Manufacturing General Manager

Job Description

Job Description

General Manager, Sawmill Operations

Location: Cobleskill, New York

Lead a High-Performing Value-Added Wood Products Operation

Our client is a well-established and highly respected wood products manufacturer seeking an experienced General Manager to lead its Cobleskill, New York operation. This opportunity offers the chance to oversee a modern value-added manufacturing facility that plays a critical role within a larger integrated forest products organization.

Reporting to senior executive leadership, the General Manager will be responsible for the overall safety, operational performance, financial results, quality, customer service, and continuous improvement of the facility. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a hands-on, collaborative leader who can inspire teams, optimize manufacturing performance, and drive operational excellence.

About the Operation

The Cobleskill facility employs approximately 75 people and produces approximately 15 million board feet annually of value-added wood products.

The operation includes:

Lumber Receiving & Warehousing

• Receiving pine lumber from company-owned sawmills and external suppliers
• Raw material inventory management
• Finished goods warehousing
• Indoor storage and shipping operations

Finger-Joint Manufacturing

• Primed finger-joint products
• Defect scanning and optimization systems
• Chop saw operations
• Finger-jointing equipment
• Gluing and pressing lines
• Moulding and profiling equipment

Siding Manufacturing

• Bevel siding (primed and unprimed)
• Barnwood siding
• Specialty pine products
• Planers, moulders, profile lines, and trimming equipment

Paint & Finishing Operations

• Latex and oil-based coating systems
• Priming operations
• Automated paint application systems
• Drying and curing processes
• Paint storage and handling
• Quality inspection and product verification

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for all manufacturing, maintenance, warehousing, shipping, quality, safety, and production activities.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
• Develop and execute operational strategies that improve productivity, quality, cost performance, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead and coach department managers and supervisors while developing future leaders within the organization.
• Monitor key performance indicators and implement initiatives to improve throughput, yield, efficiency, and profitability.
• Manage production planning, inventory, logistics, and customer delivery performance.
• Collaborate with corporate leadership and cross-functional teams to support strategic objectives.
• Develop and manage annual operating budgets and capital improvement projects.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the facility.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, regulatory, quality, and workplace safety standards.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience managing manufacturing operations within the forest products, wood products, building materials, or related industrial manufacturing sectors.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-department manufacturing facilities through operational improvement and organizational growth.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, production planning, inventory management, quality systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading salaried and hourly workforces in a union or non-union environment.
• Financial acumen with experience managing operating budgets, capital expenditures, and performance metrics.
• Excellent communication, leadership, coaching, and problem-solving abilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Forestry, Wood Products, Business, Operations Management, or a related discipline is preferred.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following would be considered a strong asset:

• Sawmill operations
• Finger-joint manufacturing
• Value-added lumber manufacturing
• Siding or millwork production
• Planing and moulding operations
• Paint and finishing systems
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement initiatives



Why This Opportunity?

This position offers the opportunity to lead an established operation that is integral to a larger, vertically integrated wood products business. The successful candidate will have the autonomy to drive operational improvements while working alongside an experienced leadership team committed to safety, quality, innovation, and long-term growth.

Confidential Search

Green Humanity Recruitment is conducting this search on behalf of our client. To protect the confidentiality of the organization, the company name will be disclosed only to qualified candidates who progress through the recruitment process. All inquiries and applications will be handled with the strictest confidence.