Associate Production Supervisor - Manufacturing

What you’ll do:

The Associate Production Supervisor supports frontline manufacturing operations within an assigned production area to achieve safety, quality, delivery, inventory, and productivity objectives. This role provides daily direction to production employees, supports labor allocation and execution of the production schedule, reinforces standard work, and responds to operational issues in coordination with Operations Manager.
The position serves as a developmental leadership role with responsibility for building capability in people leadership, production management, problem solving, and continuous improvement. Through an active presence on the shop floor, the Associate Production Supervisor promotes employee engagement, accountability, process discipline, and the timely escalation of risks or barriers affecting operational performance.
Safety and Compliance
• Promote a safety-first culture and reinforce compliance with established safety procedures, PPE requirements, and company policies.
• Conduct routine Gemba walks and identify unsafe conditions, behaviors, or process risks.
• Correct issues within the position’s authority and promptly escalate significant concerns.
• Support incident investigations, corrective actions, and communication of safety expectations.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and 5S-compliant work area.
Daily Production Execution
• Communicate daily production priorities, staffing assignments, and performance expectations.
• Coordinate line or machine assignments based on staffing, production requirements, and employee qualifications.
• Monitor production flow and provide timely updates regarding output, constraints, labor needs, and schedule risks.
• Support accurate and timely completion of hour-by-hour boards, interrupter tracking, production reporting, and escalation routines.
• Participate in or lead assigned tier meetings using current performance data.
• Escalate material, equipment, quality, or staffing barriers that cannot be resolved within the assigned area.
Quality and Process Control
• Reinforce adherence to standard work, job instructions, inspection requirements, and quality procedures.
• Monitor production quality and respond promptly to defects, errors, or recurring process concerns.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective-action activities under the guidance of the Operations Manager, Quality, or Engineering.
• Ensure production documentation and process records are completed accurately and on time.
• Stop or escalate work when safety, quality, or customer requirements may be at risk.

Essential Functions:

Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications:
•    Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or a high school diploma/GED with at least three years of experience supporting manufacturing, operations, or technical processes. 
•    Minimum of one year of experience leading employees, teams, projects, or work activities. 

• No relocation is provided for this position, only candidates that currently reside within 50 miles of the Sumter, SC facility will be considered. Active Duty Military Service member candidates are exempt from the geographical area limitation.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:
•    Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, supply chain, or a related field. 
•    Previous team lead, coordinator, project lead, or frontline manufacturing leadership experience. 
•    Experience working in a manufacturing or assembly environment. 
•    Working knowledge of lean manufacturing and Operational Excellence tools, including 5S, standard work, visual management, problem solving, and continuous improvement. 
•    Experience using production reporting, scheduling, timekeeping, or manufacturing systems. 
•    Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.

Skills:

•    Developing Leadership and Accountability: Provides clear direction, follows through on commitments, reinforces expectations, and accepts responsibility for assigned results. 
•    Safety Mindset: Promotes safe work practices, recognizes risk, and takes appropriate action when unsafe conditions or behaviors are identified. 
•    Communication: Communicates priorities, expectations, risks, and production status clearly and professionally across shifts and functions. 
•    Decision-Making and Problem Solving: Uses available data and established processes to make timely decisions, resolve routine issues, and escalate concerns appropriately. 
•    Coaching and Capability Building: Supports employee development through daily coaching, feedback, cross-training, and reinforcement of standard work. 
•    Operational Discipline: Consistently follows production, quality, documentation, and escalation processes. 
•    Continuous Improvement: Identifies performance gaps and supports practical improvements to safety, quality, delivery, inventory, and productivity. 
•    Learning Agility: Demonstrates the ability and willingness to learn Eaton systems, leadership practices, manufacturing processes, and operational tools. 
•    Collaboration: Builds effective working relationships and partners across functions to remove barriers and achieve production objectives. 
•    Managerial Courage: Addresses routine issues promptly, communicates concerns objectively, and seeks appropriate support when matters exceed the position’s authority.

Additional Information: