What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sewing Manager position at POLYWOOD®?
Sewing Manager
Roxboro, NC | On-Site | Full-Time
Lead the floor. Build the team. Make every stitch count.
POLYWOOD builds outdoor furniture designed to last a lifetime. For more than 35 years we have made it from recycled HDPE lumber, built to outlast weather, kids, and trends. We are a vertically integrated American manufacturer, and that includes our industrial sewing operation in Roxboro, North Carolina.
We are looking for a Sewing Manager to lead that operation: the people, the machines, the schedule, and the quality of every piece that leaves the floor.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who knows industrial sewing from the inside, can read a production report and a seam with the same confidence, and builds teams people want to stay on.
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About Us
POLYWOOD makes high-quality outdoor furniture in the USA, with manufacturing in Syracuse, Indiana and Roxboro, North Carolina. Our products are made to be enjoyed for decades, and we hold our team and our work to that same standard.
Our Roxboro team is growing, and the sewing department plays a direct role in the comfort, look, and quality our customers expect from the POLYWOOD name.
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The Work You’ll Love Doing
You will own the sewing department from start to finish. You will set the pace, develop the people, solve problems on the floor, and keep quality where it needs to be, every shift.
You will lead a department of under 30 team members, including sewing operators, pathfinders, and general production.
You will report to the Director of Manufacturing | Sewing and partner closely with Cutting, Planning, Maintenance, Quality, and HR. You will also take a lead role in building our sewing training program, so new operators get up to speed faster and experienced operators keep growing. You will be trusted to run with it.
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Where You Will Make an Impact
- Lead daily sewing operations to hit safety, quality, output, and on-time delivery goals
- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, leads, and sewing operators, and build a culture of accountability and respect
- Plan staffing, schedules, and work assignments to meet demand, including seasonal peaks
- Own quality for sewn products, including seam strength, stitch consistency, pattern accuracy, and finished appearance
- Partner with Maintenance to keep industrial sewing equipment running and drive preventive maintenance
- Work with Cutting, Planning, and Purchasing to keep fabric, thread, and materials flowing to the line
- Track and improve key metrics such as efficiency, units per labor hour, first-pass yield, scrap, downtime, attendance, turnover, and labor cost
- Drive continuous improvement through standard work, line balancing, and root cause problem solving
- Take a lead role in developing the sewing training program, including work instructions, operator skills matrices, and cross-training
- Champion safety and ergonomics on the floor
- Own hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and attendance for the department, in partnership with HR
- Support new product launches by partnering on samples, patterns, specifications, and first runs
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What You Bring
- 5 years of experience in an industrial sewing or sewn products manufacturing environment
- 3 years leading production teams as a supervisor or manager
- Hands-on experience with sewing equipment in an industrial sewing department, including operating, setting up, adjusting, and troubleshooting machines
- Strong knowledge of stitch types, needles, threads, and heavy-duty fabrics
- A proven record of hitting production and quality goals through people, not around them
- Comfort with production planning, metrics, and Excel or Google Sheets
- Ability to read specifications, patterns, and work instructions, and to teach others to do the same
- A calm, steady presence on the floor and the ability to make good decisions under pressure
- High school diploma or equivalent
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Bonus Points
- Experience building or leading a training program for production team members
- Experience with outdoor, marine, automotive, upholstery, or furniture textiles
- Experience with automated sewing or computerized cutting equipment
- Bilingual in English and Spanish
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What Makes This Role Special
- You will own an entire department and shape how it grows
- You will build products people use at home for decades
- You will be part of American manufacturing with a sustainability story behind every product
- You will join a stable, growing company with a brand people know
- You will be trusted to lead
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Work Environment
This role is based on the production floor. It requires regular standing and walking, and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds as needed. Flexibility to support multiple shifts and occasional overtime during peak season is expected.
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If you know industrial sewing, love building strong teams, and take pride in work that lasts, we would love to hear from you.
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POLYWOOD is an equal opportunity employer. POLYWOOD evaluates qualified applicants without regard to characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws.