Production Operations Manager

This position requires 100% in person work at our San Angelo, TX facility. 

What to know about working here:

At Gandy Ink we are a tight-knit crew dedicated to becoming the best in the world at our craft while creating fans inside and outside of the company. We live and die, hire and fire by our core values of excellence, teamwork, innovation, and enthusiasm. We develop relationships between staff, vendors, and customers based on trust and respect, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement within each department. We are pursuing growth as a company and are looking for a world-class team member who will walk with us through that journey.

About Gandy Ink

Gandy Ink was founded in San Angelo, Texas by Phil Gandy and his father, John Gandy. Phil’s philosophy was to build Gandy Ink by putting our customers first. How? Gandy’s not-so-secret ingredient the can-do attitude of our people. Working together, our service teams, skilled designers and production staff help us ensure the quickest delivery times in the industry. Our service formula and great products mean we get a lot of repeat business from schools, companies, outfitters, social groups, and organizations of all types. Gandy Ink provides a wide range of embellishment applications from screen printing, digital printing, heat applied materials and embroidery using top of the line equipment. We warehouse and embellish our garments right here in San Angelo, TX.

Benefits

Competitive salary
401K with up to 4% Match
Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short and Long Term Disability
Generous Vacation and PTO plan
Growth opportunities  

Job Summary

Under the direction of the COO, the Operations Production Manager oversees the Screen Print, Embroidery, and Digital Production teams. This role is responsible for developing department managers and their teams through hands-on coaching, with a strong focus on building a culture of continuous improvement, quality, and accountability across all production methods. Work schedule will fluctuate throughout the year, with hours increasing during peak seasons.

Essential Job Functions

Lean Leadership, Management, and Accountability

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable the Screen Print, Digital Print, and Embroidery leaders
• Model, teach, and embody Lean thinking every day
• Drive daily 3S efforts across all production departments, promoting clean, organized, and efficient work environments
• Set the standard as a Lean leader by developing team members to recognize and eliminate waste through daily “2-Second Improvements”
• Set clear expectations, hold managers accountable to results, and coach through root cause analysis and problem solving
• Share improvements weekly through Paylocity
• Drive the making and sharing of improvements across the organization, building visibility, momentum, and a shared rhythm of learning across departments

Production Performance

• Take extreme ownership of daily performance across Screen Print, Embroidery, and Digital Production departments
• Drive schedule attainment, throughput, and efficiency across all production methods
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks; ensure proper scheduling, staffing, training, and cross-training to meet demand and reduce downtime
• Collaborate with Pre-Production Operations and Warehouse/Fulfillment teams to ensure smooth production flow and on-time delivery
• Review daily and weekly production metrics with COO and department managers, maintaining transparency on performance trends

Quality

• Ensure all production departments meet or exceed internal quality standards and customer expectations.
• Reduce defects and rework through continuous process improvements
• Develop a culture where team members are trained and empowered to identify and prevent issues early in the process; “Stop-And-Fix” is the standard
• Collaborate with Pre-Production Operations to ensure color accuracy, consistency, and compatibility across all production methods
• Consumables and Cost Management
• Take ownership of consumables management across Screen Print, Embroidery, and Digital Production
• Track and reduce consumables waste by building simple, repeatable systems that hit budget goals
• Co-manage production budgets in partnership with the COO
• Production spending maintained within +/- 5% of approved annual budget
• Recommend capital investments and production improvements for leadership approval

Other

• Oversee department facilities, equipment, and safety practices in collaboration with the Facilities & Maintenance team
• Ensure preventive maintenance and safe operating conditions are in place across all production departments
• Participate in company-level improvement projects (kaizen events), strategic planning sessions, and process redesign initiatives
• Collaborate with necessary teams to improve system tools, reporting, and workflow automation
• Support the overall mission of the company with a servant-leadership approach and extreme ownership
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Required

3+ years of experience in operations or production management, with responsibility over multiple departments or teams

Demonstrated experience leading in a fast-paced manufacturing, distribution, or fulfillment environment

Proven ability to develop leaders, build accountability, and drive performance through coaching and hands-on engagement

Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and levels of the organization

High sense of ownership, urgency, and follow-through

Comfortable using metrics and visual tools to manage performance and drive improvement

Ability to balance strategic thinking with day-to-day execution

Preferred

Strong understanding of Lean principles

Experience in apparel decoration, fulfillment, or warehousing operations

Experience with ERPs, production management, or scheduling systems

Familiarity with basic maintenance programs and workplace safety standards

Bachelor’s degree in operations, business, engineering, or related fields

Culture & Leadership Fit

Leads with humility, ownership, and respect

Assumes zero knowledge and infinite intelligence when teaching, training, and speaking

Embraces servant leadership – Develops people, builds trust, and removes roadblocks

Sees problems as opportunities and encourages others to speak up, take initiative, and improve daily

Balances a sense of urgency with care for people and process

Cognitive or Mental Requirements of the Job:

Employee must be able to see and hear, read, and write. Requires adaptability, analyzing, assessing, calculating, decision making, dependability, judgment, reading, speaking, following direction, managing multiple priorities, and reasoning.

Physical Demands

Position Requirements/Frequency

Lifts 0-33%

Stands 0-33% 

Walks 0-33%

Sits 0-66%

Carries 0-33%

Pushes 0-33%

Pulls 0-33%

Climbs 0-33%

Balances 0%

Bends 0-33%

Twists 0-33%

Crawls 0-33%

Stoops 0-33%

Reaches 0-33%

Lifting under 10 lbs. 0-33% 

Lifting 10-24 lbs. 0-33%

Lifting 25-50 lbs. 0-33%

Lifting over 50 lbs. 0-33%

Carrying under 10 lbs. 0-33%

Carrying 10-24 lbs. 0-33%

Carrying 25-50 lbs. 0-33%

Carrying over 50 lbs. 0-33%

Reaching above shoulder height 0-33%

Reaching at shoulder height 0-33%

Reaching below shoulder height 0-33% 

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. This document should in no way be considered a guarantee of employment. Employees may perform other related duties as needed based on the ongoing needs of the business. Texas is an Employment-At-Will state and implies no specific length of employment.