Production Manager

Slip Robotics is a B2B Robotics-as-a-Service company deploying autonomous loading and unloading robots — SlipBots and SlipLifts — at warehouse and fulfillment sites across North America. Our customers are some of the largest shippers and 3PLs in the industry, and we're scaling fast. We build the robots, we deploy them, and we keep them running.

We are hiring a Production Manager to own the assembly floor. You will run the daily build — the production schedule, the technicians who execute it, the quality of what leaves the dock, and the throughput we can promise the business. Today production runs on a small team and a lot of individual know-how. Your job is to turn that into a floor that can scale in volume with a takt time, a shift structure, a first-pass yield number, and technicians who can build to a documented standard.

This is a hands-on role in a growing company. You will spend your time on the floor, not in a plant office. You will partner closely with Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers, who owns process design and work instructions, and with Supply Chain and Quality, who own inbound parts — you own execution, people, and output.

Responsibilities:

Own the Build

Own the daily and weekly production schedule and hit committed build and ship dates

Run the floor day to day: line balancing, work assignment, station staffing, and Finished Goods handoffs

Track and drive the numbers that matter — units built, on-time completion, first-pass yield, labor hours per unit, and rework

Escalate part shortages, tooling gaps, and engineering blockers early enough to protect the schedule

Establish a daily production cadence — shift start-up, a stand-up on the floor, and an end-of-day status the business can rely on

Lead the Team

Lead, schedule, and develop a team of assembly technicians, with clear performance expectations for each station

Own hiring, onboarding, and cross-training as the floor scales; build a skills matrix so no build depends on one person

Certify technicians against documented work instructions and hold the line on build standards

Own safety on the floor: enforce PPE and lockout/tagout, run safety walks, and investigate incidents and near misses

Build Quality and Repeatability

Own in-process and end-of-line quality — build sign-offs, functional test completion, and containment when something escapes

Drive root cause and corrective action on build defects with Manufacturing Engineering and Service Engineering

Partner with Manufacturing Engineering on work instructions, station layout, tooling, and fixturing; you are the voice of the floor in those decisions

Maintain accurate production transactions in the ERP — work orders, build completions, and material consumption

Support new product introduction: staff and run pilot builds, and give design and process teams honest feedback on buildability before volume ramps

Requirements

5+ years in production, assembly, or manufacturing operations, including 2+ years directly managing hourly technicians or assemblers

Hands-on experience running a mechanical or electro-mechanical assembly line — you can pick up a torque wrench and work a station when the schedule demands it

Demonstrated ownership of a production schedule and the metrics behind it (throughput, yield, on-time delivery, labor efficiency)

Experience creating shift structure, work assignments, and training or certification programs from scratch or near it

Working knowledge of an ERP or MES for work orders and inventory transactions (NetSuite or similar)

Comfortable reading mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, and bills of material

Safety-first mindset and a track record of enforcing it without being asked

Calm under pressure, organized, and direct — you surface problems early rather than absorbing them

Physical capability to work on a production floor: lifting up to 50 lbs, extended standing, and occasional after-hours coverage during ramps

Startup or fast-paced environment experience; you are comfortable building the process while running it

Nice to Have:

Experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, or another low-volume, high-complexity build environment

Lean or Six Sigma training and real experience running kaizen, 5S, or standard work implementations

Background in high-voltage battery, motor, or drivetrain assembly

Experience scaling a line from low-volume prototype builds to steady-state production

Machine shop and metal fabrication familiarity

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, or a related field

Bilingual English/Spanish

Benefits

Competitive salary and equity in an early-stage robotics company

Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision

Permissive time off policy

Slip Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate candidates on the merits of their experience and their fit for the role. We welcome applicants from every background.