Plant Manager

Relocation Assistance is provided to the qualified candidate!

Summary:

Our award-winning client is seeking a Plant Manager to join their team. The ideal candidate will develop and execute both short-term operational plans and long-term strategies aligned with corporate objectives and customer requirements.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience leading complex, regulated food manufacturing operations, managing cross-functional leadership teams, improving operational performance, and developing a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities:

• Plant Operations & Strategy:

• Lead day-to-day operations across the facility, ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable production.

• Develop and execute site strategies focused on production, quality, cost, service, and business growth.

• Provide hands-on leadership and clear communication across multiple departments.

• Establish standardized operating procedures, performance metrics, and management systems.

• Ensure production plans meet customer demand while optimizing throughput, yield, productivity, and asset utilization.

• Maintain strong operational discipline and ensure customer commitments are consistently met.

• Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance:

• Champion a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, PSM, food safety, and environmental requirements.

• Oversee process safety, material handling, dust control, waste management, and environmental programs.

• Lead safety, quality, and regulatory audits, inspections, investigations, and corrective actions.

• Maintain a safe workplace by enforcing policies, conducting regular safety reviews, and promoting employee safety awareness.

• Ensure compliance with applicable food manufacturing and regulatory standards.

• Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and develop site leadership teams through strong communication, coaching, and accountability.

• Build leadership capabilities through performance management, mentoring, and succession planning.

• Foster effective collaboration across Operations, EHS, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, and HR.

• Develop a culture focused on employee engagement, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

• Maintenance, Reliability & Engineering:

• Oversee plant reliability, preventive maintenance, and predictive maintenance programs.

• Develop strategies for managing aging equipment, spare parts, and critical assets.

• Partner with Engineering on capital improvements, plant expansions, automation, debottlenecking, and process optimization projects.

• Improve equipment reliability, uptime, and overall asset performance.

• Continuous Improvement & Change Management:

• Lead Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence initiatives.

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, quality, and workforce utilization.

• Standardize processes, systems, reporting, and operating practices across the facility.

• Lead change-management initiatives supporting business growth and operational transformation.

• Ensure lessons learned from quality issues, performance gaps, and customer feedback are incorporated into plant processes.

• Financial & Business Performance:

• Drive productivity, cost reduction, and operational efficiency initiatives while maintaining safety and quality standards.

• Manage plant resources and operating costs to achieve financial objectives.

• Support strategic initiatives including plant expansions, new product introductions, capacity improvements, and process optimization.

• Monitor key operational and financial metrics and take corrective action when performance targets are not achieved.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Food Science, Manufacturing, or a related field.

• 6–12+ years of progressive manufacturing or processing leadership experience, preferably within food manufacturing.

• Experience managing operations in a regulated food manufacturing environment with a strong focus on safety and compliance.

• Demonstrated success leading multiple complex manufacturing functions or departments.

• Experience with asset-intensive manufacturing operations, reliability programs, and maintenance strategies.

• Experience coordinating production with R&D, engineering, or new product development activities.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Strong knowledge of employee safety, food safety, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing processes.

• Understanding of powdered, granular, extruded, agglomerated, or similar food-processing operations is highly desirable.

• Strong financial and operational acumen, including budgeting, cost control, productivity, and performance management.

• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies.

• Strong understanding of equipment reliability, preventive/predictive maintenance, and asset management.

• Excellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, and change-management skills.

• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and effectively balance safety, quality, service, cost, and production objectives.