Plant Manager

In this pivotal leadership role, you will oversee the comprehensive operations of a strategically important manufacturing complex consisting of two production plants, an offsite warehouse, and a customer service center. These facilities are crucial for delivering products that meet high standards of safety, reliability, quality, and cost-efficiency, serving both internal and external partners.

Based in Defiance, this facility is the exclusive producer of key product lines such as marbles and fiberglass pipe covers, supplying both in-house and external stakeholders. You will be challenged to uphold operational excellence through leading major capital projects like furnace reconstructions, advancing automation, and pursuing potential expansions.

Achieving success in this role involves enhancing safety records, boosting employee engagement, and raising production throughput. You'll also be tasked with improving the quality, financial outcomes, and project execution timelines within a unionized environment that includes over 600 hourly and 60 salaried workers across multiple sites.

Key Responsibilities:
- Elevate safety and environmental metrics by consistently meeting health and regulatory standards and fostering a proactive safety culture.
- Ensure manufacturing excellence by improving productivity, yield, and uptime, implementing continuous improvement frameworks.
- Nurture a culture of accountability and performance, support leadership development, and manage labor relations effectively in a union setting.
- Attain financial objectives by optimizing cost, working capital, and inventory, turning financial analysis into strategic decisions to boost profitability.
- Spearhead major investments such as furnace rebuilds and automate operations, ensuring initiatives are completed within set budgets and timelines.
- Implement comprehensive systems for metrics and governance to aid in accountability and ongoing enhancements.
- Act as a key representative to community stakeholders, regulatory bodies, and senior internal leadership, aligning site execution with strategic directives.

This opportunity stands out for its transformative potential and high visibility, offering a substantial impact on company-wide supply and performance. It's ideal for seasoned leaders desiring to tackle complex challenges and leave a significant legacy.

Qualifications & Capabilities:
- Bachelor’s Degree in engineering or a related technical field with over 12 years of progression in manufacturing leadership, and at least 5 years in a senior site leadership capacity.
- Demonstrable success in managing large, multilayered manufacturing operations with unionized and salaried teams.
- Proven track record of boosting safety, productivity, quality, and cost metrics, coupled with strong employee engagement skills.
- Financially astute with experience in overseeing P&L and managing capital programs.
- Expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
- Experience with regulatory compliance and safety leadership.
- Strong technical and problem-solving skills in enhancing manufacturing systems.
- Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with an ability to influence diverse organizational levels.
- Demonstrated capability to set priorities, provide clear direction, and ensure disciplined execution.

Candidates should have a background in Glass, Ceramics, or Metal industries and previous experience in a unionized environment is essential.