Manufacturing Operations Manager

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Salamander Designs is a U.S.-based premium furniture manufacturer serving commercial and residential markets. We are seeking a Manufacturing Operations Manager to support and strengthen day-to-day manufacturing performance. This role plays a critical support function across production, purchasing, and quality, ensuring our operations deliver consistent quality, predictable lead times, with a focus on continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in production management and Lean manufacturing, thrives in a hands-on factory environment, and is motivated by process discipline, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Key Responsibilities
• Support daily production operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Provide operational support to Production Supervisors and department managers to ensure consistent execution.
• Lead Lean manufacturing initiatives including Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Kaizen events, standard work development, and waste reduction.
• Partner with Scheduling to align customer demand with available capacity and constraints.
• Improve production flow, work-in-process (WIP) control, and identification of bottlenecks.
• Coordinate development and maintenance of SOPs, work instructions, and process documentation.
• Support supplier purchasing and supplier quality activities, including Vendor Quality Audits (VQAs), return-to-vendor (RTV) processes, corrective actions, and inventory coordination.
• Support preventive maintenance coordination and escalate equipment issues as needed.
• Track, analyze, and report key performance indicators related to quality, delivery, and efficiency performance.

Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree with a major in Production Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• Lean Manufacturing certification, or equivalent hands-on experience required.
• 3–5 years of experience in manufacturing operations, supplier quality, or purchasing support roles.
• Working knowledge of Lean principles, supplier quality processes, and ERP systems.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with a hands-on, problem-solving mindset.

Originally, Salamander grew out of an idea developed by Salvatore Carrabba in the early 1990s. During a search for furniture to support and display his home entertainment components, Sal discovered there was nothing in the marketplace that met his requirements. He was hoping to find furniture of good quality that could be configured to meet his current needs, but flexible enough to accommodate his entertainment system as it changed over time.

Sal decided to apply his background in sculpture and design to create some furniture on his own, and the Archetype System of shelving was born. The positive response to his designs from family and friends convinced him that others might be interested in his designs as well. So, in 1992 Sal founded Salamander Designs, Ltd. Since then it has become a leader in the consumer electronics furniture marketplace, offering advanced flexible solutions for audio and video enthusiasts.

We at Salamander are heavily process driven and strive for Continuous Improvement in everything that we do. Quality control is a key focus for our company and we measure our performance frequently. 

Our facility is designed for materials and production to flow through an efficient process. Salamander manages using “Lean Manufacturing” principles and “pull manufacturing” techniques. This process allows us to Build-to-order thereby allowing us to carry virtually no finished goods stock. The concept is for the customer to “pull” the product through production with his order…they ask for it and we build it.

Salamander is located in Bloomfield, Connecticut and occupies a modern 85,000 SF facility just north of Hartford and 2 hours from Boston and New York City.