Production Manager

14 hours ago

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Kelly Services (Canada), Ltd. Full-time

Kelly Services' has partnered with a client in North York, ON to recruit for Temp to Perm Production Manager role

Location: North York, ON

Pay rate: $60/hour

Production Operations & Manufacturing

  • Lead all aspects of manufacturing operations, including production planning, scheduling, procurement, materials management, assembly, testing, packaging, inventory control, deployment, and logistics.
  • Ensure production schedules are achieved while maintaining quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
  • Monitor production capacity and develop strategies to support future business growth.
  • Optimize manufacturing workflows to improve productivity, efficiency, and throughput.
  • Oversee inventory management, production forecasting, and material availability.
  • Manage supplier relationships to ensure quality, on‑time delivery, and resolution of material quality issues.
  • Coordinate production priorities across engineering, purchasing, service, and customer support teams.
  • Drive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) initiatives in collaboration with Engineering.

Quality, Regulatory & Compliance

  • Ensure compliance with ISO 13485, GMP, FDA, Health Canada, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
  • Maintain world‑class manufacturing quality standards.
  • Develop, implement, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and production documentation.
  • Oversee non‑conformance investigations, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and continuous quality improvements.
  • Monitor manufacturing metrics including yield, defect rates, rework, scrap, and overall equipment effectiveness.
  • Support internal and external quality audits.

Strategic Manufacturing Leadership

  • Develop and execute manufacturing strategy in alignment with corporate growth objectives.
  • Support new product introduction (NPI) activities, ensuring smooth transition from engineering into production.
  • Identify opportunities for automation, process improvements, and manufacturing scalability.
  • Collaborate with EssilorLuxottica on long‑term manufacturing strategy, operational alignment, and best practice implementation.
  • Lead manufacturing readiness for future product releases and production expansion.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

  • Establish KPIs and production dashboards to monitor operational performance.
  • Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining product quality.
  • Improve manufacturing efficiency through process optimization and waste reduction.
  • Develop roadmaps for operational maturity and scalable manufacturing systems.

Leadership & Team Development

  • Recruit, develop, mentor, and lead a multidisciplinary production team, including technicians, assemblers, inventory personnel, and manufacturing support staff.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, quality, and continuous improvement.
  • Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and employee development planning.
  • Promote a safe, organized, and productive manufacturing environment.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

  • Partner closely with Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Service, and Finance.
  • Support engineering change implementation and production readiness activities.
  • Participate in executive planning and operational review meetings.
  • Provide regular production reporting, forecasts, risks, and improvement recommendations to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent industry experience).
  • 10+ years of progressive manufacturing or production management experience within medical devices, optics, electronics, precision manufacturing, or similarly regulated industries.
  • Demonstrated experience managing full‑cycle manufacturing operations from procurement through production, quality assurance, and shipment.
  • Strong understanding of:
  • ISO 13485
  • GMP
  • FDA Quality System Regulations
  • Health Canada Medical Device Regulations
  • Proven leadership experience managing cross‑functional teams.
  • Experience implementing and improving manufacturing processes within regulated environments.
  • Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
  • Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem‑solving skills.
  • Strong decision‑making and project management abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

  • E