Production Manager

Job Title: Production Manager

Reports To: Director of Manufacturing

FLSA Status: Exempt

Status: Full-Time

Department: Ohserase Manufacturing, LLC

Location: Akwesasne, NY

Company Overview
Tarbell Management Group (TMG) is a proud Mohawk family-owned enterprise dedicated to its 
mission of “empowering economic sovereignty for Tribal Nations and trusted partners”. TMG 
has grown from a small local business into a diversified organization serving Indian Country and 
beyond, with operations spanning petroleum wholesale and transportation, convenience and 
restaurant services, tobacco manufacturing, brand management and national distribution and 
shared services.

Our Core Values:
TMG offers a competitive total rewards package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, 
a 401(k) with company match, paid time off, telemedicine access, optional Aflac coverage, and 
other employee benefits that support work-life balance and well-being.

Job Summary

The Production Manager is a key operational leader responsible for driving safe, efficient, and disciplined daily production. Working closely with the Director of Manufacturing, this role leads production teams, ensures schedules are met, upholds quality, regulatory, sanitation, and cost standards, and supports strong performance in productivity, yield, waste reduction, equipment utilization, documentation accuracy, and employee development.

This position upholds TMG’s Mission and Core Values by demonstrating integrity, accountability, respect, continuous learning, and follow-through in daily work. At TMG, how we work matters as much as what we achieve, and team members are expected to model these values through their actions and relationships.

This includes following the Good Path, Aiming High, Honoring the Circle, Nurturing a Good Mind, and Holding the Fire.

Primary Responsibilities

· Production Leadership: Lead daily manufacturing activities with ownership and urgency to meet production targets, customer requirements, shipment schedules, and operational goals.

· Workforce Management: Supervise, coach, and develop production personnel while ensuring staffing, training, attendance, engagement, retention, and accountability expectations are met.

· Safety and Compliance: Enforce company safety policies, environmental procedures, sanitation requirements, and applicable regulatory standards; model and promote a strong safety culture focused on incident reduction and timely completion of corrective actions.

· Quality Assurance: Ensure tobacco products are manufactured according to established specifications, quality standards, and documented procedures; partner with Quality personnel to address nonconformances, deviations, corrective actions, first-pass yield, scrap, rework, and customer complaint performance.

· Production Scheduling: Coordinate labor, materials, equipment, and packaging requirements to support production plans while minimizing downtime, changeover delays, material shortages, and overtime.

· Process Improvement: Identify and implement improvements that increase throughput, reduce waste, improve yields, enhance consistency, strengthen overall equipment effectiveness, and support data-driven problem solving.

· Inventory and Materials Control: Monitor usage of tobacco, packaging materials, consumables, and finished goods to support inventory accuracy, material usage control, and waste reduction.

· Equipment and Maintenance Coordination: Partner with Maintenance to support equipment reliability, timely repairs, preventive maintenance compliance, downtime reduction, equipment utilization, and safe operation of manufacturing machinery.

· Documentation and Reporting: Maintain accurate production records, labor reports, downtime logs, batch or lot documentation, shift handoff notes, performance reports, audit readiness, and compliance with standard operating procedures.

· Cost Management: Manage labor, overtime, scrap, rework, supplies, and production expenses within budgeted targets while identifying opportunities for cost reduction and improved labor efficiency.

· Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as a primary operational contact for internal partners and senior leadership to resolve issues, communicate priorities, and align production execution with business needs.

· Employee Development: Promote training, standard work, accountability, follow-through, and engagement to build a capable, high-performing production team.

Minimum Qualifications

· Minimum of five years of experience in manufacturing operations, preferably in tobacco, consumer packaged goods, food, beverage, or another regulated production environment.

· Minimum of three years of supervisory or management experience leading production teams in a manufacturing facility.

· Strong understanding of production scheduling, workflow management, quality systems, safety practices, and continuous improvement methods.

· Experience with production equipment, packaging lines, material handling processes, and inventory control systems.

· Ability to read, interpret, and enforce standard operating procedures, work instructions, production specifications, and safety requirements.

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and production reporting systems; experience with ERP or manufacturing execution systems is preferred.

· Strong communication, leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.

· Experience in tobacco blending, primary processing, cigarette production, packaging, or related tobacco manufacturing operations.

· Working knowledge of lean manufacturing, 5S, root cause analysis, corrective action processes, and key performance indicator management.

· Experience with regulated product documentation, traceability, lot control, and audit readiness.

· Training or certification in safety, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, production planning, or operations management.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

· Work is performed primarily in a manufacturing facility and requires frequent time on the production floor.

· Position may require standing, walking, bending, reaching, climbing, and moving throughout the facility for extended periods.

· Must be able to occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds, with assistance or mechanical support available for heavier items as needed.

· Work may involve exposure to noise, dust, tobacco materials, packaging materials, forklifts, moving equipment, and other manufacturing-related conditions.

· Must be able to work safely around machinery, mobile equipment, and active production areas.

· Must follow all required personal protective equipment, hygiene, safety, and facility access requirements.

· May be required to support multiple shifts, weekends, overtime, or emergency production needs based on business requirements.