Plant Manager

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 3 years leading direct reports in a plant or production environment.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, production planning, quality systems, and maintenance practices.
• Demonstrated experience driving operational improvements and achieving measurable business results.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

• Experience in industrial manufacturing, metal fabrication, engineered products, or a similar environment
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience with ERP and CMMS systems.

Job Description

A well-established manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead overall plant operations and drive performance, profitability, and operational excellence. This individual will oversee key areas including production, maintenance, quality, safety, scheduling, and continuous improvement. The Plant Manager will be responsible for developing and executing strategies that improve productivity, reduce costs, strengthen employee engagement, and ensure customer expectations are consistently met. This role will also serve as a key member of the leadership team and will play an important part in creating a culture centered around accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement. Operational Leadership

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and productivity goals.
• Ensure production schedules are met while maintaining efficiency and customer commitments.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) including throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, rework, on-time delivery, and equipment uptime.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean manufacturing principles.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve flow and capacity. Safety & Environmental Compliance
• Promote and maintain a zero-injury culture.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental regulations, and company safety policies.
• Lead investigations of safety incidents and near misses.
• Conduct regular safety audits and corrective action reviews. Quality Management
• Partner with the Quality team to maintain customer and company quality standards.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action efforts related to customer complaints and internal quality issues.
• Support continuous improvement of quality systems and procedures.
• Ensure production processes consistently meet specifications and customer expectations. Workforce Leadership
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and department managers.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability standards.
• Participate in recruitment, workforce planning, succession planning, and employee development.
• Foster a positive culture focused on teamwork, communication, and operational excellence. Maintenance & Asset Management
• Partner with Maintenance leadership to maximize equipment reliability and uptime.
• Support implementation of preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Ensure critical spare parts and equipment support plans are maintained.
• Drive effective utilization of asset management systems and maintenance software. Financial Performance
• Develop and manage operating budgets.
• Monitor labor, material, and overhead costs.
• Identify cost-reduction opportunities without compromising safety or quality.
• Support capital planning and equipment investment decisions. Continuous Improvement
• Champion Lean manufacturing initiatives and waste reduction activities.
• Lead Kaizen events, process improvement projects, and operational reviews.
• Utilize data and performance metrics to drive decision-making.
• Build sustainable systems that improve productivity and operational consistency. Customer Focus
• Support customer satisfaction through reliable execution and responsiveness.
• Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, and Customer Service teams to meet customer expectations.
• Assist with customer audits, plant tours, and operational reviews as needed.