Production Manager

Kelly Services' has partnered with a client in North York, ON to recruit for a medical-device manufacturing company

Temp to perm role

Monday to Friday onsite

Pay rate: $60-$65/hour + 4% vacation pay

Key Responsibilities

Production Operations & Manufacturing

• Lead all aspects of manufacturing operations, including production planning, scheduling, procurement, materials management, assembly, testing, packaging, inventory control, deployment, and logistics.
• Ensure production schedules are achieved while maintaining quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Monitor production capacity and develop strategies to support future business growth.
• Optimize manufacturing workflows to improve productivity, efficiency, and throughput.
• Oversee inventory management, production forecasting, and material availability.
• Manage supplier relationships to ensure quality, on-time delivery, and resolution of material quality issues.
• Coordinate production priorities across engineering, purchasing, service, and customer support teams.
• Drive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) initiatives in collaboration with Engineering.

Quality, Regulatory & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with ISO 13485, GMP, FDA, Health Canada, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain world-class manufacturing quality standards.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and production documentation.
• Oversee non-conformance investigations, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and continuous quality improvements.
• Monitor manufacturing metrics including yield, defect rates, rework, scrap, and overall equipment effectiveness.
• Support internal and external quality audits.

Strategic Manufacturing Leadership

• Develop and execute Cellview's manufacturing strategy in alignment with corporate growth objectives.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) activities, ensuring smooth transition from engineering into production.
• Identify opportunities for automation, process improvements, and manufacturing scalability.
• Collaborate with EssilorLuxottica on long-term manufacturing strategy, operational alignment, and best practice implementation.
• Lead manufacturing readiness for future product releases and production expansion.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Establish KPIs and production dashboards to monitor operational performance.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining product quality.
• Improve manufacturing efficiency through process optimization and waste reduction.
• Develop roadmaps for operational maturity and scalable manufacturing systems.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and lead a multidisciplinary production team, including technicians, assemblers, inventory personnel, and manufacturing support staff.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and employee development planning.
• Promote a safe, organized, and productive manufacturing environment.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Service, and Finance.
• Support engineering change implementation and production readiness activities.
• Participate in executive planning and operational review meetings.
• Provide regular production reporting, forecasts, risks, and improvement recommendations to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent industry experience).
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing or production management experience within medical devices, optics, electronics, precision manufacturing, or similarly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated experience managing full-cycle manufacturing operations from procurement through production, quality assurance, and shipment.
• Strong understanding of:
• ISO 13485
• GMP
• FDA Quality System Regulations
• Health Canada Medical Device Regulations
• Proven leadership experience managing cross-functional teams.
• Experience implementing and improving manufacturing processes within regulated environments.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong decision-making and project management abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling manufacturing from early-stage product development to commercial production.
• Experience working within a high-growth or startup environment.
• Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification or equivalent experience.
• Optical, ophthalmic, imaging, or medical device manufacturing experience.
• Experience supporting Design for Manufacturing (DFM) initiatives.
• Familiarity with manufacturing automation and process optimization.
• Experience collaborating with international manufacturing organizations.