Production Manager

Job Description:

Company Overview

Smart Components North America, a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Automotive, manufactures innovative components for major automotive manufacturers. Our products include fuel housings, door and safety handles, Capless solutions, and EV charge ports. We operate manufacturing facilities in Mokena and Richton Park, Illinois, and Saltillo and Aguascalientes, Mexico.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a hands-on Production Manager who wants to lead from the manufacturing floor and grow quickly toward a Plant Manager role. This position combines direct leadership of first-shift production with responsibility for production performance across all three shifts.

Early in the role, you will spend significant time on the production lines: learning our people, processes, and ITW business model; building a strong team culture; and improving daily performance. As you establish results, you will take on broader plant leadership responsibilities and opportunities to step in for the Plant Manager. For a leader who performs strongly and demonstrates readiness, the role offers an accelerated path for consideration for a future Plant Manager opportunity.

This is a good fit for someone who enjoys frontline leadership and wants the breadth, accountability, and development that come with preparing to lead an entire plant.

What You Will Lead

Lead first-shift production directly and guide the Production Supervisors responsible for second and third shifts, creating consistent priorities and strong handoffs across the operation.

Build an engaged, accountable team through a visible shop-floor presence, clear expectations, coaching, and development of frontline leaders.

Deliver the production plan by managing staffing, labor, overtime, and resources while improving schedule stability and responsiveness to customer needs.

Own safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost results for assigned production areas. Use daily performance data to identify gaps and drive corrective action.

Improve line performance by reducing downtime, scrap, changeover losses, and other production constraints in partnership with Quality, Materials, Maintenance, and Engineering.

Manage conversion costs and understand how operational decisions affect the plant’s financial performance.

Support broader plant priorities, represent the operation when needed, and take on delegated Plant Manager responsibilities as your capability and readiness grow.

The role also serves as a key operational contact for the location, including appropriate escalation support outside normal first-shift hours.

What You Bring

• Three or more years of direct manufacturing leadership experience, including responsibility for frontline teams and measurable improvements in production performance.
• Experience managing daily production priorities, staffing, labor, and operational metrics.
• A practical approach to lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, quality, and standard work.
• Hands-on leadership style that builds team engagement and accountability on the production floor.
• Ability to drive execution, solve problems, and improve processes across shifts and functions.
• An understanding of how labor, scrap, and other production costs affect financial results, with an interest in taking on greater financial responsibility.
• Motivation to grow into broader plant leadership responsibility.
• A bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, business, or a related field is preferred. Experience leading across multiple shifts or in automotive, injection molding, automated assembly, or other high-volume manufacturing is also preferred.
• How Success Will Be Measured
• Success starts with a safer, more engaged team and stronger daily execution. Key measures include safety, quality and scrap, schedule attainment, delivery, labor efficiency, overtime, downtime, conversion costs, and the development of frontline leaders. Progress toward broader plant leadership will be assessed through sustained performance, leadership capability, and readiness for expanded responsibility.