Production Manager

Production Manager
Vaughan, ON · On-site ·
Reports to the Plant Manager
Full-time, permanent ·
English required, Mandarin an asset ·
Periodic travel, including to China during start-up

About the role
Aluminum die casting and machining plant in Vaughan, Ontario.
As Production Manager, you carry full accountability for the Production department, leading the team to hit targets across safety, quality, cost, delivery, and people (S/Q/C/D/M) while keeping the plant running safely and to plan.
This is a hands-on leadership role through start-up and ramp. You'll organize the department to meet its key metrics, drive lean production and standard-cost reduction, and keep strengthening the production system and team capability as the plant scales. It suits a floor-present leader who builds capable teams and a continuous-improvement culture.

Responsibilities
Production performance and key metrics

• Organize and lead the department to meet key targets across safety, quality, cost, and delivery, maintaining safe production and executing the schedule to meet delivery commitments.
• Drive continuous reduction of production standard cost through better process, efficiency, and waste elimination.
• Apply improvement methods and tools (lean manufacturing, Hoshin planning, motion/time analysis) to raise efficiency and quality and improve OEE.

Lean production and system building

• Lead and advance the implementation of lean production across the site.
• Continuously strengthen the production management system and team capability as the plant scales.
• Build and sustain 5S and workplace organization standards across all production areas.
• Drive cross-training toward a multi-skilled, flexible workforce.

Safety and environmental compliance

• Own safety performance and 5S within Production, targeting zero incidents.
• Identify occupational health and safety hazards and put appropriate management programs in place.
• Ensure production-related environmental compliance (waste, wastewater, noise, emissions).
• Support the plant's ISO 14001 environmental management system in day-to-day work.
• Ensure WHMIS and OHSA compliance across all production activities.

Quality and cross-functional coordination

• Implement IATF 16949 requirements within Production for controlled, continuously improving product quality.
• Coordinate production with Quality, Equipment/Maintenance, Logistics, and Engineering to meet plant objectives.

What we're looking for

• Results ownership. You hold the department's S/Q/C/D/M numbers and lead from the floor.
• Lean drive. You advance lean production and cut standard cost without trading quality or safety.
• System building. You strengthen the production system and team capability as you scale.
• People leadership. You lead, motivate, and cross-train a production workforce.
• Start-up resilience. You stay effective when a ramping plant shifts priorities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of production management experience in manufacturing, ideally automotive or die casting.
• Diploma or degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience implementing lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools.
• Strong working knowledge of IATF 16949 and core tools (APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA, SPC); die casting process knowledge strongly preferred.
• Microsoft 365 proficiency; experience in a multinational or foreign-invested manufacturer an asset.
• English required, Mandarin an asset.

Illustrative KPIs
Examples of how success is measured in this role:

• Safety: recordable incident rate and 5S adherence.
• Quality: first-pass yield and internal defect rate.
• Delivery: schedule attainment and on-time delivery.
• Cost: standard cost, scrap, and rework versus plan.
• Efficiency: overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• People: cross-training progress and voluntary turnover.

Working conditions

• On-site at the Vaughan, Ontario plant, with regular time on the production floor.
• Standard business hours, with flexibility to support production operations and shift coverage.
• Periodic travel, including training assignments in China during plant start-up.