Manufacturing Plant Manager

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nPOSITION SUMMARY Good Fellas Industries (GFI) is seeking a hands-on, highly accountable Plant Manager to lead the daily operations of our approximately 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Vernon, California. GFI manufactures custom window treatments and related textile products for the hospitality industry. Our operation requires strong coordination between manufacturing, Project Management, Estimating, Purchasing, Quality Control, Shipping, Maintenance, and HR. The Plant Manager is responsible for ensuring that production is properly planned, staffed, organized, and executed so that products are manufactured to specification, to GFI standards, on time, safely, and efficiently. This is a hands-on leadership position. The Plant Manager is expected to be highly visible on the manufacturing floor, understand what is happening throughout the operation, solve problems, hold employees accountable, communicate effectively across departments, and take ownership of plant performance. The successful candidate must also understand that before changing a process, you must first understand and master the process that currently exists. GFI values continuous improvement, but improvement must be based on a thorough understanding of our products, work orders, people, project requirements, and existing manufacturing processes. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Production Leadership & Operational Control · Oversee daily manufacturing operations across cutting, sewing, hardware, assembly, quality control, maintenance, and shipping preparation. · Ensure the factory is properly staffed, organized, and prepared for production each day. · Maintain production schedules in alignment with project requirements and customer deadlines. · Monitor workflow throughout the plant and identify bottlenecks before they affect production or delivery. · Allocate labor and equipment based on production priorities and capacity. · Maintain a strong daily presence on the manufacturing floor. · Take ownership of problems and ensure issues are followed through to resolution. · Ensure production priorities are clearly understood by supervisors, leads, and employees. Work Orders & Production Readiness · Develop a thorough understanding of GFI's existing work-order process and how information moves from Project Management into manufacturing. · Ensure Work Orders, specifications, BOMs, drawings, job packets, and other required production information are complete and understood before work proceeds. · Identify missing, conflicting, or unclear information before it creates manufacturing errors. · Work with Project Management and Estimating to resolve questions and discrepancies. · Ensure employees are producing according to the approved Work Order and specifications. · Strengthen accountability for the accuracy and execution of Work Orders throughout the manufacturing process. Quality & Standards · Enforce GFI quality standards throughout the manufacturing process. · Establish accountability for quality at the workstation rather than relying solely on final inspection. · Reduce defects, rework, miscuts, remakes, customer complaints, and unnecessary shipping costs. · Identify recurring quality problems and address their root causes. · Ensure finished products meet GFI and project specifications before shipment. Leadership, Accountability & Employee Development · Lead, coach, train, and develop supervisors, leads, and production employees. · Establish clear expectations and follow through consistently. · Address attendance, tardiness, performance, behavior, and accountability issues promptly and professionally. · Develop stronger supervisors and leads rather than allowing all decisions to depend on the Plant Manager. · Promote teamwork between departments and discourage departmental silos. · Lead by example through professionalism, consistency, urgency, organization, and accountability. Senior Project Manager Collaboration The Plant Manager will work hand-in-hand with GFI's Senior Project Manager. · Coordinate closely on project priorities, production requirements, specifications, schedules, and customer commitments. · During onboarding, the Senior Project Manager will provide significant training and direction regarding GFI's existing processes, project flow, Work Orders, and operational requirements. · Learn how projects move through GFI before making significant changes to existing processes. · Maintain open communication regarding production risks, schedule changes, missing information, and priorities. · Translate project requirements into clear manufacturing priorities for the plant. HR / Culture Manager Collaboration The Plant Manager will work hand-in-hand with GFI's HR / Culture Manager to maintain a professional, accountable, respectful, and high-performing workplace. · Employee performance and accountability · Attendance and punctuality · Coaching and corrective action · Employee relations · Training and development · Workplace communication · Leadership development · Company policies and procedures · Plant culture and teamwork The Plant Manager is responsible for operational leadership of the employees while partnering with HR on people-related matters that require consistency, documentation, coaching, or corrective action. Continuous Improvement & Lean Manufacturing GFI is looking for a Plant Manager who practices Lean on the manufacturing floor, not simply someone who holds a Lean Six Sigma certification. The successful candidate must have hands-on experience with Kaizen, Gemba walks, 5S, root-cause analysis, waste reduction, standard work, and continuous improvement. · Apply Lean Six Sigma principles to improve manufacturing performance. · Lead and participate in Kaizen events focused on productivity, quality, safety, workflow, labor efficiency, and waste reduction. · Demonstrate experience using Kaizen principles to implement practical, measurable, and sustainable improvements in a manufacturing environment. · Conduct regular Gemba walks throughout the manufacturing floor to observe work where it is actually happening, engage employees, identify problems, and understand root causes. · Use Gemba observations to identify bottlenecks, waste, quality concerns, safety issues, and opportunities for improvement. · Involve supervisors, leads, and production employees in continuous improvement rather than implementing changes without input from the people performing the work. · Measure the results of Kaizen improvements and ensure changes are sustained after implementation. · Evaluate workflow, WIP, material movement, workstation organization, labor utilization, and production efficiency. · Implement and sustain 5S and visual-management practices. · Use data and observation to identify waste and root causes. · Develop practical improvements that employees can understand and sustain. · Create and improve SOPs where needed. · Train employees on improved processes and verify adoption. GFI is not looking for someone to immediately replace existing systems or redesign the operation before understanding it. The Plant Manager must first learn and master GFI's current processes, particularly the Work Order and production process, before recommending significant system or process changes. Safety & Facility Operations · Maintain a safe, clean, organized, and professional manufacturing environment. · Enforce workplace safety requirements and company policies. · Conduct regular plant walkthroughs to identify safety, quality, equipment, housekeeping, and operational concerns. · Coordinate with Maintenance to minimize equipment downtime and maintain production readiness. · Ensure the facility is properly opened, closed, and secured. KPIs & Performance Management Establish, monitor, and improve meaningful plant performance measurements, including: · On-time production completion · Production throughput · Labor efficiency · Rework and defect rates · Work-in-process · Equipment downtime · Quality performance · Attendance and punctuality · Production schedule performance The Plant Manager is expected to understand the reasons behind performance results and take corrective action when standards are not being met. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS · Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is required. Proof of certification must be provided. · Fluent English and Spanish are required. · Minimum 5 years of manufacturing leadership experience. · Demonstrated experience managing daily plant or manufacturing operations. · Demonstrated experience implementing Lean principles in an operating manufacturing environment. · Hands-on Kaizen experience in a manufacturing environment required. · Demonstrated experience conducting and leading Gemba walks required. · Experience turning Gemba observations into measurable improvements in productivity, quality, workflow, safety, or cost. · Ability to coach supervisors and employees in Lean, Kaizen, 5S, and continuous-improvement practices. · Strong knowledge of production scheduling, workflow, capacity, quality control, and labor management. · Experience establishing and managing manufacturing KPIs. · Proven ability to lead employees, enforce standards, and create accountability. · Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills. · Strong written and verbal communication skills. · Ability to work effectively across multiple departments. · Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, project-driven manufacturing environment. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE Experience in any of the following is beneficial but not required: · Textile manufacturing · Window treatment manufacturing · Drapery or roller shade manufacturing · Furniture or upholstery manufacturing · Custom or made-to-order manufacturing · Hospitality manufacturing · ERP or manufacturing software implementation Direct window-treatment experience is not required. We are looking for a strong manufacturing leader who is willing and capable of learning GFI's products and processes. SCHEDULE & WORKING CONDITIONS · Regular start time is 5:30 AM, Monday through Friday. · The Plant Manager is expected to be onsite and prepared to open the manufacturing operation each workday. · This is a 100% onsite leadership position. · The Plant Manager must be highly visible and engaged on the manufacturing floor. · Responsible for ensuring the operation is properly closed and secured when required. · Extended hours and occasional weekend work may be required based on production schedules, customer commitments, or operational needs. WHAT GFI IS LOOKING FOR We are looking for someone who takes ownership. The right Plant Manager does not simply identify problems or report them. This person investigates the problem, understands the cause, communicates with the appropriate people, develops a solution, follows through, and verifies that the problem has actually been resolved. We want a leader who can earn the respect of the manufacturing team, develop people, establish discipline, protect quality, improve productivity, and help GFI build an increasingly strong and scalable manufacturing operation. CERTIFICATION Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification - Required Proof of certification will be required during the interview process. LANGUAGE Fluent English - Required Fluent Spanish - Required Work Location: In person - Vernon, California