Production Manager - Paper Bag Manufacturing

About Gather Packaging

Gather Packaging is the manufacturing division of Progress Luv2Pak, a 108-year-old North American leader in retail packaging.

We are investing significantly in our people, equipment, and manufacturing processes as we work toward becoming a market leader in premium, custom-branded paper packaging for major retail customers.

This is an opportunity to join us at an important stage of our growth and help build the manufacturing standards, systems and skilled workforce that will define our operation for years to come.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a hands-on Production Manager to take ownership of our two-shift paper bag converting operation, reporting directly to the Plant Manager.

This is a floor-focused leadership position—not a desk job.

The successful candidate will enjoy being where the work happens: understanding machinery, supporting operators, solving production challenges and developing a skilled, accountable workforce.

We are looking for a genuine people person who can earn employees' trust, recognize their potential and help them develop their technical abilities. You will be responsible not only for achieving today's production goals, but also for building the workforce Gather will need as the operation grows.

A major part of this role will be capturing individual operator knowledge and turning it into documented, teachable and repeatable manufacturing standards.

The questions you will help us answer include:

• How can we run faster and more consistently?
• How can we reduce waste and downtime?
• How can we shorten and standardize changeovers?
• How can we improve quality, uptime, and labour efficiency?
• How can we develop operators who consistently meet—and raise—the standard?
• How can Lean manufacturing, automation, data and artificial intelligence improve production?

Ultimately, we want to replace “how one person does it” with “how Gather does it.”

Our Core Values

Yes We Can, Yes We Do
Find a way to yes. Start with “I can help,” not “that's not my job.”

Gets It Done—The Gather Way
Maintain the standard, act with urgency and raise concerns early.

Problem Solver
Bring practical solutions and real options—not just complaints.

Dedicated and Committed
Be fully engaged, work efficiently and never coast.

Collaborative
Be respectful, constructive, positive and easy to work with.

Steps Up
Take ownership without waiting to be asked.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day performance of the converting department across a two-shift operation.
• Lead, coach and develop supervisors, team leads and operators.
• Build a skilled workforce through effective hiring, onboarding, cross-training, coaching and accountability.
• Create an environment where employees feel comfortable raising concerns, contributing ideas and taking ownership of their work.
• Spend significant time on the manufacturing floor understanding how the machinery and production processes actually operate.
• Capture experienced operator knowledge and translate it into documented standard work, SOPs, training materials and repeatable operating practices.
• Establish meaningful performance targets for each machine and process.
• Drive measurable improvements in machine speed, uptime, waste, labour efficiency, product quality and changeover time.
• Apply Lean manufacturing principles as part of daily leadership—not as a one-time project or corporate exercise.
• Champion workplace safety, housekeeping and 5S principles—Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain—to create an organized, efficient and disciplined production environment.
• Strengthen production, downtime, quality and waste reporting so decisions are based on accurate and useful data.
• Identify, evaluate and implement practical applications for AI, automation and digital tools in areas such as production reporting, scheduling, downtime analysis, preventive maintenance, quality control, training and process optimization.
• Work closely with Maintenance to strengthen preventive-maintenance practices and reduce recurring downtime.
• Investigate recurring production and quality issues, determine root causes and implement lasting corrective actions.
• Lead and participate in trials involving new papers, handles, adhesives, tooling and bag constructions.
• Provide manufacturing input for major customer quotations and new-product opportunities.
• Help evaluate new converting equipment, tooling, automation and capital investments.
• Hold employees and leaders accountable to established safety, quality and production standards.

What You Bring

• At least 8–10 years of manufacturing experience , including significant responsibility for leading production teams in a multi-shift environment.
• Experience supervising, coaching and developing approximately 20–50 or more multi-skilled employees.
• A strong, hands-on understanding of production machinery and manufacturing processes.
• Experience with flexographic printing, paper converting or another high-speed, equipment-intensive manufacturing environment.
• A trainer's mindset and a record of helping employees build their technical skills, confidence and accountability.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to connect effectively with operators, technical specialists and senior leadership.
• Proven ability to capture knowledge from experienced employees and turn it into standards, documentation and effective training.
• Demonstrated success improving machine speed, uptime, material waste, quality, changeover time or labour productivity.
• Practical experience applying Lean manufacturing tools, including 5S, visual management, root-cause analysis, standard work, setup reduction/SMED and waste reduction.
• A continuous-improvement mindset and the ability to embed Lean thinking into everyday production activities.
• A willingness to challenge existing processes and test better ways of working.
• An interest in using AI, data, automation and emerging technology to improve real-world manufacturing performance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication and coaching abilities.
• The resilience and curiosity to take on difficult production challenges and see solutions through to completion.
• Fluency in English.
• Professional working proficiency in Mandarin is required because this position regularly communicates with Mandarin-speaking operators, technical specialists, suppliers and equipment manufacturers during training, troubleshooting and process-improvement work.

What We Offer

• Annual salary of $100,000–$120,000
• RRSP matching of up to 3%
• Health benefits
• Company cellphone and laptop
• Significant responsibility and direct access to plant leadership
• Support from senior leadership and external Lean and continuous-improvement specialists
• The opportunity to build a department rather than simply inherit one
• The opportunity to play an important role in the growth of a Canadian manufacturing business

How We Will Measure Success

Success in this role will mean:

• A stronger and more highly skilled workforce
• Better-trained and more confident operators
• Faster and more consistent setups and changeovers
• Higher and more stable machine speeds
• Increased uptime and labour efficiency
• Lower material waste
• Improved and more consistent product quality
• Reliable and meaningful production reporting
• A safer, cleaner and better-organized workplace
• Strong, sustainable 5S practices
• Documented standards that employees understand and follow
• Practical implementation of Lean, automation, data and AI-driven improvements

Gather Packaging is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Accommodation is available upon request throughout the recruitment and selection process.