Why work for us?
Alkegen brings together two of the world’s leading specialty materials companies to create one new, innovation-driven leader focused on battery technologies, filtration media, and specialty insulation and sealing materials. Through global reach and breakthrough inventions, we’re delivering products that enable the world to breathe easier, live greener, and go further than ever before.
With over 60 manufacturing facilities with a global workforce of over 9,000 of the industry’s most experienced talent, including insulation and filtration experts, Alkegen is uniquely positioned to help customers impact the environment in meaningful ways.
Alkegen offers a range of dynamic career opportunities with globe-spanning reach. From production operators to engineers, technicians to specialists, sales to leadership, we’re always looking for top talent ready to bring their best. Come grow with us!
Role Summary
The Production Manager is responsible for leading day-to-day manufacturing operations within a unionized plant, ensuring that production goals for safety, environmental, employee engagement quality, output, delivery, and cost are consistently achieved. This role requires strong leadership in building relationships with both hourly employees and union representatives, driving operational excellence, and developing a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Responsibilities:
Operations Management
- Lead daily production activities across assigned shifts/departments to meet output, quality, and cost targets.
- Monitor KPIs (safety, quality, productivity, OEE, scrap, labor efficiency) and implement corrective actions when targets are not met.
- Drive adherence to standardized work, production schedules, and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure the right staffing, equipment, and scheduling are in place to meet demand.
- Forecast labor requirements in alignment with collective bargaining agreements.
People Leadership
- Manage and coach frontline supervisors and team leads, fostering accountability and high performance.
- Work effectively within a unionized environment, maintaining constructive labor relations while upholding company policies and collective bargaining agreements.
- Support employee training, skill development, and engagement initiatives.
- Set stretch goals for all direct reports and ensure targets and goals are cascaded through the plant.
- Promote a culture of inclusion, respect, and recognition to reduce turnover and absenteeism.
- Engage hourly employees in problem-solving and continuous improvement.
Safety & Compliance
- Ensure a safe work environment by driving compliance with OSHA and company safety standards.
- Partner with the Plant Manager and EH&S Manager to drive significant improvements in housekeeping standards
- Lead safety incident investigations and implement corrective/preventive measures.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, and other federal/state/local regulations.
- Support sustainability initiatives (waste reduction, energy efficiency, recycling).
Continuous Improvement
- Champion Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other process improvement initiatives.
- Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality to eliminate bottlenecks and improve throughput.
- Lead cost reduction, waste elimination, and efficiency projects.
- Partner with Maintenance Manager to implement a Robust Preventive Maintenance Plan
- Work closely with Maintenance on equipment reliability and downtime reduction.
Cost and Budget Management
- Manage departmental budgets, overtime, and labor costs to meet financial targets.
- Drive cost reduction initiatives through productivity gains, waste elimination, and efficient resource utilization.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Purchasing to identify material and process savings opportunities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field (
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, with at least 5 years as a Production Manager in a unionized environment.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Proven track record of improving plant performance through effective people leadership and process improvements.
- Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing, production planning, and shop floor management.
- Solid understanding of collective bargaining agreements, grievance procedures, and labor relations.
- Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to work flexible hours in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
- Computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft Office, specifically Excel. BPCS experience a plus.
At Alkegen, we strive every day to help people – ALL PEOPLE – breathe easier, live greener and go further than ever before. We believe that diversity and inclusion is central to this mission and to our impact. Our diverse and inclusive culture drives our growth & innovation and we nurture it by actively embracing our differences and using our varied perspectives to solve the complex challenges facing our changing and diverse world.
Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, nation of origin, religion, color, gender identity and expression, age, disability, education, opinions, culture, languages spoken, veteran’s status, or any other protected class.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing
- 5 years as a Production Manager in a unionized environment
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification
- Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing and production planning
- Solid understanding of collective bargaining agreements and labor relations
- Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills
Alkegen Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Alkegen and has not been reviewed or approved by Alkegen.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered fair or strong in several roles and locations, with mentions of great pay and fair pay for the job. Competitive hourly operator wages and overtime opportunities in some sites reinforce this perception.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO, paid holidays, and paid sick days are available, with some salaried roles offering manager‑approved unlimited time off. These elements indicate broad time‑off options across the package.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match, in some cases with immediate vesting, is part of the offering. This reflects structured retirement support across many roles.
Alkegen Insights
What We Do
Alkegen is a specialty materials leader serving mission-critical systems that the world is focused on for the future, including: battery technologies, electric vehicles, filtration media, and specialty insulation materials that enable customers to reduce fossil fuel consumption, save energy, and live greener. We help people breathe easier, live greener, and go further than ever before. Our experience speaks for itself. Bringing together two of the world’s leaders in specialty materials, Unifrax and Lydall, Alkegen is a leader in innovation. We are a vertically integrated manufacturer with the global reach and talent to solve your most demanding applications. With 60 manufacturing facilities and 9,000+ highly skilled employees located around the world, we can solve any challenge. Dedicated to sustainability and human health, we are uniquely positioned to help customers impact the environment in meaningful ways. We are Alkegen.
