What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Production Manager position at CRAFT Printing?
Job Description: Production Assistant Manager
Department: Operations / Production
Reports To: Director of Production Operations
Position Summary
The Production Assistant Manager supports daily manufacturing operations to ensure safe, efficient, and consistent production. This role is heavily focused on purchasing, inventory management, production scheduling, and operational coordination to support business demands and maintain uninterrupted production flow.
This position is responsible for managing supplier relationships, coordinating procurement activities, monitoring inventory levels, supporting production planning, and driving operational improvements across the facility. The role works cross-functionally with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Warehouse, Finance, and Leadership to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, control costs, and support company growth.
Key Responsibilities
Production Scheduling & Operations
• Develop and manage daily/weekly production schedules based on demand, labor, machine capacity, and priorities.
• Adjust schedules as needed for downtime, staffing, or production changes.
• Coordinate production priorities with supervisors, maintenance, and quality.
• Monitor schedule attainment and communicate risks or delays.
• Support labor balancing and workflow efficiency.
Purchasing, Procurement & Inventory Management
• Lead day-to-day purchasing and procurement activities for production materials, consumables, spare parts, packaging supplies, and operational inventory.
• Maintain strong relationships with suppliers and vendors to support pricing, availability, service, and lead times.
• Negotiate supplier pricing, contracts, and purchasing agreements to improve cost control and operational reliability.
• Issue purchase orders and monitor order status to ensure on-time delivery of materials.
• Monitor inventory levels and maintain appropriate safety stock to support uninterrupted production.
• Coordinate closely with Production, Warehouse, and Finance to align purchasing activities with production schedules and cash flow priorities.
• Track shortages, backorders, lead times, and supply chain risks while proactively identifying mitigation plans.
• Support inventory accuracy, cycle counting, material organization, and inventory optimization initiatives.
• Analyze purchasing trends, usage data, and inventory consumption to improve forecasting and reduce waste.
• Assist in developing procurement strategies that support scalability, operational efficiency, and supplier performance.
• Manage vendor communication related to delivery schedules, quality concerns, invoice discrepancies, and material issues.
Continuous Improvement
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and minimize waste.
• Support Lean, 5S, and process improvement initiatives.
• Assist with SOP updates, work instructions, and corrective actions.
• Help track scrap, downtime, purchasing trends, and operational performance metrics.
Team Support & Leadership
• Support Production Supervisors with daily operations.
• Assist with staffing coordination and shift coverage planning.
• Help train and coach operators and leads.
• Provide support during high-demand production periods.
• Help improve communication and coordination between Production, Warehouse, Procurement, and Leadership teams.
Reporting & Compliance
• Track key production and operational KPIs including:
o Schedule attainment
o Downtime
o Scrap/rework
o Output
o Inventory accuracy
o Supplier performance
o Purchasing spend and material usage
• Promote safety, PPE compliance, and housekeeping standards.
• Support OSHA, GMP, and company operational policies.
Qualifications
Required
• High school diploma or GED required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, not required
• 3–5 years of manufacturing, production, purchasing, procurement, or operations experience
• Experience with:
o Production scheduling
o Purchasing/procurement
o Inventory coordination
o Supplier management
o Process improvement
o Reporting/KPI tracking
• Strong communication, organization, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Proficient in Excel and ERP/MRP systems
Preferred
• Experience in packaging, canning, printing, or automated manufacturing
• Lean / 5S experience
• Leadership or shift coordination experience
- Experience negotiating supplier pricing and managing inventory in a fast-paced manufacturing environment