Production Manager - Change Agent (Springfield)

Judge Direct Placement is partnering with a premier manufacturing leader in the Springfield, IL area to find a visionary Production Manager to lead a high-stakes evolution of their production plant. This isn't just about maintaining the status quo; it’s about a total operational rebirth. We need a Strategic Architect—a leader who can dismantle inefficient legacy systems, bridge the gap between leadership and the line, and instill a world-class manufacturing mindset. If you have the grit to overhaul a site and the emotional intelligence to bring the team with you, please apply.

Key Responsibilities

Cultural Alignment & Visionary Leadership

• The New Baseline: Define and enforce a culture rooted in mutual respect and extreme ownership; replace finger-pointing with collaborative problem-solving and rigorous accountability.
• Bridge the Gap: Act as the face of change, spending significant time on the floor to translate corporate strategy into actionable, relatable goals for the workforce.
• Succession Planning: Audit the human capital landscape; mentor emerging leaders and restructure teams to ensure the right people are in the right seats to support a high-performance environment.

Operational Engineering & Performance

• Workflow Synthesis: Re-engineer end-to-end production cycles to remove friction points and maximize Value-Add time via Kaizen events and Lean integration.
• Metrics That Matter: Implement real-time dashboarding for OEE, First-Pass Yield (FPY), and safety incidents to move from anecdotal reporting to data-driven reality.
• Preventative Evolution: Shift the maintenance and production philosophy from break-fix to predictive reliability, utilizing Pareto analysis to target the 20% of issues causing 80% of downtime.

Strategic Site Revitalization

• Asset Rationalization: Evaluate and optimize the use of floor space, machinery, and inventory to improve cash flow and spatial efficiency.
• Financial Stewardship: Oversee the P&L with a Business Owner mindset, prioritizing capital investments that shorten lead times and enhance competitive advantage.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 7+ years in manufacturing leadership, specifically within environments requiring heavy change management, cultural turnarounds, or significant efficiency scaling.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain, or Operations (Master’s degree or MBA strongly preferred).
• Certifications: Lean Master, Six Sigma Black Belt, or equivalent mastery of continuous improvement frameworks.
• Leadership Style: A boots-on-the-ground leader who commands respect through competence and transparency, capable of navigating complex labor dynamics and driving individual accountability.
• Analytical Edge: Advanced proficiency in leveraging ERP data and IIoT insights to drive shop-floor behavior and long-term strategic planning.