Plant Manager

The mission of the Plant Manager (Sensor Manufacturing) is to provide comprehensive strategic, operational, and financial leadership for a premier 100-person manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Operating as a critical hub within a multi-site organization alongside an East Coast sister facility, this site specializes in high-precision component assembly, advanced materials processing, and mission-critical vibration monitoring sensor technologies heavily utilized across commercial, automotive, and defense contract applications. This is not a passive or administrative, "desk-bound" role. We are explicitly seeking an operationally fierce, highly visible leader who coaches from the front lines—someone who views the production floor as their primary command center. Stepping into this role as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will replace a legacy of distant management with an engaging coaching style. By blending robust financial acumen with hands-on manufacturing execution, you will bridge the gap between daytime manufacturing precision and nighttime operational discipline, driving the organization through its next chapter of capacity expansion and business growth. Scope of Impact Operations & Continuous Improvement Leadership Multi-Shift Facility Ownership: Direct and optimize day-to-day operations across two distinct schedules, encompassing a total site footprint of 100 personnel: Day Shift: 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM (5 days/week) Night Shift: 2:00 PM – 12:30 AM (4 days/week, Monday–Thursday) Direct Report Development: Lead, coach, and build organizational capability for a multi-functional team of 10 direct reports, including leads across Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and EHS. Operational Efficiency: Drive key performance indicators (KPIs) to maximize throughput, reduce waste, optimize resource utilization, and hit target metrics for On-Time Delivery (OTD). Lean Transformation: Champion Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives to institutionalize standardized processes and best practices across both shifts. Financial & Business Management P&L Accountability: Maintain full bottom-line accountability for plant financial performance, including budget management, strict cost control, and financial result tracking. Capital & Budget Strategy: Formulate and manage site-level budgets, financial forecasts, and capital investment projects (CapEx) aligned with long-term corporate priorities. Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner seamlessly with Sales, Finance, Engineering, and HR to align plant capability with customer demand, market trends, and executive business strategy. Quality, Compliance & Safety Regulatory & Quality Oversight: Secure absolute compliance across all internal quality management systems, audits, and corrective actions, adhering closely to strict regulatory frameworks, ISO 9001, and ISO 13485 standards. Safety Culture: Promote and sustain a resilient, proactive safety and compliance culture throughout all non-sedentary plant operations. Profile of Excellence Hands-On Field Mindset: A battle-tested operations professional who believes authentic leadership happens on the floor. You roll up your sleeves, audit lines daily, and maintain equal comfort presenting data to corporate executives or troubleshooting alongside front-line operators. Strong Financial Acumen: A business leader who knows how to read, interpret, and manage a financial statement, leveraging a data-driven approach to map daily floor metrics directly to P&L success. Coaching-Centered Leadership: A natural mentor who utilizes a consistent, transparent coaching style to build workforce trust, drive cross-shift accountability, and develop internal talent pipelines. Sensor Industry Competency: Deep technical comfort and direct familiarity with high-precision micro-electronics assembly, advanced material/powder processing, or sensor manufacturing environments. License and Experience Requirements Education: Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or a closely related technical discipline is required. An MBA is highly preferred. Experience Level: 10 to 15 years of progressive experience in a manufacturing or production environment, with a minimum of 5 to 8 years explicitly dedicated to a core autonomous leadership role (e.g., Plant Manager, Operations Manager). Industry Background: Proven, direct experience working within a sensor manufacturing company, vibration monitoring technology company, or high-precision electronics environment is strictly required. Technical Systems & Methodologies: Practical experience utilizing robust ERP/MRP platforms (IFS and Made2Manage preferred) alongside structured Lean/Six Sigma execution. Relocation Policy: No relocation assistance is provided. This search is strictly focused on local candidates within commuting distance of the Indianapolis facility. Environmental & Physical Requirements This is a non-sedentary manufacturing leadership role. It requires the physical capability to spend 66%+ of each workday walking, standing, bending, or climbing across a dynamic production and warehouse floor environment. Incumbents must be able to lift or push up to 50 pounds between 33% and 66% of the time, and withstand routine exposure to standard manufacturing elements like dust or industrial noise. Legal & Compliance Summary Work Authorization & Export Control: Candidates must be U.S. Citizens with the ability to successfully obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance, as required to support defense contract applications and meet ITAR regulations. EEO Compliance: This position is governed by Equal Employment Opportunity standards. Our partner firm is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the employment of Females, Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, and Veterans (M/F/D/V). #J-18808-Ljbffr