Overview
Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Production Supervisor? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!
Responsibilities
Production Supervisor
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Meet the Recruiter: Anh Martin
Summary:
Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.
Job Summary:
The Production Supervisor leads safe, efficient shift operations in a high-volume, 24/7 manufacturing environment to consistently achieve production, quality, cost, and delivery targets. This role ensures adherence to standardized work, Lean manufacturing principles, and SQDCP performance metrics while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement. The Production Supervisor serves as the primary escalation point for shift-level operational issues, develops team capability, drives cross-functional problem-solving, and ensures compliance with safety, quality, and operational standards. Through strong leadership and data-driven decision-making, this position delivers measurable operational results and builds a high-performing team.
Shift: 6:30 PM–7:15 AM Nights, D-Shift (Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Every Other Wednesday)
Essential Duties:
Functional Leadership & Operations:
- Lead daily shift operations to achieve production, quality, cost, and delivery targets
- Ensure development, maintenance, and strict adherence to Standardized Work Instructions (SWIs)
- Plan and assign work schedules, tasks, and priorities for team members
Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:
- Drive Lean manufacturing and 6S initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce waste
- Drive execution of plant-wide initiatives aligned to SQDCP metrics
- Participate in issue resolution, data-driven decision-making, and process improvement activities
Team Development & Knowledge Sharing:
- Train and onboard new employees on SOPs, SWIs, and safety protocols
- Coach, mentor, and guide team members to improve performance and engagement
- Collaborate with HR and leadership on employee relations and performance issues
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Participate in and contribute to PFMEA and risk mitigation activities in collaboration with Manufacturing Process Engineers
- Support implementation and compliance of control plans throughout production
Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management:
- Ensure a safe work environment by enforcing safety standards and practices
- Train employees on safe work methods and proper use of PPE
- Monitor production processes to ensure quality standards are met at every stage
- Ensure defects are contained at the point of origin and do not progress downstream or reach the customer
- Investigate root causes and implement corrective actions for quality issues
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Provide direct supervision to Skilled Machine Technicians, including work assignment, performance oversight, training, and adherence to safety and operational standards
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:
- To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.
The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature
Qualifications
Requirements - Required and/or Preferred
Education, Certifications, and Licenses:
Required:
- Associate’s degree in a technical discipline (e.g., Industrial Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Engineering Technology). Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education.
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
- Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
- OSHA 30-Hour General Industry certification
Essential Qualifications:
- 3+ years of progressive leadership experience in a high-volume, 24/7 manufacturing environment, or 2+ years of experience as a PECNA Process Lead
- Knowledge of Lean, 6S, and continuous improvement practices
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Effective communicator; works well independently and with cross-functional teams
- Must be resilient, self-motivated, and able to perform effectively under pressure
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
- Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)
Preferred Qualifications:
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience, including direct oversight of hourly staff, in a 24/7, high-volume, lithium-ion, electronics, chemical, or regulated manufacturing environment with demonstrated success improving safety, quality, and productivity metrics
- Familiarity with PFMEA, control plans, and root cause analysis
- ERP/MES system experience (e.g., SAP, Oracle, FactoryTalk)
- Strong understanding of SQDCP metrics and operational KPIs
- Bilingual or multilingual capabilities (e.g., Japanese, Spanish)
Physical Demands:
Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:
- Sit: 10%
- Walk: 50%
- Stand: 40%
Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (<1%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)
For this position, the required frequency is:
- Up to 10 lbs.: Continuous
- Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent
- Up to 35 lbs.: Frequent
- Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Occasional
Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:
Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:
- Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
- Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
- Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
- Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
- Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
- Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
- Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
- Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
- On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.
Where You'll Be:
For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.
Who We Are:
Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us. Our journey began in 2017, and now, as the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory, we are expanding operations to De Soto, Kansas, providing you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one. As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs. Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions. We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact. In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.
We Take Opportunity Seriously:
At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer. We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!
Supplemental Information:
Pre-employment drug testing is required. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.
Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America.
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