Assembly Manager

Sanmina Corporation (Nasdaq: SANM) is a global powerhouse in integrated manufacturing solutions serving the fastest growing segments of the global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) market. We are a global engine providing the end-to-end manufacturing backbone for the world's most essential and innovative brands. Whether it's autonomous vehicles, life-saving medical tech, next-gen aerospace, or AI/cloud infrastructure - our integrated solutions don't just meet standards-they redefine them.

Assembly Manager

Summary

The Assembly Manager is responsible to lead and driving daily manufacturing execution across assembly operations supporting data center hardware, battery energy storage and transformer components, and data center cooling systems.

This position operates at a leadership level above individual Assembly Supervisors and serves as the head of multiple assembly areas, production lines, and/or shifts. The Assembly Manager ensures alignment of production priorities, labor and resource allocation, material availability, quality requirements, engineering changes, and customer delivery commitments.

The role provides day-to-day operational leadership and supports the Operations Sr. Manager in achieving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) objectives. The Assembly Manager works closely with Manufacturing Supervisors, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning, Maintenance, NPI, and Program Management to remove production constraints and maintain predictable manufacturing performance.

What You'll Do

• Manage daily assembly activities across multiple production lines, cells, products, or shifts.
• Translate the production schedule and customer priorities into executable daily and weekly production plans.
• Manage activities of Assembly Supervisors and production teams to achieve safety, quality, output, and delivery requirements.
• Review production status throughout the shift and proactively address deviations from plan.
• Manage labor allocation and movement between production areas based on demand, constraints, skills, and production priorities.
• Ensure effective shift-to-shift communication and production handoffs.
• Monitor work-in-process (WIP), production queues, takt time, cycle time, and completion against schedule.
• Escalate significant production risks and develop recovery plans with the appropriate functional teams.

• Ensure production teams follow applicable drawings, specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), work instructions, torque requirements, inspection criteria, and customer-specific requirements.
• Promote a zero-incident safety culture across assembly operations.
• Ensure compliance with established EHS procedures, PPE requirements, lockout/tagout practices, material handling standards, ergonomics, and safe work practices.
• Participate in safety observations, Gemba walks, incident investigations, and corrective-action activities.
• Identify ergonomic and operational risks within assembly processes and coordinate improvements with EHS and Engineering.
• Ensure supervisors and production employees address unsafe conditions immediately.

• Ensure adherence to manufacturing procedures, drawings, work instructions, specifications, and customer requirements.
• Manage containment activities when production or supplier quality issues affect assembly.
• Work with Quality and Manufacturing Engineering to investigate defects and implement corrective actions.
• Support root-cause analysis using methodologies such as 5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto analysis, DMAIC, and 8D.
• Monitor first-pass yield, rework, scrap, defects, and cost of poor quality.
• Promote quality-at-the-source and standardized work throughout assembly operations.
• Support implementation and verification of engineering changes and revised work instructions.

• Monitor hourly, daily, and weekly production attainment against the manufacturing plan.
• Identify bottlenecks affecting customer delivery and coordinate cross-functional recovery actions.
• Support development of production recovery plans when output falls below schedule.
• Coordinate production priorities with Planning and Supply Chain based on customer requirements.
• Monitor schedule attainment, throughput, backlog, WIP, and on-time delivery.
• Ensure constraints are identified early and escalated through the appropriate management channels.

• Coordinate with Planning, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Material Control to ensure material availability.
• Identify shortages that could affect the production schedule and drive timely escalation.
• Support shortage-management and production-prioritization meetings.
• Ensure appropriate staging and point-of-use availability of materials.
• Help reduce production interruptions caused by material shortages, incorrect components, or inventory discrepancies.
• Support improved material flow, Kanban, supermarket, and line-side replenishment systems where applicable.

• Drive continuous improvement activities across assembly operations.
• Identify opportunities to improve labor productivity, cycle time, material flow, ergonomics, quality, and manufacturing cost.

• Work with Manufacturing Engineering to improve assembly methods, tooling, fixtures, workstations, and process layouts.
• Support time studies and labor standards.
• Participate in value-stream mapping and process-flow optimization.
• Identify opportunities for automation, error proofing (Poka-Yoke), and digital manufacturing tools.

• Lead or coordinate daily production meetings across assigned assembly areas.
• Maintain visual management boards and KPI tracking.
• Review Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People performance with Assembly Supervisors.
• Ensure production issues have clearly defined owners, actions, and completion dates.
• Conduct regular Gemba walks to verify execution and identify constraints.
• Escalate issues that cannot be resolved at the production level to the Operations/Assembly Manager.

• Support introduction of new data center, energy storage, transformer, and cooling products into manufacturing.
• Coordinate production readiness activities with NPI, Engineering, Quality, Planning, and Supply Chain.
• Support prototype, pilot, first-article, and production ramp activities.
• Ensure production teams receive appropriate training before implementing new products or processes.
• Coordinate implementation of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and manufacturing process changes.
• Identify manufacturability issues during early production and communicate improvement opportunities to Engineering.

• Provide operational direction and coordination to Assembly Supervisors and production teams.
• Coach supervisors on production execution, problem solving, escalation, and continuous improvement.
• Promote accountability, teamwork, communication, and disciplined execution.
• Support skills development and cross-training of production employees.
• Help identify staffing, training, and competency gaps.
• Serve as an escalation point for production issues before escalation to the Operations/Assembly Manager.
• Support the development of a high-performance manufacturing culture focused on safety, quality, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree preferred in Manufacturing, Engineering Technology, Operations, Industrial Technology, Business, or a related discipline preferred.
• Minimum 4-6years of progressive manufacturing or assembly experience.
• Minimum 2-4 years of experience in a production leadership, supervisory, lead, or coordination role.
• Experience in complex mechanical, electromechanical, industrial equipment, data center infrastructure, energy storage, transformer, HVAC/cooling, or similar manufacturing environments preferred.
• Experience coordinating multiple production lines, work cells, supervisors, or shifts strongly preferred.
• Experience working in high-growth or production-ramp environments is desirable.

How to Stand Out

Preferred Knowledge includes:

• Mechanical and electromechanical assembly
• Blueprint and engineering drawing interpretation
• Bills of materials and manufacturing routings
• Torque-controlled assembly
• Fabricated metal components
• Piping and mechanical systems
• Electrical cabinets and equipment enclosures
• Cooling and thermal-management systems
• Manufacturing ERP/MRP systems
• Production scheduling
• Lean Manufacturing
• Root-cause analysis
• Quality management systems
• Standard work and visual management
• Experience with ERP/MRP platforms and manufacturing execution systems

Why Join Us?

Sanmina employees also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Sanmina, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.

Sanmina is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment. Sanmina provides equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Please be aware that this position may require access to technology, software, or technical data that is subject to U.S. export control laws. All offers of employment are contingent on the applicant either 1) being a "U.S. Person," defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident, or (iii) other protected individual, such as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. * 1157 or asylee under 8 U.S.C. * 1158; or 2) being eligible to obtain a timely export control license or license exception from the applicable U.S. federal agency.