Plant Manager

56 Excellence Way, Vonore, TN 37885, USA Job Description JTEKT North America, a leader in automotive systems, bearings, and manufacturing technologies, is recruiting for a Plant Manager at its Vonore, Tennessee location. This high‑impact role owns facility performance, drives continuous improvement, champions safety and quality, and leads a talented team to elevate throughput, cost, and delivery. Essential Duties and Accountabilities Continuously strive to improve adherence to the Plant Management Requirements (PMR). Annual development and execution of a business plan that improves profitability, operational metrics, and is accurately forecasted. Implementing TPS in the factory and driving Lean to improve flow and connection. Driving all plant performance measurements and KPIs, including safety, quality, productivity, continuous improvement, and profitability. Using a variety of methods to communicate plant performance, profitability, and long‑term Hoshin objectives to senior executives. Creating a positive plant culture that demonstrates leadership in safety, environmental, and quality compliance. Driving customer service culture at every level and achieving highest ratings on customer satisfaction. Developing plant leadership through coaching, mentoring, and fostering a team culture with strong communication practices throughout the organization. Representing the company in the community and promoting the company’s goodwill and interests in community activities. Performing other duties as requested, directed, or assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities Managing and developing the plant leadership team in accordance with JTEKT policies and procedures. Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Demonstrated successful leadership in a lean manufacturing environment; experience with TPS (Toyota Production System). Experience in management, manufacturing processes, customer engagement, budget preparation, and cost control. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to develop relationships, build trust, and drive teamwork. Outstanding problem‑solving and decision‑making skills in a production environment. Demonstration of JTEKT leadership skills – Inspire Trust, Create Vision, Execute Strategy, Coach Potential. Ability to create and maintain a positive work environment and drive associate relations. Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in engineering or business‑related field. 5+ years in a leadership position; automotive manufacturing plant experience is a plus. TPS training or experience preferred. Experience in management, manufacturing processes, customer engagement, budget preparation, and cost control. Work Environment/Physical Demands Work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions; reasonable accommodation may be made for individuals with disabilities. Work is mostly performed in a normal office setting with minimal exposure to health or safety hazards, and substantial time spent working on a computer; requires sufficient hand, arm, and finger dexterity to operate computer keyboard and other office equipment. Position will require constant exposure to manufacturing areas that require personal protective equipment such as safety glasses with side shields and mandatory hearing protection. Travel by automobile and plane approximately 10% of the time. It is the policy at JTEKT to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals. All personnel actions, including, but not limited to, compensation, benefits, recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of persons in all job titles, are administered without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, protected veteran or disability status, or any other status protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr