MPI Manufacturing Operations Manager

What We Live By……

The McWane Way is a core philosophy outlined by the founder J.R. McWane in 1920.  Today It encompasses Teamwork, Excellence, Leadership, Environment, Communication, Accountability, Safety and Trust.  All team members at every level are expected to know and work by these principles, values, and behaviors.  Most importantly, every team member is expected to be able to answer this question, “What does this mean for me?”  This is the all-important question because behavior is the best evidence of a living principle.  Join the McWane team on the journey to The McWane Way.

Who We Are……

McWane Inc. has a newly created division, McWane Plant and Industrial (MPI). This new division, based in Birmingham, AL, combines all Plant and Industrial Products in a single customer-focused package. We offer comprehensive solutions through an experienced team of professionals specifically focused on these two special markets. Our Mission is to be the Plant and Industrial supplier who is “easiest to do business with”.  We will make it easier to engineer, specify, and order components for plants.  We will provide greater support for smoother delivery, cost-effective installation, and start-up. Most importantly, we will build strong relationships with design engineers, contractors, plant operations teams and project owners to assure we are their first-choice supplier for both new construction and future upgrades.

Position: MPI Manufacturing Operations Manager

Location: Calera, AL

Directly Reports to: Director of Operations

performance, safety excellence, operational discipline, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring effective communication and operational continuity across shifts.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Production Execution

• Lead daily manufacturing operations, across multiple shifts, to ensure safe, stable, and efficient production performance.
• Own execution of production schedules, operational priorities, and recovery plans.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor to drive accountability, urgency, and operational discipline ensuring the safety of all team members remains priority.
• Monitor production performance, staffing levels, equipment utilization, workflow constraints, and schedule risks.
• Coordinate rapid response and recovery efforts for downtime, material shortages, equipment failures, quality issues, and staffing challenges.
• Ensure manufacturing activities align with customer requirements, business priorities, and production capacity.
• Ensure compliance with all company safety policies, OSHA requirements, environmental regulations, and operational standards.
• Ensure operator readiness, process capability, and production readiness for new products.
• Support production transition planning and operational readiness activities.

Leadership & Workforce Development

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop supervisors, leads, machinists, operators, and production personnel.
• Establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, and accountability.
• Conduct routine floor audits, leadership observations, and operational reviews.
• Support workforce planning, onboarding, training, cross-training, succession planning, and performance management.
• Promote a culture centered on safety, teamwork, accountability, communication, and continuous improvement.
   

CNC Manufacturing & Technical Operations

• Oversee CNC machining operations, including workflow scheduling, machine utilization, tooling coordination, and operational efficiency.
• Support CNC programming activities including G-code edits, CAM support, program optimization, and setup improvements.
• Ensure machining processes conform to specifications, drawings, GD&T requirements, and customer expectations.
• Validate manufacturing routings through time studies and process reviews.

Partner with Engineering to develop tooling, fixtures, gauges, and job aids that improve safety, efficiency, repeatability, and manufacturing flexibility.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field; equivalent education and work experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum of five (5) years of manufacturing leadership experience in an industrial manufacturing environment with minimum of three (3) years leading supervisors, team leads, and production employees.
• Strong knowledge of CNC machining, tooling, blueprint reading, GD&T, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI), First Article Inspection (FAI), and PPAP requirements.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing reporting tools.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead operational recovery efforts and workforce accountability systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
• Lean Manufacturing certification and/or Six Sigma training.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 or equivalent ERP system.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Ability to stand, walk, climb, bend, stoop, kneel, and reach throughout manufacturing facilities for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work in environments with noise, dust, vibration, heat, cold, and industrial equipment.
• Must wear required PPE, including safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed footwear, and other protective equipment as required.
• Ability to work flexible hours as necessary to support production demands and multiple shifts.
• Ability to effectively communicate in a manufacturing environment.

Excellent benefits include 9 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays, 3 weeks PTO, 401k and company health insurance plans, Education Assistance, a Wellness Program, and EAP.
 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA - gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.  Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities.  To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. McWane Plant & Industrial is an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. It is the Company's policy to provide equal opportunity for all qualified persons and to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, or any other legally protected status. We maintain a drug-free workplace and reserve the right to perform substance abuse testing as needed.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA- gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.