Assistant Plant Manager

Position Overview:
The Assistant Plant Manager provides senior operational leadership to our Tampa facility. This role strengthens day‑to‑day operational performance, asset reliability and drives cross‑functional improvement initiatives in EHS, quality and training. The position reports directly in the Vice President of Tampa Operations.

Responsibilities:

Operational Excellence

• Lead plant‑wide performance improvement initiatives focused on throughput, uptime and cost per ton.
• Own and manage key operational KPIs, ensuring consistent tracking, analysis, and corrective action.
• Drive standardization of processes, procedures, and operating practices across departments.

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership

• Provide direct leadership to the site maintenance team.
• Support capital planning and asset‑management strategies and processes.

Quality, Training & Operational Capability

• Lead the Training & Development function to ensure operators and supervisors have the skills needed for safe, consistent, high‑quality production.
• Strengthen process discipline through improved onboarding, certification, and refresher training programs.
• Support root‑cause investigations and corrective actions for EHS, customer complaints or quality deviations.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Partner with Safety and Environmental leaders to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Support audits, inspections, corrective actions, and continuous improvement in risk‑reduction practices.
• Reinforce operational controls and adherence to standard operating procedures.

Strategic Projects & Modernization

• Lead and execute high‑impact strategic initiatives as assigned
• Provide project leadership, cross‑functional coordination, and measurable results.

Plant Leadership & Coordination

• Serve as the primary escalation point when the Plant Manager/VP of Operations is unavailable.

 

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field from an accredited College or University
• At least 3 years of previous work experience managing engineers or operations supervisors within a manufacturing operations environment
• Previous experience leading production and/or maintenance teams
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional initiatives and deliver measurable results
• Excellent problem‑solving, communication, and decision‑making skills
• Previous experience supporting capital projects or modernization initiatives
• Previous experience with driving safety/environmental performance improvement
• Strong project and program management skills
• Highly motivated and self-directed; ability to work well under pressure, manage and prioritize multiple tasks concurrently, attend to details, and meet deadlines
• Technical proficiency with PC and maintenance/operational software applications (e.g. CMMS, Wonderware. Pi, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience working in a chemical manufacturing or heavy industrial manufacturing setting strongly preferred, but not required
• Previous experience with reliability, operations discipline, and continuous improvement preferred, but not required
• Lean/Six Sigma certifications preferred, but not required

Physical Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to wear a full-face respirator mask directly against skin (e.g. clean shaven if applicable), work in a hot/high temperature production facility, and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) in designated areas with or without reasonable accommodation
• Willingness and ability to comply with safety protocols and company-provided decontamination measures which include utilizing private shower facilities upon leaving the plant environment with or without reasonable accommodation

Compensation Information:
Salary Range: $173,698 to $286,415. This position is also eligible for a short-term incentive plan which is determined by the achievement of strategic objectives. The market rate for the role is typically at the midpoint of the salary range; however, variations in final salary are determined by additional factors such as candidate qualifications, relevant years of experience, geographic location, internal pay equity, and prevailing market conditions for the specific role.
Benefits: Gopher Resource is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that promotes the health, wellness, and financial security of our employees. List of benefit offerings include medical & pharmacy, dental, vision, health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care spending account, life insurance, disability programs, telemedicine, parental leave, tuition support, legal insurance, identity theft protection, gym membership discounts, EAP, 401(k) with a company match, and paid time off (vacation, personal, bereavement, holidays).

Gopher Resource is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.