Manager, Suspension Manufacturing

Description: Summary: The Manager, Suspension Manufacturing leads day-to-day production operations for their area of the plant, overseeing shift and team leads as well as production associates to drive output, quality, and safety results. This is a mid-level operations leadership role requiring strong people-management experience, sound judgment, and the ability to keep a department running efficiently in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate combines hands-on shop floor credibility with the leadership skills needed to manage teams, uphold quality standards, and support continuous improvement across ICON's suspension systems and off-road performance product lines. Essential Duties & Responsibilities: Own daily, weekly, and monthly production planning to meet demand forecasts and customer delivery commitments Manage workflow and staffing across multiple production lines/cells, and training employees to reallocate labor and resources in real time to hit targets Set and monitor Overall Equipment Effectiveness, throughput, scrap rate, and on-time-delivery metrics; report performance to leadership In conjunction with Engineering, drive root-cause analysis on production shortfalls, quality escapes, and downtime events, and implement corrective actions Partner with supply chain and materials planning to prevent stockouts and manage WIP levels Coordinate maintenance schedules with the facilities/maintenance team to minimize unplanned downtime Directly supervise shift leads, team leads, and production associates. Set expectations and assist in achieving them. Recruit, hire, onboard, and train shop floor staff in partnership with HR Conduct performance reviews, manage disciplinary actions, and handle employee relations issues in partnership with HR Build training and cross-skilling programs to increase workforce flexibility and reduce single points of failure Ensure all products meet ICON's quality specifications and enforce inspection/QC checkpoints throughout production Own safety performance for the department: enforce OSHA compliance, lead incident investigations, and drive corrective/preventive actions Conduct regular safety audits and toolbox talks; champion a proactive safety culture Lead lean manufacturing initiatives (5S, kaizen, value stream mapping) to reduce waste and improve efficiency Identify and lead capital or process improvement projects, building business cases with ROI justification In partnership with HR, standardize work instructions and best practices across shifts Partner with Engineering on new product introductions (NPI) and manufacturability feedback Work with Quality Assurance on non-conformance resolution and process audits Collaborate with Planning/Scheduling to align capacity with sales demand Represent the shop floor perspective in leadership and operations meetings Requirements: Preferred Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience. 5+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, including at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or management role Demonstrated experience managing teams of 40+ employees Experience managing production budgets, labor planning, and cost control, with a focus on throughput, cycle times, parts per person, scrap and rework. Six Sigma Green Belt or Lean certification Knowledge and Personal Attributes: Strong working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles (5S, kaizen, Six Sigma, or similar) Solid understanding of OSHA regulations and manufacturing safety standards Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret production data and KPIs to drive decisions Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership Sound judgment and composure under pressure, especially when balancing competing production priorities Hands-on, floor-present leadership style paired with the discipline …

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