Plant Manager

Plant Manager

Location: Redmond, Oregon
Reports to: Vice President of Operations / Division Operations Leader
Employment Type: Full-time, on-site

Our client a leading HVAC industry manufacturer is seeking an accomplished, hands‑on Plant Manager to lead their manufacturing operation in Redmond, Oregon. This executive will have overall responsibility for plant performance, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, people development, capacity, and continuous improvement.

Position Summary The Plant Manager will lead a complex, high-mix manufacturing environment producing custom and engineered HVAC solutions for mission‑critical data centers, clean environments, and commercial applications. The Company’s vertically integrated operation includes heavy fabrication, welding, powder coating, electrical assembly, systems integration, and product testing. Company designs and manufactures highly engineered thermal‑management systems for demanding applications.

The successful candidate will establish operational discipline, develop a strong leadership team, increase manufacturing capacity, improve predictability and execution, and support the continued growth of the Company business. This position requires a highly visible leader who is comfortable working on the manufacturing floor, engaging employees, and driving accountability at every level.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Plant leadership and strategy

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the Redmond manufacturing operation.
• Translate business objectives, customer requirements, and growth plans into clear operational priorities.
• Develop and execute the plant’s annual operating plan, including performance objectives, staffing requirements, capital investments, productivity initiatives, and capacity plans.
• Establish a high‑performance culture built around safety, accountability, teamwork, urgency, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key member of the Company’s operations leadership teams.
• Communicate plant performance, risks, priorities, and recovery plans to senior leadership.
• Ensure effective coordination among Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Materials, Human Resources, Finance, and Environmental Health and Safety.

Safety and environmental compliance

• Champion a zero‑incident safety culture in which employee safety is the first operational priority.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, environmental regulations, corporate standards, and applicable local, state, and federal requirements.
• Maintain strong safety‑management practices, including employee training, risk assessments, incident investigations, corrective actions, audits, and preventive programs.
• Ensure leaders and employees actively identify and eliminate workplace hazards.
• Monitor safety indicators and drive timely corrective and preventive actions.

Manufacturing operations

• Lead daily manufacturing activities to achieve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Ensure effective execution across fabrication, welding, coating, assembly, electrical integration, testing, material handling, and shipping.
• Improve production planning, scheduling, labor utilization, workflow, and resource allocation.
• Establish daily management systems and performance reviews that provide visibility to results, constraints, and corrective actions.
• Improve manufacturing predictability in a high‑mix, engineered‑to‑order environment.
• Balance customer commitments, capacity, labor, materials, equipment availability, and changing production requirements.
• Lead problem‑solving and recovery efforts for missed production, delivery, quality, or cost targets.
• Ensure effective new‑product introduction and transition from engineering into manufacturing.

Quality and customer satisfaction

• Promote a culture in which quality is built into the manufacturing process.
• Ensure products meet customer specifications, engineering requirements, regulatory standards, and internal quality expectations.
• Partner with Quality and Engineering to improve first‑pass yield, reduce defects and rework, strengthen process controls, and address root causes.
• Support customer visits, product inspections, audits, and corrective‑action processes.
• Drive disciplined problem‑solving using structured methodologies such as 5 Why, 8D, A3, or DMAIC.
• Protect customer relationships through reliable delivery, clear communication, and rapid resolution of manufacturing issues.

Continuous improvement and operational excellence

• Develop and execute a plant‑wide continuous improvement roadmap.
• Implement Lean manufacturing principles, standard work, visual management, workplace organization, layered process audits, and daily accountability.
• Reduce waste, production lead time, material movement, overtime, rework, and operating costs.
• Improve throughput and capacity while maintaining safety and quality.
• Use operational data to identify constraints, establish priorities, and measure the impact of improvement initiatives.
• Develop problem‑solving capabilities throughout the organization rather than relying exclusively on functional experts.
• Identify opportunities for manufacturing technology, automation, tooling, and process improvements.

Financial and asset management

• Assume accountability for plant operating performance and financial results.
• Develop and manage operating budgets, labor plans, capital expenditures, and productivity commitments.
• Monitor manufacturing costs, labor efficiency, overtime, scrap, rework, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Partner with Finance to understand plant variances and implement corrective actions.
• Develop business cases and priorities for equipment, facility, automation, and capacity investments.
• Ensure plant assets, equipment, and facilities are properly maintained and effectively utilized.
• Strengthen preventive and predictive maintenance practices to improve equipment reliability.

Supply chain and materials

• Partner with Supply Chain and Materials leadership to improve material availability, inventory accuracy, production flow, and supplier performance.
• Ensure production schedules are aligned with material availability, labor capacity, customer requirements, and engineering readiness.
• Improve inventory management, warehouse organization, point‑of‑use delivery, and material replenishment.
• Reduce material shortages, excess inventory, expedite costs, and production disruptions.
• Support supplier development and corrective‑action activities when supplier performance affects plant execution.

Organizational leadership and talent development

• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain a strong plant leadership team.
• Establish clear responsibilities, objectives, performance standards, and succession plans.
• Build effective relationships with employees at all levels and maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor.
• Develop frontline supervisors and managers in leadership, daily management, problem‑solving, and employee engagement.
• Promote effective communication across departments, shifts, and organizational levels.
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, employee relations, retention, attendance, training, performance management, and organizational development.
• Create an environment that promotes respect, inclusion, accountability, and employee involvement.

Key Performance Indicators

The Plant Manager will be accountable for performance in areas including:

• Recordable incident rate and safety corrective‑action closure
• On‑time delivery and schedule attainment
• Productivity and labor efficiency
• First‑pass yield, scrap, rework, and cost of poor quality
• Manufacturing lead time and throughput
• Operating expenses and budget performance
• Inventory accuracy and working‑capital performance
• Equipment uptime and preventive‑maintenance completion
• Customer complaints and corrective‑action effectiveness
• Employee turnover, absenteeism, engagement, and development
• Continuous improvement and cost‑reduction results
• Capital‑project execution and return on investment

Requirements

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Manufacturing, or a related discipline required.
• Advanced degree or MBA is preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• At least five years of experience leading a significant manufacturing operation, business unit, value stream, or plant.
• Previous Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Director of Operations, or comparable leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in HVAC, industrial equipment, data‑center infrastructure, fabricated metal products, electrical equipment, or another engineered‑product environment is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, high‑mix, low‑volume or engineered‑to‑order manufacturing operations.
• Experience managing periods of significant growth, capacity expansion, new‑product introduction, or operational transformation.
• Proven record of improving safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and financial performance.
• Experience leading multiple manufacturing disciplines, such as fabrication, welding, paint or powder coating, mechanical assembly, electrical assembly, and product testing.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and data‑driven manufacturing management.

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations and plant‑management systems.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, standard work, visual management, and structured problem‑solving.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including budgeting, operating expenses, capital planning, and cost control.
• Ability to lead in a fast‑growing, technically complex, and customer‑driven environment.
• Understanding of production planning, materials management, quality systems, maintenance, and supply‑chain execution.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, bills of material, production metrics, and financial reports.
• Strong project‑management and change‑leadership capabilities.
• Excellent communication, coaching, influencing, and organizational‑development skills.
• Ability to make timely decisions, establish priorities, and maintain accountability under demanding business conditions.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and ERP/MRP applications.

Leadership Competencies

• Visible, hands‑on leadership
• Strategic thinking with strong execution
• Safety and quality leadership
• Accountability and ownership
• Customer focus
• Operational and financial discipline
• Talent development and succession planning
• Cross‑functional collaboration
• Continuous‑improvement mindset
• Data‑driven decision‑making
• Adaptability and sense of urgency
• Integrity and sound judgment