Plant Manager

Company: Keen Pump (A Division of Kinetiflo Company) Reports To: CEO FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt Company: Keen Pump Company, 471 U.S. Highway 250 E Ashland, OH 44805 What You'll Do The Plant Manager is responsible for overseeing all operations within the facility, ensuring efficient production, quality control, workplace safety, cost management, and timely delivery of customer orders. This role directs and coordinates production, engineering, purchasing, and supply chain, maintenance, quality, inventory, and personnel activities while working closely with Sales to achieve company goals for safety, quality, efficiency, cost, and customer satisfaction. Plan, organize, and oversee daily manufacturing operations, including machining, assembly, testing, warehousing, and shipping. Receive sales orders from the Sales team and translate them into shop and production orders, including coordinating the purchase of required non-stock materials. Develop and implement production schedules to meet customer and delivery commitments. Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), including productivity, efficiency, downtime, quality, scrap, rework, labor utilization, and on-time delivery. Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities related to safety, quality, productivity, cost, workflow, and on-time delivery. Supervise and lead production, maintenance, and warehouse teams with a focus on accountability, safety, quality, teamwork, and performance. Train, coach, and develop supervisors and team members to strengthen technical skills, improve performance, reduce turnover, and build a strong plant culture. Conduct regular meetings to review production performance, safety, quality, staffing, and operational objectives. Ensure compliance with company safety policies and applicable OSHA/EHS requirements, including employee training, PPE, machine guarding, LOTO, forklift safety, incident reporting, and corrective actions. Lead investigations into production, quality, safety, and operational issues and ensure appropriate corrective actions are implemented and followed through. Coordinate with Purchasing and Engineering on materials, tooling, equipment, and production planning. Collaborate with Engineering, Sales, and Quality teams to resolve technical issues and meet customer requirements. Work closely with Supply Chain to manage lead times, capacity planning, material availability, and vendor quality. Oversee inventory control processes to maintain accurate stock levels of raw materials, components, work-in-process, and finished goods. Manage plant labor and operating costs, including staffing levels, overtime, productivity, scrap, rework, and other controllable expenses. Partner with HR on staffing needs, employee development, performance management, attendance, employee relations, and other workforce matters. Design and optimize plant layout to improve workflow, material handling efficiency, safety, and space utilization. Ensure the physical organization and condition of the facility support safety, efficiency, quality, and scalability for future growth. Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence throughout the manufacturing facility and proactively address operational issues. Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned based on the business and operational needs. This position works in both an office and industrial manufacturing environment. The Plant Manager is expected to spend significant time on the production floor working with employees, supervisors, equipment, and manufacturing processes. While performing the duties of this position, the employee may be exposed to moving mechanical equipment, fumes or airborne particles, varying temperatures, industrial equipment, and moderate to high noise levels. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn as required. The position may also involve occasional outdoor work or exposure to varying environmental conditions. Position Type/Expected Hours of Work This is an exempt full-time position, days and hours may vary based on production and business needs. Occasional evenings, early morning, or weekend work may be required as job duties demand. Occasional travel may be required for training, vendor visits, company meetings, or visits to other Kinetiflo locations. What We're Looking For Manufacturing Leadership Experience: Strong experience leading operations in an industrial manufacturing environment. Pump, machining, fabrication, assembly, or industrial equipment experience is especially valuable. Education/Technical Background: Mechanical Engineering degree or equivalent combination of technical education and relevant work experience preferred. People Leadership: Proven ability to lead diverse teams, manage supervisors and hourly employees, develop employees, address performance issues, and create accountability. Production & Operations: Strong understanding of production scheduling, workflow, labor planning, capacity, productivity, downtime, bottlenecks, and on-time delivery. Results-Driven Leadership: Proven ability to drive results in a deadline-driven manufacturing environment while balancing production, quality, safety, cost, and customer expectations. Safety: Strong OSHA/EHS mindset with experience involving PPE, forklift safety, machine guarding, LOTO, incident prevention, employee training, and general plant safety. Quality: Experience reducing defects and rework, resolving quality issues, implementing corrective actions, and maintaining manufacturing standards. Inventory & Materials: Understanding of purchasing, material flow, inventory accuracy, receiving, warehousing, shortages, and their impact on production. Financial Management: Experience managing plant budgets and understanding labor costs, overtime, scrap, operating expenses, margins, and other plant KPIs. ERP & Technology: Experience working with ERP systems and other computer-based manufacturing and business systems. Strong Excel skills preferred; NetSuite experience is a plus. Hands-On Leadership: Comfortable spending significant time on the production floor, understanding equipment and processes, troubleshooting issues, and working directly with employees. Physical/Plant Environment: Ability to safely work around and, when appropriately trained and authorized, use ladders, scaffolding, motorized lifts, and other equipment required by the position. Cross-Functional Communication: Ability to effectively partner with Sales, Engineering, Finance, HR, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Quality, and executive leadership. Accountability & Urgency: Demonstrates sound decision-making, follows through on commitments, communicates problems early, and takes ownership of plant performance. Career Progression & Experience: Demonstrated growth, increasing responsibility, and relevant experience in manufacturing leadership positions. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential. Travel 10% travel through out the USA is required, the remainder of the work will be on site in Ashland, OH. Why Join Us Full Benefits Package: Medical, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) with company match Paid time off Career Growth: Ongoing training, cross-training opportunities, and advancement within a growing industrial services company. Team Environment: Supportive, hardworking team that values reliability, teamwork, safety, and quality work. Equal Opportunity Statement Keen Pump, a Kinetiflo Company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees. #J-18808-Ljbffr Kinetiflo Group