Production Manager
MAHLE · Murfreesboro, TN
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Production
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
A management production role at MAHLE (automotive) in Murfreesboro, TN. Ensure production meets customer specifications and automotive quality requirements.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Kaizen, 5S, OEE, SMED, Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Production Engineer roles in the US: typical posted base $115k–$161k.
Median of the low and high ends of 339 live postings that list pay, out of 1055 production engineer openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Tennessee plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 20 other live production postings in Tennessee.
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 57%
- ✓ Team leadership 57%
- ✓ EHS / safety 29%
- Six Sigma 24%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Kaizen, 5S, OEE, SMED, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at MAHLE
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: MAHLE in Murfreesboro
2 other open roles at this site.
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- Production Supervisor · Production · Supervisor
Full description from MAHLEAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
for quality, delivery, cost, and volume are consistently achieved.
The position leads supervisors and production teams while driving continuous improvement, standardized work, labor efficiency, scrap reduction, equipment uptime, and compliance with automotive quality systems.
requirements
and shipping schedules.
- ✓Manage manpower, machine capacity, overtime, and shift coverage.
- ✓Respond quickly to production interruptions and bottlenecks.
- ✓Coordinate recovery plans when production falls behind.
- ✓Manage schedule attainment and on-time delivery.
- ✓Maintain appropriate escalation processes for significant production concerns.
3. Quality
- ✓Ensure production meets customer specifications and automotive quality requirements.
- ✓Support IATF 16949 and applicable customer-specific requirements.
- ✓Drive compliance with:
- ✓Control Plans
- ✓Standardized Work
- ✓PFMEAs
- ✓Work Instructions
- ✓Process parameters
- ✓Traceability
requirements
- ✓Partner with Quality to address internal defects and customer complaints.
- ✓Ensure containment and corrective actions are implemented when quality issues occur.
- ✓Drive reductions in scrap, rework, defects, and customer PPM.
4. People Leadership
Typically responsible for Production Supervisors, Team Leaders, and hourly production employees.
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or related discipline preferred.
- ✓Approximately 5–10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience, depending on plant size and responsibility.
- ✓Previous automotive manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
- ✓Prior leadership experience managing supervisors and hourly employees.
- ✓Experience operating in a high-volume, fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- ✓Experience working with automotive OEM/customer requirements.
Equivalent combinations of education and extensive manufacturing leadership experience may also be considered.
Technical Knowledge
requirements
can also include welding, stamping, injection molding, assembly, machining, paint, casting, or other processes, depending on the operation.
Leadership Competencies- The most important distinction between a supervisor and Production Manager is often the ability to lead through other leaders.
Our Offering
We will provide a collaborative environment working on exciting assignments, along with ongoing personal & career development opportunities. We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!
After receiving your online application, the interview process will typically be a screening call followed by Personal Interview(s)
For more information about MAHLE and what a career with us looks like for you, click here. and to learn more about our foundation owned technology group click here.
#DiversityMatters with our inclusive culture, we welcome applications from all social, religious & ethnical backgrounds, disabilities both mental and physical, identities (gender) and neurodivergent people.
MAHLE is not currently hiring individuals for this position who now or in the future require sponsorship for employment-based non-immigrant and immigrant visas. However, as a global company, MAHLE offers many job opportunities outside of USA which can be found through our employment website www.jobs.mahle.com
Do you have any questions?
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Your Contribution
The Production Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient, and profitable operation of assigned manufacturing areas, ensuring customer
This role is responsible to
1. Safety
- •Maintain a safety-first culture across all shifts.
- •Ensure compliance with OSHA, company EHS policies, PPE requirements, LOTO, ergonomics, and safe work practices.
- •Review incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions.
- •Lead corrective actions and verify closure.
- •Conduct regular floor safety audits.
- •Hold supervisors accountable for daily safety expectations.
2. Production & Delivery
- •Achieve daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules.
- •Monitor production against customer
Key expectations include
- •Coach and develop supervisors.
- •Establish clear performance expectations.
- •Hold leaders accountable for results.
- •Address attendance, performance, and conduct issues consistently.
- •Develop succession plans and future leaders.
- •Ensure adequate staffing and employee training.
- •Promote employee engagement and accountability.
- •Conduct regular supervisor meetings and performance reviews.
- •Partner with HR on disciplinary and employee-relations matters.
5. Continuous Improvement
Lead improvements using Lean manufacturing principles such as: 5S, Kaizen, Standardized Work, Visual Management, Problem Solving, Gemba, Waste elimination, Line balancing, SMED/changeover reduction, Root Cause Analysis, 5 Why, 8D, OEE improvement
The Production Manager should not simply react to daily problems. A major expectation is to identify recurring problems and permanently eliminate their root causes.
Strong knowledge of
- •Automotive manufacturing
- •Lean manufacturing
- •IATF 16949
- •APQP
- •PPAP
- •PFMEA
- •Control Plans
- •SPC
- •8D
- •Root-cause analysis
- •Standardized work
- •OEE
- •Capacity planning
- •Labor planning
- •ERP/MRP systems
- •Microsoft Excel and production reporting
Specific technical