At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make “good things, for life.”  As the fastest-growing appliance company in the U.S., we’re powered by creators, thinkers and makers who believe that anything is possible and that there’s always a better way.  We believe in the power of our people and in giving them the freedom to explore, discover and build good things, together.  

The GE Appliances philosophy, backed by three simple commitments defines the way we work, invent, create, do business, and serve our communities: we come together, we always look for a better way, and we create possibilities. 

Interested in joining us on our journey? 

Manufacturing Operations Leader is responsible for overseeing day-to-day factory operations, production support, facility readiness, EHS coordination, staffing, budget management, and cross-functional execution for a specialized manufacturing site. This role ensures safe, reliable, and efficient operations while supporting manufacturing, engineering, quality, materials, facilities, finance, and external stakeholder relationships.

The role requires a hands-on operational leader with strong technical, manufacturing, financial, and people-management capabilities.

Position

Manufacturing Operations Leader

Location

USA, New Haven, CT

How You'll Create Possibilities

Key Responsibilities

Operations and Manufacturing Support

• Lead and support daily factory operations, production execution, troubleshooting, and issue resolution.
• Responsible for operational performance and improvement of key metrics including safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale. Align area metrics with overall department/value stream goals; organize resources to deliver on these metrics.
• Oversee the daily start-up of production area. Ensure line is properly staffed and manage staffing throughout the day; monitor expected and unexpected absenteeism. Review daily plan with Team Leaders.
• Support production, including technical support, manufacturing troubleshooting, and escalation of production risks.

• Maintain strong understanding of fabrication capabilities, equipment constraints, production flow, and process requirements. Maintain a good technical knowledge of operations; follow the escalation process to address and respond to abnormalities and recommend corrective action as required.

• Coordinate with engineering, quality, maintenance, supply chain, and production teams to remove operational barriers.
• Act as a first responder to Team Leaders and production team members within the production area. Facilitate delegation of issues to appropriate level in escalation process.
• Ensure the Lean manufacturing practices and Escalation Process.
• Support equipment maintenance priorities and ensure production issues are addressed with urgency and discipline.
• Promote standard work, accountability, 5S, and continuous improvement across the facility.

Engineering, Quality, and Technical Systems

• Support project quoting, manufacturing BOMs, standard costs, and technical documentation.
• Use and support GEA systems including Windchill, Agile, Oracle, and related manufacturing / engineering systems.
• Participate in meetings to review department issues. Assist in prioritizing and assigning ownership for open items in assigned production area. Track items to closure and ensure follow-up with key stakeholders.
• Maintain working familiarity with BCR and NPI processes.
• Support quality documentation, audit readiness, UL audits, and corrective action follow-up.
• Help resolve technical issues related to product design, manufacturability, process capability, and production readiness. Lead work team to react aggressively to factory inefficiencies. Drive problem-solving and root cause identification of problems for the production area. Engage all members of escalation team to address and resolve problems, ex. PIE, quality, facilities engineer, etc.

LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION:  Provide active day-to-day leadership, work direction and support for a manufacturing team within a production area.

• Partner with site Human Resources team to ensure fair and consistent administration of all policies, work rules and processes.
• Oversee line staffing and allocate employees to cover absenteeism.

EHS and Compliance Support

• Support LOTO, Job Safety Instructions, SDS management, PPE management, emergency response, and compliance calendar activities.
• Reinforce safe working practices across production, maintenance, facilities, and contractor work.
• Partner with EHS resources to identify hazards, support corrective actions, and maintain compliance readiness.
• Ensure safety considerations are built into production decisions, maintenance work, and facility projects.

QUALITY:  Ensure the product produced on manufacturing line is defect-free and produced according to specification.

• Ensure all quality processes/standards are followed within assigned production area.
• Monitor quality issues on a daily basis and drives the resolution or escalation for any defect.
• Ensure Team Leaders include quality standards in Standardized Work to meet design intent and build in quality.
• Work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders to address and solve production line quality issues (i.e. Team Leader, engineering, quality).
• Monitor scrap data/reports to drive resolution of scrap issues and work projects to prevent future scrap.

Materials, Supply Chain, and Planning Oversight

• Review and oversee the materials resource responsible for day-to-day inventory, ERP, and material planning activities.
• Monitor inventory levels, material availability, and Oracle / ERP information as needed to support production.
• Support forecasting and production planning by helping evaluate demand, labor, inventory, equipment capacity, and operational constraints.
• Coordinate with materials, supply chain, production, and engineering teams to resolve shortages, delays, substitutions, and inventory issues.
• Escalate material risks that could affect production schedules, customer commitments, or project timelines.

Facilities, IT, and Site Infrastructure

• Oversee contracted building maintenance vendors to ensure they address facility needs including repairs and infrastructure readiness.
• Identify and escalate facility or infrastructure risks that may affect safety, compliance, production, security, or employee experience.

Finance, Budgets, and Labor Management

• Support budget breakdowns, spending allocations, program deck management, and financial reporting inputs.
• Understand and manage cost distinctions including COGS vs. non-COGS, direct vs. indirect spend, expense vs. CapEx, material cost, VLOH, and standard cost.
• Partner with finance to review budget variances, cost drivers, labor costs, and spending risks.
• Manage factory and 1B staffing needs, labor budget visibility, Magnit system activity, and weekly approval of hours.
• Coordinate with supervisors, HR, and staffing partners to ensure appropriate labor coverage.

Community and External Relationships

• Maintain relationships with local government, civic, education, and community partners.
• Interface with the fire department, health department, permitting office, Mayor’s Office, Stamford Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, UConn, and other community partners.
• Represent the site professionally in external meetings, tours, events, and partnership discussions.

What You'll Bring to Our Team

Desired Key Skills and Capabilities

• Manufacturing operations leadership.
• Factory floor troubleshooting and technical problem-solving.
• EHS, LOTO, SDS, PPE, emergency response, and 5S familiarity.
• ERP and manufacturing systems experience, including Oracle, Windchill, Agile, and Magnit.
• BOM, standard cost, NPI, BCR, and quality documentation familiarity.
• Budgeting, cost tracking, labor planning, and financial literacy.
• Facilities management and contractor coordination.
• Cross-functional leadership across production, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, HR, IT, and external partners.
• Strong communication, escalation, organization, and follow-through.

Required:

• BS/BA degree required, ideally in engineering, supply chain management or business.
• Leadership experience and/or technical acumen within supply chain (ie: manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, materials, quality, procurement, fulfillment or related functional area.)
• Demonstrated experience working with individuals at all levels of the organization to achieve operational results and positive union relations.
• High level of initiative, energy and motivation to develop & grow in a team environment
• Exceptional Organizational skills, and ability to handle multiple priorities and tasks.
• Demonstrated technical competency & experience.
• Proven  leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Bias for action; self starting problem-solver & follow-through ability.
• Ability to facilitate team projects.
• Position supports 24/7 manufacturing facilities. Occasional off shift, on call and weekend work may be required.

Preferred:

• 7 years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, supplier management and project implementation.
• Six Sigma certification preferred, with strong knowledge of Lean, DMAIC, workout and other change mechanisms.
• Demonstrated accomplishments showing results-driven methodology, analytical methods, schedule achievement, team work.
• Lean Manufacturing implementation experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication, interpersonal and leadership influencing skills.

Our Culture

Our work is centered on our People and Culture as reflected in our Zero Distance philosophy and we recognize the importance of reaffirming our commitment to inclusion and diversity (I&D). This underscores our commitment to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, connected, and empowered to contribute, while positioning our organization to adapt seamlessly to the evolving needs of our workforce and communities.

This reflects our dedication to creating solutions that: Empower colleagues by fostering an environment where all voices are heard, valued, and encouraged to contribute. Strengthen communities where we live and work. Reinforce a culture of belonging, purpose, and engagement. Reflect the diversity of the communities we serve through our workforce, products, and practices.

By further embedding Zero Distance into our People and Culture framework, we will continue to build a deeply connected organization. We are cultivating a culture of engagement, belonging, and connection, because while attracting new talent remains a priority, retention is a cornerstone of our strategy.

GE Appliances is a trust-based organization. It is important we offer our employees the flexibility they need to do their best work while balancing the needs of the business and individuals. When you join GE Appliances, you will have the opportunity to work with your leader to create a flexible work arrangement that balances the needs of the individual, team, and organization.

GE Appliances is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

GE Appliances participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance or an accommodation to use our website or to apply, please send an e-mail to [email protected]