Plant Manager — Confidential (Ethanol Production)
Liberal, KS area · Relocation assistance provided
Salary: $200,000- commensurate with experience
About the Role
A well-established ethanol production facility (110 million gallons/year) in southwest Kansas is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead daily operations. This is a lean, hands-on leadership role — you'll oversee a team of roughly 50 employees through four direct reports (Production, Maintenance, Grain/Rail, and Lab Managers). The plant itself runs well; what we need is a leader who can unify the functional team, build a strong front-line leadership bench, and drive a high-performing safety culture.
What You'll Do
- Plan, organize, and manage daily plant operations to meet production and quality targets
- Monitor equipment and process performance to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimize yield
- Champion a strong safety culture; lead safety meetings and ensure compliance with environmental regulations and permits
- Coach and develop plant supervisors and shift leads — communication, accountability, conflict resolution, and team leadership
- Set clear performance expectations, conduct evaluations, and provide ongoing feedback
- Partner with Maintenance leadership on preventive/corrective maintenance planning
- Serve as the operational link between corporate leadership and the plant, communicating clearly across all shifts
- Manage plant budget including staffing, overtime, supplies, and maintenance costs
- Build understanding of plant carbon intensity scoring and pathway management, coordinating with the commercial team on related initiatives
What You Bring
- 10+ years of industrial or plant operations experience, including supervisory responsibility
- Prior experience running an ethanol production plant strongly preferred
- Strong working knowledge of production systems, maintenance operations, and safety requirements
- A track record of building effective teams, ideally at a lean-staffed site (i.e., comfortable without a large middle-management layer)
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and decision-making skills
- Willingness to relocate to southwest Kansas
- Valid driver's license; ability to travel to other company locations as needed
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Agriculture, or a related field preferred (not required)
- Experience in chemical processing, grain handling, milling, or biodiesel is a plus
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary ($200K, commensurate with experience) — at the top of the industry range
- 20–30% annual target bonus
- Relocation assistance provided
- Full benefits package (health, retirement, PTO)
This employer is an equal opportunity employer.