Head of Production

Title
Head of Production

Location
Chicago based
Oversees Midwest and West Coast production
Monthly travel required
Full time

Reports To
Head of Operations

Compensation
Base salary $150,000 to $180,000 + Equity

We are seeking a Head of Production to lead and scale our manufacturing operations across multiple production facilities, while directly running our primary (flagship) site. This role owns end-to-end production performance: from equipment uptime and process design to SLA delivery, capacity planning, and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in the print manufacturing industry, thrives in fast-moving, custom-engineered environments, and is comfortable managing both people and complex production systems. You will work closely with engineering, maintenance, and production leadership to ensure operational excellence today while building the foundation for scalable growth.

• Provide strategic and operational oversight across all production facilities.

• Directly manage and operate the main production facility, setting the standard for performance, processes, and culture.

• Ensure alignment of workflows, quality standards, KPIs, and SOPs across sites.

• Lead and mentor Production Managers across facilities.

• Define, implement, and continuously improve core production KPIs (throughput, yield, uptime, lead times, SLA adherence, cost efficiency).

• Design and implement production tracking and reporting systems to ensure real-time visibility and accountability.

• Guarantee consistent achievement of customer and internal SLAs.

• Oversee the maintenance technician group, ensuring equipment reliability, preventative maintenance, and rapid issue resolution.

• Work closely with in-house technicians and engineers in an environment with custom-built and modified equipment.

• Drive continuous improvements in equipment uptime, safety, and performance.

• Own all manufacturing processes, workflows, and SOPs related to production of our product.

• Ensure processes are documented, standardized, and continuously optimized.

• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and failure points; lead initiatives to eliminate them.

• Forecast production demand, capacity requirements, staffing, and equipment needs.

• Model and plan scalable production systems that can grow with the business.

• Lead production ramp-ups, new lines, and facility expansions as needed.

• Model the end-to-end production process to ensure we can reliably meet current and future SLAs.

• Use data, simulations, and scenario planning to stress-test production plans.

• Proactively identify risks to delivery and implement mitigation strategies.

• Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Leadership teams.

• Translate business objectives into executable production plans.

• Provide clear communication on production performance, risks, and improvement initiatives.

• Significant experience in the manufacturing industry, ideally in a production leadership role (print industry a plus).

• Proven track record working in dynamic, fast-paced environments with:

  • Custom-built or heavily modified equipment

  • In-house engineering and technician teams

• Strong experience managing:

  • Maintenance technician groups

  • Production managers and frontline production teams

• Demonstrated ability to:

  • Define and manage KPIs

  • Implement production tracking and reporting systems

  • Deliver against strict SLAs

• Experience forecasting demand and scaling production operations successfully.

• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, workflow design, and SOP management.

• Systems thinker with the ability to model and optimize complex production processes

• Highly data-driven, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Hands-on leader who is comfortable on the production floor

• Strong communicator capable of aligning technical teams and leadership

• Bias toward action, ownership, and continuous improvement

• Comfortable balancing short-term delivery with long-term scalability

• Production consistently meets or exceeds SLAs across all facilities

• High equipment uptime and predictable output from custom machinery

• Clear, reliable production data and KPIs used daily to drive decisions

• Scalable, well-documented processes that support rapid growth

• Strong, empowered production and maintenance teams with clear accountability