Recycling Production Manager

Sun Metalon is building the industrial infrastructure platform for metal circularity — transforming contaminated waste streams into clean, high-value metal with zero CO₂ emissions.

Join a mission-driven team redefining industrial recycling at the intersection of hardware, process innovation, and real-world manufacturing. Help shape how this platform scales — from our Wood Dale facility today to deployments worldwide — with a team that values impact, operational excellence, and no tolerance for waste in any form.

We're not making new metal. We're making metal new.

Be part of a mission‑driven team that is redefining industrial metal recycling and reducing CO₂ emissions across the global metal industry. Work at the intersection of hardware, process‑scale innovation, and real‑world manufacturing, with a fast‑moving start‑up culture that values impact over optics. Help shape how new technology scales from pilot‑scale to commercial production, both in your Wood Dale facility and in future deployments worldwide. Join a growing U.S. and international team with a focus on sustainability, operational excellence, and lean, no‑waste execution.

Sun Metalon Inc. is a start‑up industrial scrap metal recycling company in Wood Dale, IL, developing and scaling new technology that converts metal machining chips into clean, dry product for resale. We are looking for a motivated, hands‑on leader with solid experience in manufacturing or metal/recycling operations who is eager to grow their leadership scope as the company scales. This is not a fully senior, executive‑level plant‑management role; it is an opportunity for an early‑ to mid‑career operations professional to build their career while leading production from single‑shift to multi‑shift operations.

The Recycling Production Manager is a hands‑on, highly driven leader responsible for building and running all production operations across up to three shifts. This role combines the disciplines of a Production Manager and Recycling Operations Manager, with a strong emphasis on creating process, systems, and culture from the ground up. The successful candidate will aggressively pursue production goals while operating with the discipline and resourcefulness typical of a fast‑moving start‑up—waste and “nice‑to‑have” initiatives are not acceptable, and every decision must directly support throughput, quality, safety, or compliance.

• Build and lead all day‑to‑day production activities for the industrial scrap metal recycling process, from receipt of material through processing, puck/briquette formation, staging, and shipment.
• Directly supervise and work alongside production operators on all shifts, setting clear expectations, modeling standard work, and consistently “leading by example” on the shop floor.
• Own the delivery of target production volumes as well as other production performance metrics such as, throughput, uptime, yield/recovery, moisture/contamination levels, and labor hours per ton, and aggressively drive continuous improvement to hit and exceed targets.
• Help identify gaps in existing systems and create or adapt core production systems, including SOPs, work instructions, shift handoffs, production planning, performance tracking, and visual management, using prior experience as a guide.
• Plan and maintain shift schedules, staffing levels, and job assignments as the team grows from a single shift to a 3‑shift operation (approximately 9–10 operators plus this role).
• Develop, document, and enforce clear standards for safety, quality, and housekeeping, including PPE, lockout/tagout, hot‑surface/thermal hazards, lifting, and material handling.
• Monitor equipment performance (dryers, briquetters, conveyors, material handling systems, etc.), perform basic troubleshooting, and coordinate with maintenance and vendors in a way that balances reliability with start‑up‑style fiscal discipline.
• Support and help manage ongoing compliance and permitting requirements typical of a recycling center, including air emissions, wastewater/condensate handling, waste characterization, and recordkeeping, working closely with regulatory, operations, and technical teams.
• Train, coach, and develop operators and future shift leads, providing clear expectations, regular feedback, and performance‑oriented accountability.
• Work closely with leadership and technical teams to translate R&D and pilot‑scale process knowledge into stable, repeatable, and scalable production operations.
• Identify bottlenecks, waste, and quality issues and propose and implement practical, low‑waste improvements in layout, workflow, methods, and equipment settings that align with the start‑up’s growth and efficiency goals.
• Champion a lean, no‑waste mindset grounded in start‑up realities: challenge unnecessary spending, optimize consumables, and drive efficiency in labor, energy, and materials usage without compromising safety or quality.

• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, metal processing, recycling, or similar industrial operations, including at least 2–3 years in a lead, supervisor, or manager role.
• Demonstrated success in a small or growing operation where the leader is hands‑on and heavily involved on the floor (not purely office‑based).
• Strong mechanical aptitude and comfort working around industrial equipment, material handling systems, and high‑temperature or drying processes.
• Proven ability to build, train, and lead production teams of 5–15 people across multiple shifts, ideally in a 24/5 or 24/7 environment.
• Solid understanding of basic production metrics (throughput, uptime, yield, scrap, labor efficiency) and how to use data to drive decisions and improvements.
• Experience (or at least a clear understanding) of identifying gaps in systems and creating or adapting SOPs, workflows, and performance tracking in an environment where they do not yet exist.
• Experience or familiarity with environmental compliance and permitting requirements for a recycling or industrial processing facility (e.g., air emissions, wastewater/condensate, waste handling, and associated recordkeeping and reporting).
• Strong commitment to safety and experience implementing or enforcing safety programs in an industrial setting.
• Aggressive, results‑oriented mindset with a track record of meeting or exceeding production goals while operating under resource constraints and evolving priorities—typical of a fast‑paced start‑up.
• Comfortable operating in a start‑up environment: adaptable, resourceful, willing to roll up sleeves, and solve problems with limited structure and evolving processes.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to set clear expectations, hold people accountable, and maintain a performance‑oriented culture.

• Primarily plant‑floor based role with regular physical presence around operating equipment and material handling activities.
• Role will initially be heavily focused on first shift and direct involvement with operators, then transition into more oversight across all three shifts as the team grows.
• Flexibility to support off‑shift or weekend work during start‑up, equipment commissioning, and critical production periods.
• Expectation to operate with a start‑up mindset: every initiative should tie directly to improving production performance, safety, or compliance, not to “nice‑to‑haves” or low‑impact projects.