Production Shift Manager

Position Overview:
The General Assembly Production Shift Manager is responsible for leading shift-based production operations within the GA shop, ensuring daily delivery of planned volume, safety, and quality targets. This role provides direct leadership to all production supervisors and shop floor teams, driving execution discipline, operational efficiency, and workforce performance. The position is accountable for achieving production KPIs, maintaining a safe working environment, and ensuring consistent product quality during both launch and steady-state operations.

Key Responsibilities:
o Production Execution and Output Delivery:

• Lead daily production operations to achieve planned volume targets in line with production schedules.

• Ensure consistent delivery of Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery (SQCD) objectives.

• Monitor shift performance and take immediate actions to address any deviations from plan.

• Ensure production processes are executed according to defined standards and work instructions.

o Team Leadership and Workforce Management:

• Lead and manage all Production Supervisors and shop floor personnel within the assigned shift.

• Drive accountability for performance, discipline, and adherence to operational standards.

• Ensure proper staffing, skill coverage, and shift resource allocation.

• Support development and coaching of supervisors and operators to build a high-performing team.

o Safety and Compliance:

• Ensure strict adherence to all safety standards, policies, and procedures.

• Promote a strong safety culture and proactively identify and mitigate risks.

• Lead incident investigations and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

o Quality Assurance and Control:

• Ensure production output meets defined quality standards and customer expectations.

• Support containment and resolution of quality issues in collaboration with Quality teams.

• Enforce standardized work and process discipline to prevent defects. Operational Problem Solving

• Lead immediate response to production issues, including line stoppages and bottlenecks.

• Coordinate cross-functional support to resolve issues impacting production performance.

• Utilize structured problem-solving approaches to address recurring operational challenges.

o Performance Management and Continuous Improvement:

• Monitor and report production KPIs including throughput, efficiency, downtime, and scrap.

• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective actions to improve results.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity and process stability.

o Cross-Functional Coordination:

• Work closely with Maintenance, Process Engineering, Quality, and Logistics teams to ensure smooth operations.

• Escalate issues impacting production readiness and support resolution across functions.

• Support launch activities, ramp-up phases, and production readiness reviews. 

Skills:
o Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of automotive assembly operations and production processes.

• Knowledge of production planning, line balancing, and throughput optimization.

• Familiarity with manufacturing KPIs and performance management systems

• Understanding of quality systems and defect prevention practices.

o Personal Skills:

• Strong leadership and team management capability

• Ability to make decisions quickly in a fast-paced production environment

• Excellent problem-solving and conflict management skills

• Effective communication and stakeholder coordination

• High level of ownership, accountability, and results orientation

o Specific Requirements:

• Flexibility to work in shifts and support off-hours, weekends, and ramp-up phases

• Experience in new product launches and production ramp-up preferred 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in automotive production operations or manufacturing leadership roles.

 • Proven experience managing supervisors and leading large production teams

• Strong background in high-volume manufacturing environments

• Experience delivering production KPIs including safety, quality, and output