Manufacturing Operations Manager

At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.

Position Purpose

The Operations Manager provides overall leadership and accountability for the execution of the manufacturing operating plan, ensuring the safety of employees while delivering high-quality products to customers in accordance with service, cost, and business expectations. Provides leadership to manufacturing management and support functions to ensure the organization has the people, processes, equipment, materials, capacity, and capabilities required to support current and future business needs.

Leads the organization in achieving production, quality, delivery, cost, workforce, and capacity objectives while ensuring products meet established specifications and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

Operations Leadership & Execution

• Assume overall responsibility for execution of the manufacturing operating plan, while working with peers in product development, engineering, production planning and scheduling as well as external manufacturing resources.
• Establish operating priorities and ensure appropriate alignment of staffing, materials, equipment, capacity, outside contracting, and facility requirements.
• Provide leadership and direction to manufacturing assistant managers and functional support teams in resolving operational issues and meeting business objectives.
• Identify internal and external risks that could impede achievement of the manufacturing business plan and develop appropriate mitigation and corrective-action plans.

People Leadership & Organizational Development

• Create a motivating, accountable, and performance-focused manufacturing environment.
• Regularly evaluate staffing levels, leadership capacity, and job responsibilities to ensure the organization is positioned to achieve its objectives.
• Provide input for workforce planning and succession planning for critical manufacturing positions.
• Make or approve employment decisions regarding hiring, promotions, transfers, development actions, and terminations within established company practices.
• Establish clear performance expectations for direct reports and ensure effective performance management practices are consistently applied throughout the organization.
• Coach and develop leaders through challenging assignments, direct feedback, training, career discussions, and development planning.
• Build leadership capability throughout the organization, particularly within frontline and operations leadership.
• Promote effective communication, teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement across manufacturing operations.
• Ensure consistent and equitable application of company policies, compensation practices, and employment procedures.
• Partner with Human Resources to address complex employee and organizational issues.

Safety

• Assume overall operational responsibility for manufacturing safety performance and the development of a strong safety culture.
• Ensure compliance with applicable safety requirements, including OSHA/VPP regulations and company policies.
• Integrate safety considerations into production processes, equipment decisions, facility changes, training, staffing, and daily operating practices.

Production, Quality & Customer Service

• Ensure manufacturing operations consistently deliver products that meet established product specifications and quality standards.
• Maintain production capacity and schedules necessary to support customer demand, inventory requirements, and service expectations.

Financial & Business Management

• Assume responsibility for controlling manufacturing operating costs and achieving established financial objectives.
• Develop and manage annual manufacturing operating and capital budgets.
• Monitor financial and operational performance and take corrective action when performance deviates from business plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve utilization of manufacturing assets and capabilities, including appropriate third-party programs or external business opportunities that can help offset periods of lower internal production demand.

Manufacturing Strategy & Business Planning

• Assist in developing and recommending the overall strategic direction of the manufacturing organization.
• Translate manufacturing strategy into annual and multi-year operating priorities, resource requirements, and measurable objectives.
• Evaluate manufacturing capabilities, capacity, technologies, workforce requirements, and external manufacturing alternatives when developing future operating strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve flexibility, productivity, quality, cost competitiveness, and responsiveness to changing business requirements.
• Provide operational input into decisions involving capacity expansion, new capabilities, and manufacturing footprint.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Establish a culture of continuous improvement across manufacturing operations.
• Lead efforts to improve productivity, quality, throughput, labor utilization, cost, material flow, equipment effectiveness, and operational reliability.
• Ensure root-cause problem solving and corrective-action processes are used to address recurring operational issues.
• Encourage leaders and employees to identify and implement improvements to processes, equipment, work methods, and workplace organization.
• Use operational performance information to identify trends, prioritize improvement opportunities, and drive accountability.

External Manufacturing & Business Partners

• Evaluate external capacity as part of the overall manufacturing capacity and business planning process.
• Coordinate internal and external manufacturing capabilities to provide flexibility in responding to changing business demand.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related technical discipline required.
• Advanced degree or professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Project Management, or Operations Management preferred.
• Equivalent combination of relevant technical education and significant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.

Experience

• 6–10 years of progressively responsible manufacturing experience, including increasing levels of leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-shift manufacturing operations, production teams, and front-line leaders/supervisors.
• Experience managing key manufacturing disciplines including safety, quality, productivity, labor utilization, cost, delivery, capacity, and employee performance.
• Experience developing leaders, building succession plans, and improving organizational capability.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, Maintenance, HR, Finance, and Product teams.

Skills

• Strong leadership and people-management skills, with an emphasis on employee engagement, accountability, coaching, and talent development.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret manufacturing data and translate information into action.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing KPIs, including safety, quality, cost, delivery, productivity, efficiency, labor performance, capacity, and schedule attainment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.
• Strong project and change-management skills, including the ability to lead multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking with the ability to connect day-to-day operational decisions to longer-term manufacturing and business objectives.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.

Abilities

• Ability to lead through other leaders, establishing clear expectations and accountability throughout the manufacturing organization.
• Ability to create a culture focused on safety, quality, continuous improvement, employee engagement, and operational excellence.
• Ability to balance competing priorities involving people, production, cost, quality, delivery, and customer requirements.
• Ability to analyze operational performance, identify trends and gaps, determine root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Ability to make timely, fact-based decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Ability to maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor and build credibility with employees and leaders.

If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you!   At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us.  We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote belonging.