Production Manager

Threads & Lasers | Holly Springs, NC

• Full-Time
• Monday–Friday
• 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
• $25–$30/hour, based on experience

This isn't a job for someone who wants to be told what to do next.

Threads & Lasers is growing, and we're looking for the person who can take ownership of our production floor.
We don't simply need someone who can print shirts, run an embroidery machine, or follow a production schedule.
We need someone who can OWN the production schedule.

We're looking for a hands-on Production Manager who can walk into the shop each morning, understand what needs to happen, organize the people and resources to make it happen, solve problems along the way, and make sure quality orders leave our shop on time.

If your natural response to a problem is:
"I'll figure it out."
...keep reading.

The Opportunity

Threads & Lasers produces custom apparel and products using DTF printing, embroidery, screen printing, laser engraving, and other decoration methods.

We work with businesses, schools, sports organizations, corporate clients, events, teams, and organizations of all sizes.
We're growing and growth means our owners cannot continue to be the answer to every production question.

That's where you come in.

The goal of this position is simple:

Build and run a production operation that doesn't require the owner to manage it every day.

You'll have responsibility, but you'll also have authority.

We want you to learn how our shop operates, understand our standards, and eventually become the person who can confidently say:

"Production is handled."

Your Scorecard

We won't measure your success by how busy you look.
We'll measure it by what happens in production.

1. Orders Leave On Time

• You will own the daily and weekly production schedule.
• You'll know what's due, what needs to happen first, what materials are required, who's responsible for each step, and whether we're on track.
• When something threatens a deadline, you'll identify it early and develop a solution.

2. Quality Stays High

• Our customers shouldn't be our quality-control department.
• You'll establish checkpoints throughout production so mistakes are caught before an entire order is completed.
• You'll help ensure the right product, decoration method, artwork, placement, color, quantity, and finishing requirements are followed.

3. The Team Knows What to Do

• Our production employees shouldn't need to find the owner to ask: "What should I work on next?"
• You'll set priorities, assign work, communicate expectations, and make sure everyone has what they need to be productive.

4. Materials Are Ready Before They're Needed

• Running out of something shouldn't be how we discover we're low on it.
• You'll monitor production supplies, blanks, incoming merchandise, work-in-progress, and equipment needs.
• You'll identify shortages and potential problems before they stop production.

5. Problems Get Solved

Printers misbehave. Threads break. Products arrive late. Artwork changes. Rush orders happen. Things will go wrong.

• We're not looking for someone who simply reports every problem to the owner.
• We're looking for someone who can assess the situation, determine possible solutions, make decisions within their authority, and escalate when necessary.

6. The Shop Gets Better

We don't want to hear: "That's how we've always done it."

If you see a better way to organize inventory, schedule production, reduce mistakes, maintain equipment, improve workflow, or increase efficiency...we want to hear it.

Part of your job is helping us build systems that make Threads & Lasers stronger as we grow.

What you'll own

Your responsibilities will include:

• Daily and weekly production scheduling
• Production priorities and workflow
• Meeting customer deadlines
• Quality-control processes
• Production staff coordination
• Inventory and production supplies
• Equipment care and maintenance schedules
• Work-in-progress organization
• Production troubleshooting
• Reprints and production errors
• Finished-order accuracy
• Shop organization
• Process documentation and improvement

You'll also work closely with the owners regarding upcoming projects, large orders, special deadlines, equipment needs, and capacity planning.

Yes, this is a hands-on position.

Managing production doesn't mean standing on the sidelines. You'll need to understand and often participate in the work.

Depending on experience, that may include:

• DTF printing and heat pressing
• Embroidery
• Screen printing
• Laser engraving
• Garment preparation
• Finishing
• Quality control
• Packing and fulfillment

You don't need to be an expert in every process on day one. But you do need to be curious enough to learn how everything works.

Who will thrive here

We're looking for someone who:

• Takes ownership without needing constant direction.
• Notices problems before someone points them out.
• Is highly organized.
• Can prioritize competing deadlines.
• Communicates clearly.
• Holds themselves and others accountable.
• Can make decisions.
• Isn't afraid to ask questions when they genuinely need more information.
• Enjoys solving problems.
• Can give direction while still being willing to jump in and help.
• Understands the difference between being busy and being productive.
• Takes quality personally.
• Wants responsibility, not just a paycheck.

Who probably won't enjoy this position

This probably isn't the right role if you prefer:

• Waiting for someone to tell you what to work on.
• Passing problems up instead of trying to solve them.
• Doing only the tasks specifically assigned to you.
• Avoiding difficult conversations.
• Working without deadlines or measurable expectations.
• Saying, "That's not my job."

We're a small, growing company.
Sometimes "that's not my job" becomes "it is today."

Experience

Experience in custom apparel, embroidery, screen printing, DTF printing, promotional products, print production, manufacturing, fulfillment, or a similar production environment is
strongly preferred.

We're also interested in experienced production or operations leaders from other industries who can demonstrate strong organization, leadership, mechanical aptitude, and problem-solving ability.

Experience with commercial embroidery equipment, DTF equipment, heat presses, screen printing equipment, or laser equipment is a major plus.

What success looks like

After you've settled into this position, we should see:

• Clear production priorities.
• Fewer preventable mistakes.
• Orders completed on schedule.
• Better organization.
• Equipment maintained consistently.
• Employees who know what's expected of them.
• Problems being handled and solutions documented.

What you'll get from us

In return, you'll get the opportunity to have a meaningful role in a growing small business.

This isn't a position where every process is set in stone.

You'll have the opportunity to help us improve systems, develop processes, organize production, and build the structure we'll use as Threads & Lasers continues to grow.

We're looking for someone who wants to look back a year from now and say:

"I helped build that."

Ready to Apply?

Click Apply Now and provide these details:

• Your resume
• A brief introduction
• Your desired hourly rate
• Any relevant production, printing, embroidery, manufacturing, operations, or management experience

And answer this question:
Tell us about a time you saw a problem at work that technically wasn't yours to solve, but you took ownership of it anyway. What did you do?

We're less interested in the perfect answer than we are in understanding how you think.

If this sounds like the kind of responsibility you've been looking for, we'd love to hear from you.