Plant Manager

Career Opportunities: Plant Manager (74786)

Requisition ID 74786-Posted 09/29/2026- Cooling Products (Cooling Products)- Kansas - Olathe

Building the people that build the world.

With platforms in HVAC and Detection and Measurement, SPX Technologies builds innovative solutions that enable a safer, more efficient, sustainable world. Through our RiSE talent development framework, we Reach, Identify, Strengthen, and Engage our employees to support them in their continued development. We’re a global company of problem solvers, collaborators, and innovators, and our businesses build solutions that impact the world.

As part of HVAC Cooling, SPX Cooling Technologies is a leader in high quality industrial HVAC equipment used to cool large facilities like hospitals, data centers, and power plants. With cooling towers, fans, and refrigeration units, companies rely on brands like Marley, Recold, and SGS to provide comfort and mission critical and industrial cooling solutions.

How you will make an Impact (Job Summary)

SPX is a diverse team of unique individuals who all make an impact. As the Senior Site Leader for our Olathe manufacturing facility, you will serve as the senior leader for one of our largest and most complex manufacturing operations and as a key member of the Americas Cooling Operations leadership team.

This role has overall responsibility for site performance and for developing and executing the site's operating strategy. The Senior Site Leader is accountable for creating a safe, engaged, high-performing organization that consistently delivers on commitments to our customers and the business across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People and Growth.

The Senior Site Leader will provide leadership across the site's manufacturing operations, including safety, quality, production, procurement, planning and scheduling, materials and inventory control, warehousing and shipping, maintenance, and continuous improvement, while partnering closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Finance, EHS, Commercial and other functions. This role will also have operational oversight of our Elkin, NC facility.

Operating in a complex manufacturing environment producing highly engineered cooling towers, fluid coolers and related products, this leader will balance near-term execution with long-term capability and capacity development. The role will be responsible for developing the organization, strengthening operating processes, deploying capital, improving manufacturing flow and productivity, and ensuring the facility has the people, equipment, systems and capabilities required to support sustainable growth.

The successful candidate will model SPX's Core Values of Integrity, Accountability, Excellence, Teamwork and Results by doing what is right the right way, taking ownership, communicating with data and transparency, exceeding customer expectations, making others successful and consistently delivering on commitments.

What you can expect in this role (Job Responsibilities)

Site Leadership & Business Performance

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the Olathe manufacturing facility, with accountability for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People and Growth.
• Take ownership for site performance, creating understanding throughout the organization through clear communication, accountability, and transparency.
• Establish an operating environment where leaders understand both what must be delivered and how results are achieved – both the what and how matter.
• Provide timely, transparent communication regarding performance, risks, opportunities and recovery plans to business leadership.
• Oversee overall plant efficiency including production scheduling, capacity planning, labor planning, materials flow, inventory control, warehousing and shipping to achieve customer commitments.
• Ensure appropriate staffing and capability levels across shifts, departments and critical operations.

People, Culture & Organizational Development

• Build and develop a strong, accountable leadership team capable of effectively managing a large and complex manufacturing operation.
• Foster a culture of trust, engagement, inclusion and belonging where employees feel valued and are empowered to contribute.
• Inspire leaders to take ownership for change and results and drive decision making and problem solving skills deeper into the organization.
• Model authentic, connected and respectful leadership relationships while demonstrating self-awareness, courage, transparency, confidence and humility.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor, actively engaging employees and leaders to understand / resolve issues and reinforce expectations.
• Partner with Human Resources to attract, select, onboard, retain and develop talent with robust succession planning.
• Monitor and improve critical workforce measures (employee engagement, retention, etc.) and proactively address employee relations issues with consistency and respect.

Quality & Customer Performance

• Establish a culture in which quality is owned throughout the organization, “don’t accept, don’t make, and don’t pass” mind set.
• Proactively identify customer pain points and partner across functions to develop effective and sustainable solutions.
• Engage directly in significant customer issues when appropriate.
• Use quality data, customer feedback, warranty information and operating performance to identify systemic improvement opportunities.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Establish Lean manufacturing, standard work, visual management, daily tiered meetings, escalation protocols, layered audits, 5S, and structured problem solving as foundational elements of the site's operating system.
• Encourage incremental and transformational ideas and create an environment where the organization is comfortable challenging existing practices in pursuit of better alternatives.
• Build a culture in which continuous improvement is part of everyday work rather than a separate initiative.
• Develop problem-solving capability throughout the organization so that leaders and teams increasingly identify and resolve issues at the appropriate level.

We each bring something to the table, and we are looking for someone who has:

Required Experience & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Supply Chain, Industrial Management, Business or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and significant leadership experience.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience delivering measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost and employee engagement.
• Demonstrated experience building and leading high performance teams in a large, complex manufacturing operation utilizing Lean methodologies.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including experience managing operating budgets, labor, capital investments, productivity and manufacturing costs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through significant growth, operational change or organizational transformation.

What we are looking for (Required/Ideal Experience, Skills, Education)

Ideal Experience & Skills

• Experience manufacturing highly engineered, configured-to-order or customized industrial products.
• Experience in fabrication and assembly environments involving processes such as welding, sheet metal fabrication, machining, forming and large-scale assembly.
• Experience with HVAC, heat transfer, cooling equipment or other engineered industrial products.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and data-driven manufacturing management.
• MBA or other relevant advanced degree.
• Position is based at the Olathe, Kansas manufacturing facility and requires significant on-site leadership presence.
• Regular interaction with employees and leaders throughout the manufacturing environment is expected.
• Manufacturing environment includes exposure to varying levels of noise, temperature, industrial equipment and production activity.
• Travel may be required to other SPX facilities, suppliers, customers or business meetings.

How we live our culture

Our culture is at the center of what we do and, more importantly, who we are. Our core values set a standard for how we manage ourselves, and our Leadership Model sets the standard for how we engage with each other. Whether you are an individual contributor or you lead a large team, each of us leads at SPX.

What benefits do we offer?

We know that the well-being of our employees is integral. Our benefits include:

• Generous and flexible paid time off including paid personal time off, caregiver, parental, and volunteer leave
• Competitive health insurance plans and 401(k) match, with benefits starting day one
• Competitive and performance-based compensation packages and bonus plans
• Educational assistance, leadership development programs, and recognition programs

Our commitment to embrace diversity to build a culture of inclusion at SPX

We value different backgrounds, experiences, and voices at SPX, and we are committed to challenging ourselves, openly communicating, and striving to improve every day. We believe in creating an inclusive work environment where everyone has a voice and is encouraged to realize their fullest potential.

SPX is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer committed to making selection decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.