Plant Manager

Plant Manager

Summary: An experienced leader will stand up our new manufacturing facility in Denton, TX and run it through go-live into steady-state. The plant will include sheet metal operations (laser, punch, bend, weld, paint), electrical panel assembly, and HVAC unit assembly lines, with a strong emphasis on automation and robotic solutions. This is a new facility start-up. The incumbent will partner directly with executive leadership on project execution, from facility fit-out and equipment commissioning through hiring, process validation, and production launch. The role carries full operational accountability once the plant is live, including safety, quality, cost, delivery, and P&L performance, and will lead the plant leadership team across manufacturing engineering, production, and maintenance. We are looking for a strategic operator who thrives in a project-driven, start-up environment, demonstrates teamwork, and empowers leaders to achieve excellence. Effective communication, executive presence, and the ability to inspire, delegate, and build an organization from scratch are essential. This long-term opportunity offers the chance to build a new plant end-to-end, shape its culture and standards, and grow with the organization as our Texas footprint scales.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Executive Director of Manufacturing Operations to lead the Denton plant from facility fit-out through start-up, go-live, and into steady-state operations, including layout, equipment installation and commissioning, process validation, staffing ramp-up, and production launch.
• Own full site operational and financial performance post go-live, including budget, P&L, capital spend, and key operating KPIs.
• Build and lead the plant leadership team, including manufacturing engineering, production, and maintenance.
• Develop the organizational structure, talent pipeline, and succession plan for the site.
• Oversee sheet metal and electrical panel assembly operations, ensuring process capability, throughput, and quality targets are met.
• Oversee HVAC unit assembly lines, ensuring takt time, line balancing, quality at source, and on-time delivery.
• Drive the deployment and scaling of automation and robotic solutions across the value stream.
• Establish operational standards for safety, quality, on-time delivery, cost control, process improvement, and waste reduction.
• Lead capital planning and multi-year investment strategy for the site, in partnership with finance and executive leadership.
• Contribute to enterprise standardization efforts across STULZ USA plants.
• Foster a culture of clear accountability, high productivity, and teamwork.
• Drive and instill a mindset of continuous improvement.
• Troubleshoot and resolve operational challenges to minimize disruptions and maintenance problems, ensuring minimum costs and preventing operational delays.
• Promote a customer-centric approach by anticipating and addressing customer needs.
• Build trusting relationships by encouraging open dialogue and transparency.
• Identify operational and project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Enforce high-performance standards, ensuring the team's efforts align with the company mission.
• Be results and data-driven, implementing change based on insights from data analysis.
• Collaborate with contractors, equipment vendors, and internal teams (engineering, supply chain, quality, EHS, HR, finance) to ensure smooth setup and operational readiness.
• Navigate and interpret ERP System, preferred SAP.

Qualifications:

• Manufacturing (HVAC preferable)
• Sheet metal operations (laser, punch, bend, weld, paint) preferred
• Electrical panel assembly preferred
• Automation and robotics experience preferred
• New facility start-up experience preferred
• Strategic and Executive-Level Leadership
• Supervisory and Organizational Development Skills
• Six Sigma / Lean Manufacturing
• P&L and Capital Planning
• Conflict Resolution
• Waste Reduction
• Decision-Making
• Quality Assurance
• Project and Program Management
• Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field required. 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, including project management and multi-department leadership. Proven success leading plant setup, new facility start-up, or major expansion projects end-to-end. Hands-on experience with sheet metal fabrication, electrical panel assembly, and / or HVAC unit assembly lines preferred. Experience deploying automation and robotic solutions in a production environment preferred. Track record of building and developing leadership teams, including leading managers and senior professionals. Experience owning site P&L, capital planning, and long-range operational strategy. Strong knowledge of operational standards, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement principles. Exceptional leadership, executive communication, and supervisory skills. Proficiency in data-driven decision-making and strategic planning.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an office environment in a manufacturing plant, including exposure to sheet metal fabrication, electrical panel assembly, and HVAC unit assembly areas.

Nearest Major Market: Denton Nearest Secondary Market: Dallas