Plant Manager

Location: Sardis, Mississippi

Job Title: Plant Manager

Reports To: VP of Operations

FLSA Status: Salary, Exempt

Compensation: $110,000 – $140,000

Position Summary

The Plant Manager, Sardis is responsible for leading a multi-line manufacturing facility encompassing spray drying, granulation, fulvic, liquid, and specialty production. This site also serves as the company’s most customer-facing facility and houses critical R&D research assets, which are managed by R&D but require direct operational oversight. This role is accountable for ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant operations while leveraging ERP (NetSuite) as the system of record for production planning, labor scheduling, inventory management, compliance, and reporting. The Plant Manager must effectively balance commercial production demands with development and pilot-scale runs in close partnership with R&D, while fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Use ERP (NetSuite) as the system of record for all site activities including scheduling, production tracking, inventory management, order fulfillment, and compliance
• Drive ERP data accuracy and utilization to support decision-making, standardized operator workflows, and site-wide performance monitoring
• Oversee daily operations across spray drying, granulation, fulvic, liquid, and specialty production lines
• Optimize scheduling, throughput, and critical-path workflows to minimize downtime and maximize efficiency
• Ensure consistent raw material flow, warehouse accuracy, and on-time customer shipments
• Enforce site-wide adherence to EHS, regulatory, and internal quality standards
• Partner with Quality to integrate routine product testing into daily operational checks
• Ensure compliance with customer requirements and audit standards in a high-visibility, customer-facing environment
• Provide operational oversight for R&D assets and pilot equipment located at the Sardis facility
• Support scale-up trials, development runs, and process optimization initiatives without compromising commercial production performance
• Facilitate smooth and repeatable transitions from pilot-scale to full-scale manufacturing
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, leads, and operators across multiple shifts
• Design and implement structured operator training programs with emphasis on safety, ERP usage, and technical competency
• Partner with HR to recruit, retain, and promote local talent
• Build and manage shift schedules balancing production requirements, maintenance needs, and R&D flexibility
• Utilize ERP-driven labor planning to optimize resource allocation and reduce inefficiencies
• Ensure adequate cross-training to improve coverage, agility, and operational responsiveness
• Represent Sardis operations during customer visits, audits, and product demonstrations
• Maintain a high level of site professionalism as the company’s flagship customer-facing facility
• Collaborate closely with R&D, Commercial, Engineering, and Procurement teams to meet internal and external objectives
• Own plant-level budgets, KPIs, and operational metrics
• Track and drive improvements in cost per unit, yield, labor utilization, and equipment uptime
• Lead capital project execution and continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency and scalability

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Industrial Operations, or a related field.
• 10+ years of plant operations or production leadership experience with multi-line, multi-shift oversight.
• Proven success leading customer-facing manufacturing operations.
• Experience supporting R&D activities, pilot-to-scale transitions, and product optimization initiatives.
• Demonstrated strength in people leadership and operator training development.
• Expertise in ERP-driven operations management, Lean manufacturing principles, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to balance production discipline with R&D flexibility.
• High proficiency with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred), Microsoft Office Suite, and data-driven reporting tools.
• Strong communicator with the ability to influence across technical, commercial, and R&D teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least one year of hands-on experience using NetSuite in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven people leadership experience managing teams of 10–25 employees.
• Background in spray drying and packaging operations.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies.
• Demonstrated success building high-performing, customer-facing production teams.
• Experience managing operations in a headquarters or flagship facility environment.
• Familiarity with international shipping documentation, including Bills of Lading, Certificates of Origin, and phytosanitary requirements.

Benefits

• 401(k) contribution match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance