Overview:  

Are you an entrepreneur at heart? Someone who thrives on taking risks and is motivated in a start-up environment? Are you operations savvy and not scared of a challenge? If so, look no further. Future Stitch is looking to hire an experienced factory manager to help us launch and scale our new Oceanside, CA location. The factory manager’s responsibilities include hiring and training, building and equipment maintenance, performance of factory staff, on-time production, production speed and cost optimization, and, perhaps most importantly, a positive culture for our employees—most of which will be recently released ex-incarcerated women. 

To be successful as a factory manager, you should demonstrate outstanding problem-solving skills, establish a culture of empowerment through the principles of Kaizen, and resolve any issues that may derail production. Ultimately, a top-performing factory manager should have exceptional communication, management, and leadership skills to ensure that factory operations run smoothly. 

About FutureStitch:  

Founded in 2017, FutureStitch, Inc. is a leading global textile and technology company founded by Taylor Shupe. FutureStitch’s main purpose is to create premium knitted products through a business model that promotes social and environmental consciousness. In a continued mission to revolutionize the archaic knitwear manufacturing industry, in 2018, FutureStitch opened an industry-leading facility with unmatched design services and rapid time-to-market capabilities. In 2020, the FutureStitch factory located outside Shanghai, China received the highest LEED Platinum Certification for energy efficiency and environmental responsibility at every level of operation. In 2022, FutureStitch will open a full-service printing & customization facility in Oceanside, CA that will focus on small batch & quick-strike opportunities. 

With offices in San Clemente, California, and Haining, China, FutureStitch has a strong brand portfolio that includes Stance China LTD, InStitches Inc., and Boosocki LLC; and is the contract manufacturer of socks for Stance, Crocs, TOMS, Reigning Champ and several others. 

Mission: 

The Plant Manager will drive and implement FutureStitch’s strategy, systems and processes allowing us to be efficient and streamlined – ultimately resulting in the ability to sell more products faster, while simultaneously reducing costs. 

Roles: 

• Developing and implementing innovative strategies to streamline factory operations. 
• Implementing continuance improvement of work methods, manufacturing performance and machinery. 
• Guaranteeing on-time delivery to all customers and open orders. 
• Maximizing the profit performance of the factory and ensure that the plant at least follows and operates according to the approved budget. 
• Screening, recruiting and training new factory workers. 
• Collaborating with quality control managers to establish and execute quality control processes. 
• Ensuring that factory machinery is in good working order. 
• Analyzing production data to identify and resolve any production issues. 
• Preparing production reports and submitting them to key decision-makers. 
• Regularly inspecting finished products to determine whether they meet established quality standards. 
• Motivating factory workers to continually achieve factory targets. 

Outcomes: 

• Q2 2022: Hire first 10 workers 
• Q2 2022: Begin full-scale production 
• Q3 2022: Rule out cultural plan 
• Q4 2022: Produce 4000 sock pairs a day 
• Q3 2023: Breakeven 

Performance Measurements: 

• Customer Satisfaction (deliveries, account set up, communication, reporting) 
• On time delivery rate 
• Cost savings 
• Data accuracy rate for planning, forecasting & procurement 
• Data accuracy and timeliness aligned with finance requirements 
• Achieving agreed upon KPI’s  

Skills: 

• Customer relationship skills: manage customer expectations with high level of communication and response; ability to resolve conflicts & problem solve 
• Analytical skills: analyze large sets of sales and operations data; review processes to identify areas of improvement and opportunity to increase efficiency. Makes a conscious effort to understand causes instead of only effects. 
• Strategic: Sets vision and creates long-term goals to achieve it 
• Organizational and multitasking skills: ability to focus and prioritize 
• Entrepreneurial: wear multiple hats at the same time; handle chaos while increasing productivity. Sets initiatives and assumes tolerable levels of risk without constant direction or leadership 
• Driven: track record of excellence in everything you do. Consistently under-commits and over-delivers on expectations. 
• Detail Oriented: high accuracy rate of information with very little error 
• Leadership: Ability to lead and guide direct and indirect reports to achieve business goals and deliver results. 

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, industrial management, logistics, or related field. 
• Proven experience in a managerial or supervisory role within a factory. 
• An entrepreneurial mindset. 
• Certification in production and inventory management as well as quality control. 
• Sound knowledge of industry-specific factory equipment. 
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications. 
• The ability to multitask. 
• Outstanding time management skills. 
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Strong management and leadership skills. 
• Effective communication skills.