Overview
Leads Production and Quality across a two-shift automotive assembly operation and supports the Plant Manager in achieving facility objectives. During launch and ramp-up, the Assistant Plant Manager drives detailed readiness planning, cross-functional execution, risk closure, and validation of the people, processes, equipment, workstations, training, and quality controls required to reach stable regular production. Once regular production begins, this role has primary operational responsibility for Production and Quality performance, including safety, quality, delivery, productivity, labor efficiency, cost, workforce capability, and customer satisfaction. Materials remains a separate function reporting to the Plant Manager and partners closely with this role.
Responsibilities
People/Talent
- Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the Operations Managers, Quality Manager, and frontline leadership organization across all shifts.
- Establish clear goals, performance expectations, skill matrices, cross-training plans, succession plans, and routine feedback processes.
- Partner with Human Resources on staffing, attendance, employee relations, performance management, training, and corrective action.
- Promote a culture of safety, ownership, disciplined execution, teamwork, employee engagement, and continuous improvement.
Launch Deliverables
- Lead Production and Quality readiness for program launch, production ramp-up, and transition to regular production without allowing temporary launch practices to become the permanent operating model.
- Establish detailed readiness plans with defined deliverables, owners, timing, acceptance criteria, escalation paths, and evidence of completion.
- Coordinate with Program Management, Engineering, Materials, Maintenance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and customer representatives to ensure all requirements necessary for production are understood, assigned, and completed.
- Drive pre-production builds, simulations, production trials, run-at-rate activities, and readiness reviews; verify staffing, materials, tooling, equipment, training, documentation, process controls, and quality requirements.
- Identify risks and gaps early, assign accountable owners, maintain disciplined follow-through, and verify closure before key milestones.
- Ensure a controlled handoff from launch activity to stable, repeatable, and sustainable regular production.
Production and Quality Operations
- Direct Production and Quality activities across both shifts through the Operations Managers and Quality Manager.
- Own operating performance for safety, first-time quality, customer quality, delivery, production attainment, throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, rework, overtime, and controllable operating cost.
- Establish disciplined daily management, visual controls, KPI review, shift handoffs, layered escalation, and corrective-action routines.
- Ensure production schedules, staffing, labor utilization, and operational resources are effectively managed.
- Maintain strong shop-floor presence to verify execution, address abnormalities, reinforce standards, and remove barriers.
- Lead timely containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and verification of effectiveness for production and quality concerns.
Process Readiness and Standardized Work
- Ensure workstations are safe and production-ready, including ergonomics, tooling, equipment, material presentation, standardized work, visual controls, and quality checks.
- Partner with Engineering to validate cycle times, line balance, staffing requirements, throughput, capacity, equipment performance, and process capability.
- Ensure work instructions, process documentation, PFMEAs, control plans, inspection standards, repair and rework processes, and visual standards are approved and available at the point of use.
- Establish effective training and qualification processes for operators, team leaders, and production leadership; verify competency through demonstrated performance rather than attendance alone.
- Maintain retraining and requalification processes following product, engineering, quality, or process changes.
Cross-Functional Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
- Work collaboratively with Materials, Maintenance, Engineering, Human Resources, Information Technology, Program Management, Finance, and customer stakeholders.
- Partner with Materials, which reports to the Plant Manager, to ensure material readiness, presentation, availability, and escalation support for launch and ongoing production.
- Coordinate preventive maintenance priorities, equipment improvements, capital needs, and facility readiness with Engineering and Maintenance.
- Drive Lean manufacturing, 5S, standardized work, visual management, waste elimination, structured problem solving, and sustainable corrective action.
- Control and reduce overtime, premium freight attributable to operations, scrap, rework, repair expense, labor inefficiency, and other operating losses.
- Serve as acting Plant Manager when designated and perform other duties necessary to support successful plant operations.
Safety, Compliance, and Customer Satisfaction
- Promote a strong safety culture and ensure Production and Quality activities comply with company procedures and applicable health, safety, environmental, legal, and customer requirements.
- Ensure effective process controls, traceability, defect containment, quality records, customer approvals, and corrective-action practices.
- Maintain timely, fact-based communication with plant leadership, cross-functional partners, and customers regarding readiness, performance, risks, and recovery actions.
- Ensure customer commitments are met consistently across both shifts.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Directly leads the Operations Managers and Quality Manager and provides operational oversight of Production and Quality employees across all shifts. Materials, Maintenance, Engineering, Human Resources, Information Technology, and other plant functions remain separate functional organizations and collaborate with the Assistant Plant Manager in support of launch readiness and operating performance.
Qualifications
Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related discipline; and a minimum of ten years of progressive manufacturing experience, including at least five years in operations or quality leadership; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Experience leading high-volume automotive manufacturing across multiple shifts and supporting new-program launches, ramp-ups, process validation, and transition to regular production is required. Automotive OEM or Tier 1, new-facility launch, and UAW-represented operations experience is preferred.
Language Skills:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical procedures, customer requirements, quality-system documentation, performance reports, business correspondence, and applicable regulations. Ability to write clear reports, operating procedures, work instructions, corrective actions, and executive-level communications. Ability to communicate effectively with employees, leaders, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Mathematical Skills:
Ability to apply mathematical concepts used in capacity planning, cycle-time analysis, line balancing, labor planning, productivity, cost control, quality performance, throughput, percentages, ratios, proportions, and basic statistical analysis.
Reasoning Ability:
Ability to solve complex operational problems involving multiple variables, incomplete information, and time-sensitive decisions. Ability to identify risk, establish priorities, assign ownership, analyze root causes, develop recovery plans, and make sound decisions that protect safety, quality, delivery, cost, people, and customer commitments.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
No certification is required. Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or related operational-excellence certification is preferred.
Other Skills and Abilities:
Demonstrated leadership, attention to detail, organization, planning, communication, customer-interface capability, analytical thinking, and structured problem-solving skills. Working knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, IATF 16949, standardized work, layered process audits, Lean manufacturing, 5S, visual management, 8D, 5-Why, and Microsoft Office applications is preferred.
Other Qualifications:
Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, delivery, cost control, employee development, operational discipline, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. Must be able to work across shifts and support launch or production activities outside normal hours as business conditions require.
Scope of Responsibility:
During launch and ramp-up, the Assistant Plant Manager drives cross-functional ownership and completion of all actions necessary to achieve Production and Quality readiness and stable regular production. Once regular production begins, the role owns Production and Quality operating performance. Materials reports to the Plant Manager and remains accountable for materials execution while partnering closely with the Assistant Plant Manager on readiness and production support.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to handle, operate, or inspect equipment and materials; frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; and use close, distance, color, peripheral, and depth vision and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment:
The work-environment characteristics described here are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. This position works primarily indoors with limited weather exposure. Manufacturing and assembly-area noise levels may range from moderate to loud. Required personal protective equipment and all site safety rules must be followed.
