Production Manager (Automotive Manufacturing)

Location: Richton Park, Illinois, United States of America; onsite manufacturing role

Salary: $105,000–$125,000 per year

Company

Smart Components North America, a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Automotive, manufactures components for major automotive manufacturers, including fuel housings, door and safety handles, Capless solutions, and EV charge ports.

What you will do

• Lead first-shift production and guide supervisors across second and third shifts, ensuring consistent priorities and effective handoffs.
• Build an engaged and accountable production team through shop-floor leadership, coaching, and frontline leader development.
• Manage staffing, labor, overtime, resources, and production priorities to deliver the production plan.
• Own safety, quality, delivery, productivity, scrap, labor efficiency, downtime, and conversion-cost performance.
• Partner with Quality, Materials, Maintenance, and Engineering to reduce downtime, scrap, changeover losses, and other production constraints.
• Support plant-wide priorities and assume delegated Plant Manager responsibilities as readiness develops.

Requirements

• At least three years of direct manufacturing leadership experience with frontline teams and measurable production improvements.
• Experience managing daily production priorities, staffing, labor, and operational metrics.
• Practical knowledge of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, quality, and standard work.
• Hands-on leadership style with the ability to drive execution, solve problems, and improve processes across shifts and functions.
• Understanding of how labor, scrap, and production costs affect financial results.
• A bachelor’s degree in operations, engineering, business, or a related field is preferred.

Nice to have

• Experience leading multiple shifts or working in automotive, injection molding, automated assembly, or other high-volume manufacturing.

Culture & Benefits

• Visible, hands-on leadership from the manufacturing floor.
• Development path toward future Plant Manager responsibility.
• Opportunities to grow leadership capability and financial responsibility.
• Equal employment opportunity and fair treatment throughout employment.