Plant Manager

Plant Manager

The Clutches & Brakes Division of Industrial Powertrain Solutions is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead the Warren operation, a $44 million annual sales business with approximately 118 associates. This senior site leader has overall accountability for safety, compliance and effective plant performance, including manufacturing, people leadership, labor relations, quality, delivery, cost, cash and continuous improvement. The Plant Manager will establish a clear operating rhythm, strengthen leadership capability and build a constructive relationship with union representatives and the represented workforce.

The successful candidate will apply the Regal Rexnord Business System (RBS) to improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Growth (SQDCG), while balancing customer requirements, business priorities and commitments under the collective bargaining agreement.

Key Responsibilities

• Hold full responsibility for all plant operations, including manufacturing, facilities, planning, tactical purchasing, materials management, and all site associates.
• Lead a cross-functional organization and operational value streams by setting objectives, building execution plans, reinforcing daily management routines, and implementing corrective actions to ensure customer success.
• Develop and coach the plant leadership team, strengthening bench talent, succession depth, and leadership capabilities.
• Build a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, transparency, and a strong say-do ratio.
• Establish a compelling organizational vision with measurable goals and lead the organization in executing against that vision.
• Foster a learning culture that seeks out performance gaps, challenges the status quo, embraces change, and continuously improves as both a business and a team.
• Align the organization around both long-term strategic objectives and short-term tactical priorities, with strong emphasis on change management and operational excellence.

Union and Labor Relations

• Build and maintain a professional, constructive working relationship with union officers, stewards and represented associates.
• Administer the collective bargaining agreement consistently and partner closely with Human Resources and Legal on interpretation, employee relations and labor strategy.
• Lead grievance handling, investigations, corrective action and dispute resolution through timely, well-documented and consistent processes.
• Participate in labor-management meetings and support collective bargaining, contract negotiations and agreement implementation.
• Coach supervisors and managers on contract administration, respectful communication and consistent application of workplace policies.
• Anticipate workforce and labor-relations risks and maintain continuity of operations.

Drive Business Performance – SQDCG

• Increasing product portfolio by localizing for the US market.
• Lead and align the organization to the business' Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), ensuring performance targets are met or exceeded.
• Serve as the champion of all EHS efforts; ensure associate and product safety are the top priority while driving a culture of safety and sustainability.
• Lead the daily/weekly/monthly business management cadence to drive performance in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Growth.
• Own operational and financial outcomes for an approximately $44 million annual sales plan, including revenue, operating income, cash, budgets, spending, capital investment and cost structure.
• Manage budgets, spending, and cost structure to meet both short- and long-range business objectives.
• Partner with Division, Segment, Central Functions, and sister sites to ensure Regal Rexnord and customer success.
• Collaborate with business leadership to establish and deliver annual operating budgets, including capital investments.
• Drive operational speed by eliminating waste, compressing lead times, improving throughput, and applying RBS principles.
• Deliver year-over-year cost reduction (target of 3%+ net of inflation), improve inventory turns, and optimize working capital.
• Communicate plant performance clearly and frequently to key internal stakeholders.
• Establish and execute a site Continuous Improvement roadmap, leading high-cadence reviews that sustain momentum.
• Actively engage with teams through GEMBA walks, kaizen events, and frontline coaching.

Commercial Alignment & Customer Partnership

Serve as the operational counterpart to the Commercial team, ensuring tight alignment between customer demand, operational capability, and profitable growth objectives.

• Participate in joint SIOP/S&OP processes, translating customer forecasts and commercial strategies into clear operational plans.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, and Product Management to optimize lead times, service levels, on-time delivery, customer mix, and product profitability.
• Provide operational insights that inform pricing, quoting, capacity planning, inventory strategy, and customer commitments.
• Support customer visits, audits, and strategic account reviews to strengthen relationships and ensure transparency around plant capabilities.
• Partner on New Product Introductions (NPI), product transitions, product life-cycle management, and product line simplification to improve margin and responsiveness.
• Ensure Commercial strategy, operational execution, and supply chain alignment work in lockstep to maximize customer value and business performance.

People Leadership

• Build and retain high-performing teams; recruit, onboard, develop, and motivate top talent at all levels.
• Provide ongoing coaching and timely, constructive feedback to reinforce performance and growth.
• Communicate frequently and consistently with associates, including leading All-Employee Meetings.
• Create an inclusive environment that supports associate engagement, development, and retention.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing operations with broad exposure to supply chain, engineering, quality, inventory, safety, and finance from a similar machining background.
• 5+ years of experience in people leadership within a manufacturing operations environment.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and driving measurable operational improvements.
• Strong capability with Lean, RBS, and/or Continuous Improvement systems.
• Proven financial acumen and experience managing departmental or plant-level budgets.
• Demonstrated plant-level labor-relations experience in a unionized manufacturing environment, including collective bargaining agreement administration and grievance management.

Preferred

• Experience partnering directly with Commercial, Sales, or Customer-facing teams.
• Advanced degree (MBA, MS Engineering).
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• Background in leading operations through transformation, restructuring, or modernization.

"Restrictions imposed by federal export control laws may limit this job opportunity to candidates who are a 'U.S. Person', which includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted asylum in the United States, and refugees in the United States, or who otherwise can qualify for a license that permits them to hold the position."