woodstream:

• Competitive benefits package including:
  • 401k with Company Match, eligible on First Day of Employment
  • Health, Dental & Vision Insurance Effective on First Day of Employment
  • Access to Company Paid Penn Medicine Health Clinics
  • Company General Bonus Program
  • Company Paid Parental Leave
  • Adoption Assistance
  • Company Paid Basic Life & Disability Insurance
  • Accident, Critical Illness, & Hospital Insurance Options
  • Company Paid ID Theft
  • Legal Assistance Plan Options
  • Paid Vacation and Holidays
  • Pet Insurance
• Stable, growing working environment with a history of 150 years of doing business.
• Opportunity to advance within the company.

SCOPE & BASIC FUNCTION:

The Production Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient operation and continuous improvement of manufacturing and assembly at the Lititz Factory — leading through people first, process second, and results always. As a member of the factory leadership team, this role partners with peers to deliver QEHS excellence, asset care (AM/PM), plan delivery, and continuous improvement, while building a culture centered on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people development. This leader creates a compelling vision, aligns and inspires the team, and leads by example with strong communication, caring, professionalism, and urgency. Success is defined not only by operational performance but by the strength of the team, the development of future leaders, and the culture built across the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership, People Development & Culture

• Supervise, coach, and empowermanufacturingsupervisors, coordinators, and future leaders to meet performance goals — coaching rather than commanding following oureSQDPGmodel.
• Coordinate and direct activities of shop floor supervision in completion of daily standard work and improvement activities.
• Provide daily coaching, performance feedback, recognition, career development, and succession planning; conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews.
• Promote a culture of accountability, initiative, trust, and respect where employees feel valued, understand expectations and the “why,” and believe their ideas matter.
• Spend more time on the production floor than behind a desk — be visible, remove roadblocks, ask thoughtful questions, and follow up on commitments daily.
• Administer company policies and procedures such as hiring, discharge, performance appraisals, and wage changes, within the union contract.
• Address problems early; coach before discipline wheneverappropriate; never ignorepoor performanceand never embarrass people publicly.
• Encouragesexperimentation, learning, and responsible innovation whilemaintainingoperational discipline.

Safety & Quality Leadership

• Ensure programs and processes are in place to safely deliverqualityproducts, positivelyimpactingthe health of employees, the environment, and the community.
• Build a culture where every employee returns home safely every day;demonstratesafe behaviors, enforce safety protocols, and lead by example in all safety expectations.
• Conduct regular safety observations, investigate incidents using root cause analysis, and remove hazards before they become injuries.
• Promote psychological safety where employees speak up,and near misses are reported.

Production Operations & Excellence

• Develop and implement strategiestostaff and deliver profitable weekly production plans.
• Drive scheduleplanattainment, throughput, labor efficiency,machine efficiency, and capacity gains.
• Track and report KPIs such ascost per unit, budget adherence, plan attainment,labor use, capital justifications, and plant absorption.
• Heavily interacts withtheERP system (SAP),conducting confirmations, scrapping, inventory tracking, and supporting inventory integrity through the manufacturing side.
• Understand customer expectations and ensure manufacturing decisions support customer satisfaction, service, and long-term partnerships.
• Reduce scrap, downtime, and changeover time through disciplined execution.
• Coordinate training and cross-training activities to ensure equipment is fullyutilizedfor efficient scheduling.
• Anticipatefuture capacity constraints, workforce needs, technology opportunities, and operational risks while developing proactive solutions.
• Partner daily withsafety,Maintenance, Engineering, Warehouse, Quality, Planning, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Finance —succeeding through collaboration, not silos.

Continuous Improvement, Communication & Reporting

• Lead and support Lean Manufacturing, 5S, waste elimination, Standard Work, Visual Management, and Kaizen activities.
• Utilize practicalproblem-solving, 5-why, and root cause analysis tools to drive efficiency and equipmentutilization.
• Track and report KPIs such as TRIR and near miss reporting, schedule attainment, on-time delivery, throughput, OEE, scrap, first pass yield, labor efficiency, overtime, conversion cost, inventory accuracy, retention, engagement, attendance, training completion, Kaizen participation, and 5S audit scores.
• Proactivelyidentifybottlenecks and lead cross-functional improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale.
• Prepare production performance reports for management review; challenge the status quo while respecting the people doing the work.

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience/Other Skills | Life, Vocational, Educational

• BS in Engineering, Operations Management, BusinessAdministration, or a similar discipline; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will be considered.
• 3-5+ years' experience in a world-class manufacturing environment, including managing supervisors and hourly teams; employee engagement and servant leadership experience preferred.
• 3-5 years' Lean Continuous Improvement experience; strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing and TPM methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Ability to set priorities, follow up,deliver oncommitments, and get results whileengagingthe workforce.
• Ability to communicate effectively through verbal and written communication with all professional contacts; excellent coaching skills using rewards and recognition.
• Problem-solving/decision-making aptitude; strong analytical skills.
• Ability to work with deadlines and manage teams across shifts to achieve expected results.
• Proficiencyin the use of PCs, MS Office suite, statistical software, and applications; hands-on experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred).
• Motivated self-starter with a history of success in a process industry; positive attitude and ability to work independently.
• Team-buildingskills and ability to work in an empowered, team atmosphere.
• Capable of managing several projects at one time and interacting with upper management, shop floor personnel, and outside contractors respectfully and professionally, exemplifying company values.
• Eagerness and ability to learn/absorbnew informationand apply learnings to other areas with a vision for the future.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.

Characteristics, Skills + Experience

Characteristics | Behavioral

Accountable with grace

Adaptable and resilient during change

Believes in second chances while protecting standards

Business-minded decision maker

Calm and self-controlled under pressure

Caring — genuinely invested in people

Character before title

Coach-minded leader (coaches, not commands)

Consistent and fair with everyone

Culture champion

Emotionally intelligent

Empathetic and kind without lowering standards

Explains the “why” behind decisions

Firm expectations delivered with fairness

Follows through (“Does what they say”)

Gives credit to others, owns failures

Growth-oriented and humble

Holds others accountable with care

Honest and trustworthy

Leads by example

Listens more than they speak

People-first mindset

Praises publicly, coaches privately

Proactive problem-solver

Results-oriented mindset

Safety-first mindset

Seeks feedback and remains teachable

Servant leader, visible, and with floor presence 

Strategic and visionary thinker

Team-builder and mentor

Skills | Abilities

Production planning & schedule attainment

OEE, throughput & labor efficiency

Scrap, downtime & changeover reduction

Lean, 5S & Standard Work

Change management & cross-shift communication

Root cause analysis & 5-why problem solving

TPM & asset care (AM/PM)

Visual & daily management systems

KPI tracking & performance reporting

Policy administration in a union environment

Developing shop floor supervision

Budget, overtime & conversion cost control

Conflict resolution & difficult conversations

Safety observations & incident investigation

Capacity planning, staffing & cross-training