Plant Manager

The Plant Manager is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day leadership of a small manufacturing facility specializing in welded exhaust systems for OEM customers. This position oversees production, welding and fabrication operations, quality, maintenance, safety, warehouse, and shipping functions to ensure customer requirements, operational goals, and business objectives are achieved.

The Plant Manager drives operational excellence through safe manufacturing practices, superior product quality, on-time delivery, employee development, and continuous improvement. This role collaborates closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Human Resources, Finance, and OEM customer representatives to maintain a high-performing manufacturing operation.

•  Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, team leaders, and production personnel.

•  Establish operational goals, objectives, performance expectations, and accountability standards.

•  Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, respect, and continuous improvement.

•  Ensure effective staffing, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development.

•  Promote employee engagement and maintain positive employee relations throughout the facility.

•  Support cross-functional collaboration among Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Finance.

•  Direct daily production activities, including welding, fabrication, assembly, packaging, warehousing, and shipping.

•  Ensure production schedules are achieved while meeting customer quality and delivery requirements.

•  Monitor operational performance and implement timely corrective actions when targets are not met.

•  Manage labor utilization, overtime, workflow efficiency, capacity, material flow, and production priorities.

•  Establish and maintain standard work, visual controls, performance metrics, and daily accountability routines.

•  Provide leadership and oversight for welding and metal fabrication activities.

•  Ensure welding operations comply with approved work instructions, engineering specifications, process parameters, and customer requirements.

•  Support best practices for MIG, TIG, robotic, and resistance welding processes, as applicable.

•  Collaborate with Engineering on process improvements, tooling, equipment upgrades, new product launches, and production readiness.

•  Monitor process capability and lead corrective actions to improve weld quality, throughput, and consistency.

•  Maintain strong focus on customer satisfaction, quality performance, responsiveness, and on-time delivery.

•  Ensure OEM customer-specific requirements are communicated, understood, and incorporated into plant processes.

•  Support customer audits, plant visits, launch activities, performance reviews, and corrective action responses.

•  Lead containment and recovery activities related to customer concerns or delivery risk.

•  Partner with Sales, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to meet customer expectations.

•  Partner with Quality leadership to maintain compliance with applicable quality management systems and customer-specific requirements.

•  Drive improvements in customer PPM, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, and process consistency.

•  Review quality metrics, audit findings, customer complaints, and corrective action progress.

•  Promote root cause analysis, mistake-proofing, preventive action, and quality at the source.

•  Ensure product and process control requirements are consistently followed.

•  Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, environmental regulations, and company safety policies.

•  Lead plant safety initiatives, meetings, audits, inspections, training, and corrective actions.

•  Promote proactive hazard identification, near-miss reporting, and risk reduction.

•  Partner with EHS and Human Resources on incident investigations, root cause analysis, and prevention plans.

•  Maintain readiness for regulatory, customer, and internal inspections and audits.

•  Develop and manage annual operating budgets and plant cost targets.

•  Monitor labor costs, overtime, manufacturing expenses, scrap, material usage, and efficiency metrics.

•  Identify and execute cost reduction, waste elimination, and productivity improvement opportunities.

•  Support forecasting, capital expenditure planning, and operational investment decisions.

•  Drive profitability through disciplined resource utilization and operating performance.

•  Ensure equipment reliability and facility readiness to support production requirements.

•  Support preventive and predictive maintenance programs and effective work order execution.

•  Prioritize equipment upgrades, replacements, tooling needs, and capital projects.

•  Partner with Maintenance leadership to reduce downtime and recurring equipment failures.

•  Ensure contractors and service providers work safely and meet plant requirements.

•  Champion Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, standardized work, and operational excellence initiatives.

•  Use data and performance metrics to identify priorities and measure results.

•  Lead improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, OEE, throughput, labor efficiency, and material flow.

•  Build practical problem-solving capability and accountability throughout the plant.

•  Sustain improvements through documented standards, training, audits, and leadership follow-up.

•  Bachelor degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred.

•  Equivalent combination of education and significant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.

•  Minimum 7 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.

•  Minimum 3 years of plant management or senior operations management experience.

•  Experience in welding, metal fabrication, automotive, Tier 1, or OEM manufacturing environments strongly preferred.

•  Experience supporting OEM customers and automotive quality systems preferred.

•  Demonstrated success improving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.

•  Strong knowledge of welding, fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing operations.

•  Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S, standardized work, and continuous improvement tools.

•  Knowledge of IATF 16949, ISO 9001, APQP, PPAP, and automotive quality systems preferred.

•  Strong leadership, coaching, communication, organizational, and change management skills.

•  Ability to analyze operational and financial performance metrics and take decisive action.

•  Strong problem-solving, root cause analysis, and corrective action capabilities.

•  Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office applications.

•  Ability to communicate effectively with employees, customers, suppliers, and all levels of the organization.

•  This is an onsite position in a manufacturing environment and requires regular presence on the production floor.

•  This site works a 4, 10 schedule (4:00am - 2:30pm, M-Th); this position may be required to work on Fridays as well

The role supports all plant operations and requires flexibility for multiple shifts, audits, customer visits, launches, shutdowns, and operational emergencies.

•  The work environment includes welding operations, moving machinery, noise, fumes, dust, production materials, and varying temperatures.

•  Required personal protective equipment must be worn in designated areas.

•  Ability to stand and walk throughout the manufacturing facility for extended periods.

•  Ability to climb stairs, access production areas, and conduct facility and equipment inspections.

•  Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.

•  Ability to work safely around welding operations, moving machinery, and industrial equipment.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected by applicable law.