Production Manager Mentor TEMPORARY/SHORT-TERM ASSIGNMENT

Company Overview
Meridian Laboratory is a global automation and machine component designer and manufacturer headquartered in Middleton, WI. Since 1963, we’ve never stopped innovating, and we’re proud to have customers who have trusted us to provide industry-leading industrial automation and motion control solutions for over 60 years. We are a growth-oriented company comprised of respectful and driven individuals specializing in production, machining, engineering, marketing, sales, and more. Meridian Laboratory serves as a place to build a rewarding and fulfilling career!

Learn more about Meridian Laboratory by checking out our website - meridianlab.com

Join a team recognized as a 2026 Top Workplace, where great people make great products!

Job Summary

Meridian Laboratory is seeking a veteran manufacturing leader for a specialized 10-16 month assignment. This role is designed for a professional with a lifetime of experience who is looking to scale back their career while making a significant impact to the development of a trainee that is interested and dedicated towards expanding their skillset for the future assumption of the role.

We are looking for a mentor—someone who has "been there and done that" and now finds fulfillment in passing those hard-earned lessons on to the next generation. You will serve as our active and accountable Production Manager, reporting to the VP of Operations, while simultaneously training and mentoring a designated internal successor to take over the role permanently.

This position is offered as a W2 or contract opportunity.

What We Are Looking For

• Active Leadership & Responsibility: You will hold final authority over daily production schedules, quality control, and meeting customer deadlines. The "buck stops with you."
• Personnel Management: Directly oversee a dedicated production team, ensuring safety protocols are followed and team performance remains high.
• Operational Oversight: Use our ERP (Odoo) to manage manufacturing orders and inventory. You will be responsible for identifying and correcting bottlenecks to optimize output.
• Mentorship: This is the heart of the role. You will coach your successor on the "rounded experience" of manufacturing—handling personnel issues, navigating high-pressure deadlines, and developing the strategic mindset required for management.
• Collaboration: Partner with Engineering and Sales to troubleshoot technical issues and ensure delivery promises are kept.

Phased Transitions

This is a transitional leadership role. You aren’t doing two jobs at once; you are sharing one management workload with our designated high-potential trainee. The goal is a systematic "handing over of the keys" over the course of 10-16 months:

• Initial Phase (Months 1-6): You are the primary lead. You will manage the floor, set expectations, and stabilize operations while the trainee shadows and assists.
• Transition Phase (Months 7-12): You begin delegating core responsibilities. You shift from "doing" to "overseeing," providing a safety net as the trainee takes on more authority.
• Final Phase (Months 13-end): You move into a pure advisory role, fine-tuning the trainee’s leadership skills and ensuring they are ready for a clean, successful hand-off.

Essential Job Duties

• Plan and coordinate daily production schedules with production personnel.
• Manage non-conformance parts and rework to ensure the end product meets customer requirements.
• Use ERP (Odoo) to schedule, track, and complete manufacturing orders.
• Administer Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and make changes per production and manufacturing processes developed.
• Monitor inventory of materials necessary for production and order as needed.
• Work with both sales and production teams to ensure delivery dates are met.
• Manage work orders to ensure customer order requirements are met.
• Allocate and delegate personnel to optimize production.
• Analyze production flow and determine weaknesses and bottlenecks; work with production and management to correct these findings.
• Ensure all safety procedures are followed within the production environment and assist in creation of new policies.
• Document and enforce machine maintenance procedures and schedule.
• Work with production to ensure quality and consistency requirements are met.
• Coordinate with production and engineering to troubleshoot problems associated with new and current parts, processes, and equipment.
• Conduct evaluations and reviews and provide meaningful feedback for employees .
• Coordinate and/or administer training for new employees and new processes to existing team members.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 20 years of direct involvement in manufacturing, production, and industrial operations.
• A clear track record of overseeing teams and, more importantly, building up and advancing people into leadership roles.
• Mentor Personality - We are looking for a positive, patient, and "big-picture" individual. You should be someone who genuinely enjoys coaching and sharing wisdom, while producing meaningful results - this is not simply a consulting gig.
• Deep familiarity with precision manufacturing practices, tight tolerances, and materials.
• Ability to commit to 30-40 hours per week for the duration of the assignment.
• Strong dependability and reliability
• Effective communication skills and team player mentality
• Pride in work and desire for self-improvement
• Willingness to learn and try new things
• Ability to pass a drug test and background check

Work Environment

This role operates in a professional production environment. This includes exposure to moving mechanical parts, chemicals/fumes, and the standard physical activity required to navigate and inspect a busy manufacturing floor.

Why This Role?

Your expertise will provide the stability Meridian Laboratory desires to have in its future, while you help prepare the next generation of leadership for tomorrow. If you want your decades of knowledge to continue providing value after you retire, we'd like to talk to you.

Pay: $90,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

• Manufacturing: 5 years (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Middleton, WI 53562 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $90,000 - $120,000