Visual Operations Manager Jobs in Independence, MO

WireCo® is the strength behind the world’s evolution, through deep legacy and forward thinking, we create premium ropes that inspire innovation without limits. Our global footprint includes manufacturing plants, distribution facilities, and research and development centers around the world.

WireCo® offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including wages plus bonus program, paid time off, paid holidays, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with a generous company match, 100% company-paid life insurance, and 100% company-paid disability insurance.

For more information, check out our website at www.wireco.com and the following videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CJwd_yXZA

The US Training Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and continuously improving a standardized onboarding, training and workforce development strategy for hourly and production team members across WireCo’s U.S. operations. The role is also responsible for enterprise-wise performance management processes for all team members.

The US Training Manager partners closely with Plant Managers, Operations Leaders, Human Resources, Safety, and Quality to ensure employees are effectively onboarded and trained, such that they are confident in their responsibilities and qualified to perform the work required to support safe and reliable operations.

The US Training Manager candidate must exhibit and proactively motivate others in the behaviors of the WireCo Business System (WBS):

• Teamwork - welcomes an environment of inclusiveness and healthy debate that reflects our team’s strength
• Accountable – celebrates our successes, learn from failures, avoid excuses, and own the outcomes of our efforts
• Self-Aware – demonstrates an understanding of our strengths and needs, considering how our actions impact others
• Noble Intent – acts in the interests of others, approaching our work with integrity to ensure the best outcome
• Determined – takes initiative, share ideas and find solutions to win and achieve our goals
• Transparent – promotes open and honest communication and constructive feedback for clarity and truth
• Curious – seeks knowledge and outside input to test our way of thinking, challenging the status quo

Production Onboarding Excellence (30-60-90 Day Focus)

• Design, implement, and continuously improve a standardized 30-60-90 day onboarding framework inclusive of onboarding checklists, qualification standards, job training guides, leader tools, and employee learning plans
• Establish clear learning milestones, proficiency expectations, and accountability at each stage of the new-hire experience from Day 1 through 90.
• Ensure new employees receive consistent, role-appropriate training in safety, quality, operational processes, equipment, and performance expectations.
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure onboarding standards are consistently executed
• Establish mechanisms for gathering feedback and incorporating insights into program improvements.
• Measure onboarding effectiveness through retention, time-to-proficiency, training completion, employee feedback, and early performance indicators.
• Partner with HR and Operations to understand turnover trends and early-tenure attrition drivers, and identify onboarding interventions that improve the employee experience and retention.

Cross-Training & Workforce Flexibility

• Develop and maintain skills and cross-training matrices for critical production roles, and establish consistent qualification, certification, and skill-validation standards for hourly team members.
• Establish structured cross-training pathways that increase workforce flexibility, strengthen operational resilience, and reduce single-point-of-failure dependencies on critical production processes.
• Partner with Operations to identify current and future skill gaps and critical-role vulnerabilities, building bench strength and visibility to workforce capability at the site and U.S. operations level.

• Support employee development by creating visible pathways for employees to expand skills, qualifications, and career opportunities.

Production Team Member Training Program Development

• Develop and maintain practical, role-based training curricula, standard work, job instruction guides, assessments, and qualification materials.
• Translate complex operational processes into clear, simple, and effective learning tools
• Establish common training standards while allowing appropriate flexibility for site-specific equipment, processes, and customer requirements.

• Implement and manager train-the-trainer programming at each location.
• Establish expectations and qualification criteria for employees serving as trainers.
• Utilize visual, hands-on, demonstration-based, and practical learning methods appropriate for manufacturing and distribution environments.
• Ensure training materials remain current as processes, equipment, products, and standards change.
• Ensure training is delivered in both English and Spanish

Safety, Quality, and Operational Alignment

• Partner with Safety and Quality leaders to ensure training reinforces critical standards, safe work practices, and quality requirements.
• Identify training-related contributors to safety, quality, or operational performance gaps and partner with site leadership on corrective actions.
• Support the implementation of new equipment, processes, products, and operational changes through effective employee training and qualification.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Establish a consistent training scorecard and reporting cadence across U.S. operations.
• Develop baseline performance measures, set improvement targets, and communicate progress
• Monitor key measures including:
  • 30-, 60-, and 90-day new-hire retention
  • Time to proficiency by role
  • Training and qualification completion
  • Cross-training and skill coverage by role/site
  • Percentage of critical roles with adequately trained coverage
  • Trainer capability and certification
  • Safety and quality trends associated with employee proficiency
  • Employee and leader feedback on training effectiveness
• Conduct periodic assessments of site training execution and identify opportunities to improve consistency and effectiveness.
• Use performance data, employee feedback, operational results, and best practices to continuously improve the U.S. training system.

Success Factors

Key Competencies

• Strong operational mindset combined with a passion for developing people.
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable programs  that are practical and able to be executed at the production floor level.  at the plant floor level.
• Ability to simplify complex processes into clear, repeatable training and qualification standards.

• Continuous-improvement mindset with a willingness to challenge existing practices and implement more effective solutions.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Improved 30-, 60-, and 90-day new-hire retention and reduced time-to-proficiency for new
• Increased cross-training and qualified skill coverage across critical production roles, with reduced operational dependency on individual employees for critical skills and processes.
• Improved consistency and execution of onboarding
• Increased capability and effectiveness of site trainers.
• Positive trends in safety, quality, and productivity linked to employee capability
• Increased visibility to workforce skills, gaps, and development needs.
• Positive training feedback from employees, trainers, supervisors, and site leadership

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Business, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field and 5+ years of relevant experience; or 8+ years of equivalent progressive experience in manufacturing training, operations, or workforce development in lieu of a degree.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing training, onboarding, or workforce capability programs in a manufacturing, distribution, or similarly operational environment.
• Experience working directly with production employees, frontline supervisors, and plant leadership.
• Strong understanding of adult learning principles, structured on-the-job training, skills development, and employee qualification processes.
• Demonstrated ability to develop practical training tools, standard work, assessments, and/or qualification programs.
• Demonstrated ability to drive and design, global performance management processes.
• Ability to influence leaders, drive change, and establish accountability without direct authority.
• Strong project management, organizational, facilitation, written and presentation skills.
•  Ability to analyze training and workforce data and translate findings into actionable improvements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading training or workforce development programs across multiple manufacturing or distribution locations.
• Experience implementing structured on-the-job training, train-the-trainer, skills matrices, or employee certification programs.
• Experience with Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, Training Within Industry (TWI), or similar operational excellence methodologies.
• Experience utilizing a Learning Management System (LMS) or similar platform .
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.

Travel

• Ability and willingness to travel to U.S. manufacturing and distribution locations approximately 30–40%, based on business needs.

Work Environment and Safety Requirements

• Work is performed in office, warehouse, shipping, receiving, and manufacturing environments.
• Must comply with all company safety requirements and wear required personal protective equipment, which may include metatarsal safety footwear, safety glasses, hearing protection, and other designated PPE.
• Must be able to safely work around powered industrial equipment, stored materials, production operations, and vehicle traffic.
• May be required to stand, walk, bend, reach, and move throughout warehouse and production areas for extended periods.
• May occasionally be required to lift or move materials weighing up to 50 lbs., with or with reasonable accommodation. 

Materials and Equipment Directly Used

• Standard office equipment such as computers, keyboards, telephones, and multifunction copier

Additional Information

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction
• An applicant must complete a satisfactory background check post-offer of employment.  A criminal conviction will not be an automatic bar to employment.
• Must be willing and able to pass a post-offer drug screen and physical
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability