Plant Manager

Job Title

Alkegen brings together two of the world's leading specialty materials companies to create one new, innovation-driven leader focused on battery technologies, filtration media, and specialty insulation and sealing materials. Through global reach and breakthrough inventions, we're delivering products that enable the world to breathe easier, live greener, and go further than ever before.

With over 60 manufacturing facilities with a global workforce of over 9,000 of the industry's most experienced talent, including insulation and filtration experts, Alkegen is uniquely positioned to help customers impact the environment in meaningful ways.

Alkegen offers a range of dynamic career opportunities with globe-spanning reach. From production operators to engineers, technicians to specialists, sales to leadership, we're always looking for top talent ready to bring their best. Come grow with us!

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee and coordinate operations across the Virginia plant, ensuring alignment of processes, standards, and results.
• Ensure the plant delivers on key performance indicators while leveraging synergies between other vacuum forming plants.
• Ensure the utilization of best manufacturing practices and ensures consistent execution of operating procedures.
• Driving rigorous daily/weekly/monthly management system ensuring plant meets/beats key KPI's across safety, quality, cost, delivery, improvement, and people.
• Translate regional operations strategy into plant-level must win battle plans with clearly defined goals.
• Lead the implementation of strategic projects such as capital investments, product transfers, and capability expansion.
• Align resources and capabilities to support business growth, customer expectations, and future capacity requirements.
• Develop and execute the annual business plan in support of overall company objectives.
• Partner with commercial, R&D, and new product introduction functions in new product development, product launches, and improvements.
• Leading safety for the plant with rigor and conviction consistent with safety as our number one value.
• Standardize EHS processes and ensure proactive risk management through audits, behavioral safety, and training.
• Lead the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 management systems.
• Oversee environmental management performance, including waste reduction, emission control, regulatory compliance, and site-level sustainability initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional risk management efforts, identifying, assessing, and mitigating operational, environmental, and compliance risks across the facilities.
• Maintain an effective property conservation program encompassing fire protection, emergency preparedness, loss control, preventive maintenance, and finished goods supplies and fixed asset inventory management and control.
• Delivery budgeted financial performance.
• Delivery sites annual cost reduction goals ensuring collaboration with plant finance lead.
• Driving capital planning and ensure ROI on investment projects are realized.
• Partners with plant finance led to build and execute weekly/monthly financial forecasts are accurate, and financial walks are developed and analyzed with appropriate corrective actions executed to meet commitments.
• Lead and coach the plant leadership team, creating strong accountability and a performance-oriented culture.
• Build plant leadership capability, including succession planning and development of future leaders.
• Drive effective organizational design and workforce planning to support operational needs and future growth.
• Own the recruitment, selection, and onboarding process for key site roles, ensuring the right talent is hired, aligned with culture and capability requirements.
• Ensure consistent product quality and customer service levels.
• Partner with commercial and regional quality team to support new product launches and resolve customer issues efficiently.
• Lead customer audits and ensure plants maintain required certifications (ISO, IATF, etc.).
• Champion robust problem-solving techniques and methodologies to ensure sustainable improvements are implemented.
• Drive cost efficiency, ensuring delivery of annual financial targets related to conversion costs, material usage, waste, and labor productivity.
• Lead and embed a continuous improvement culture, using lean, six sigma, and structured problem-solving to eliminate waste and optimize process flow.
• Identify, prioritize, and execute cost-saving initiatives, ensuring clear ownership, measurable impact, and sustainable results.
• Oversee local purchasing activity to ensure alignment with strategic sourcing, cost control, and supplier performance expectations and partner with corporate and regional teams to leverage economies of scale, manage vendor relationships, and support make-vs-buy decisions.

Essential Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• 10+ years of plant management experience within an industrial market sector.
• Demonstrated experience with full P&L responsibility for a manufacturing operation with annual revenues of at least $15 million.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering improvements across multiple key performance indicators in a complex or matrixed environment.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, or related field.
• Deep knowledge of lean manufacturing and operational excellence systems and tools.
• Strong financial acumen, able to see cause and effect between operational decisions and financial outcomes; solid understanding of the impact of operating metrics on income statement, and cash flow.
• Demonstrates hands on experience of implementing ISO 9001 or equivalent management systems.
• Demonstrates strong leadership presence with the ability to inspire, engage, and hold teams accountable.
• Highly analytical and data-driven; able to interpret metrics and results and drive fact-based decision-making.
• Demonstrates an ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Skilled in talent selection, team development, and succession planning.
• Demonstrates sophisticated communication skills (oral, written, and presentation), able to effectively interact with all levels of the plant and wider Alkegen enterprise.

Work schedule: Requires onsite attendance

If you are interested in being part of a world class plant leadership team at Alkegen then we would love to hear from you.

At Alkegen, we strive every day to help people – ALL PEOPLE – breathe easier, live greener and go further than ever before. We believe that diversity and inclusion is central to this mission and to our impact. Our diverse and inclusive culture drives our growth & innovation and we nurture it by actively embracing our differences and using our varied perspectives to solve the complex challenges facing our changing and diverse world.

Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, nation of origin, religion, color, gender identity and expression, age, disability, education, opinions, culture, languages spoken, veteran's status, or any other protected class.